8 Myron Harmon Swenk 



Stelis (Chelynia) elegans Cresson. 



1864. Stelis elegans Cresson, Proc. Ent. Soc. Phil., II, p. 411, ?. 



1898. Stelis elegans Cockerell, The Entomologist, p. 166. 



1901. Chelynia elegans Cockerell, Univ. of Colorado Studies, IV, p. 



249, d*. 

 191 1. Chelynia elegans Cockerell, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., series 8, VIII, 



p. 768. 



Before the writer are three females of this species from Colo- 

 rado. Two were collected at Russell, June 24 and 25, 1907, by 

 H. S. Smith and L. Bruner, respectively, while the third specimen 

 is from Ward. 



Stelis (Chelynia) rubi Cockerell. 



1898. Stelis ruhi Cockerell, The Entomologist, pp. 167-168, $ (July, 

 1898). 



1898. Melanostelis betheli Ashmead, Psyche, VIII, p. 283, $ (No- 

 vember, 1898). 



A pair apparently referable to this species is before the writer, 

 both collected at Ute creek, Costilla county, Colorado, by R. W. 

 Dawson, at 9,000 feet, the female July 6, 1907, at flowers of 

 Erigeron, the male July 17, 1907. This species has previously 

 been collected only at Seattle and Olympia, Washington, on ]\Iay 

 II by Trevor Kincaid and on June 2 by L. Bethel, respectively, 

 the former at flowers of Rubus ursiniis. While agreeing with the 

 descriptions of these Washington specimens in all structural 

 characters, the Colorado female has the hair of the mesonotum 

 and propodeum almost wholly pale and there is much pale hair 

 on the face below, so that it may represent a distinct form. In 

 the pale pubescence it resembles the recently described 5'. {Che- 

 lynia) ricardonis CklL, but it has the abdominal bands colored as 

 in rubi. The dorsally medially keeled and ventrally apically tri- 

 dentate pygidium of the female distinguishes the species in this 

 sex at a glance, and it may eventually prove desirable to continue 

 to recognize Melanostelis as a subgenus on this character. The 

 species evidently belongs nearest to the nitida group. The male 

 sex of this species is undescribed so the following diagnosis is 

 given : 



8 



