The Sphegoidea of Nebraska 27 
strong and well developed; mesopleura finely punctured; suture between 
metapleuron and metathoracic epimeron strongly foveolate; triangular area 
of metathorax bounded by deep sutures which are foveolate, the enclosed 
area smooth excepting the strongly impressed longitudinal line; posterior 
face smooth excepting several deep pits at juncture of abdomen; meta- 
thorax with a fairly dense coat of golden pubescence. First dorsal seg- 
ment of abdomen with pubescence similar to that of the metathorax; second 
segment with a few sparse punctures, more numerous laterally; remaining 
segments coarsely and regularly punctured, excepting the basal portions 
which work beneath the apical portions of the preceding segment; pygidial 
area almost twice as long as broad, with a few coarse punctures and strong 
lateral carinae; venter coarsely and sparsely punctured and with faint 
silvery pile; first segment with four strong longitudinal carinae at base, 
lateral carinae sharp. Tarsal comb consisting of nine broad spines or 
bristles, the basal joint bearing four, two single ones and a pair apically, 
second joint with a pair, third joint with a pair, and fourth joint with a 
single one; tibiae and tarsi quite strongly spinose. Wings rather dark, 
marginal cell darker, veins black. 
CoLoraTion.—Ground color of insect rather dull black; clypeus entirely 
black; lower half of inner eye margin narrowly yellow; scape and basal 
portion of flagellum beneath rufous, darker above; mandibles and palpi 
ferruginous; collar above, tubercles, spot behind them, apical half of scutel- 
lum, fairly broad bands on first and second dorsal segments, narrow band 
on third usually interrupted in the middle, sometimes a faint line on the 
fourth, light yellow; legs except basal portion of femora, reddish. 
Type, a female taken at West Point, Nebraska, June 25, 1906 
(P. R. Jones). Paratypes, two females taken at the same place! 
This species is apparenily related to rufomaculatius in punc- 
turation, but otherwise is quite different, as will be seen by a 
comparison of the two species. The large punctures of the front 
and abdomen are in strong contrast to those of the thorax. The 
punctures are much stronger and more distinct in varipunctus, 
the abdomen is more slender, the legs and antennae are rather 
darker, and it also lacks the red spots on the metathorax and the 
yellow on the clypeus; the sutures separating the triangular area 
from the metapleura and the metapleuron from the metathoracic 
epimeron are not foveolate in rufomaculatus. 
Pseudoplisus rufomaculatus (Fox). 
1895. Gorytes rufomaculatus Fox, Proceedings of the Academy of Nat- 
ural Sciences of Philadelphia, p. 538. 
A single female of this species was taken in the bad lands at 
349 
