ACULEATE HYMENOPTERA FROM MESOFOTAMIA. 825. 



The $, I believe, is undescribed. It differs from the 2 only in the usual 

 sexual characters, being considerably smaller (barely 5 mm. long) and more 

 slender ; the face more elongate and entirely pale yellow ; the scapes of the 

 antennae curved, slightly incrassate and dilated towards their apices, and yellow 

 in front ; the flagella more widely piceous than those of the $ . 



H. scutellaris was described in 1873 from " Bacu." I cannot find that it 

 has ever been recorded since.) 



4. Hylceus moricei, Friese.— 1 V , Qazvin (P). 17th July. 



I took this species pretty commonly at Suez in 1896 ; Herr Alfken tells me 

 that he has specimens from Araxes-thal and also from Hungary, so it is 

 apparently widely distributed. 



5. Sphecodes gibhus. L. — 1 $ , Amara (M), 8th June. 



The specimen is broken, but I have no doubt it is a gibbus. As often in ex- 

 amples from S. Mediterranean districts, the tibiae and tarsi are testaceous. 



6. Halictus scabiosce, 'Rossi. — 1 ,^,1 2 , Amara (M), 12th September, 



5 $ 2 , Qazvin (P), 8th August. 



7. Halictus quadricinctus, F.— 5 S S' '^ $ 2 > Talish (P), 10th July. 



8. Halictus tetrazonius, Kl. — 1 2 , Qazvin, 17th July. 



9. Halictus hucognathus, n. sp. ? — 1 $, Baquba (M), 17th July. 



Herr Alfken, to whom I sent this specimen, suggested, but with doubt, that it 

 might be the senilis of Eversmann ; but after careful consideration of the de- 

 scription of senilis I do not think this likely. That species is said to be smaller 

 than H. rubicundics, whereas this is a large form — fully as large as scabioso', 

 sexcinctus, etc. Nor does Eversmann describe senilis as having the mandibles 

 largely white, which is a conspicuous and very distinctive character of hucog- 

 nathus, and has suggested the name which I propose for it. 



In the Saunders' Coll. at South Kensington there is an unnamed specimen of 

 the same ^ , taken in Greece by the late Sir S. S. Saunders, and bearing a label 

 signed ' J. Vachal ' remarking on the above pecuHarity. Herr Alfken tells me, 

 that he has a ^ like the present specimen, and that this too was taken in Greece. 

 Although superficially much resembling scabiosce, etc., it seems to be reallj' 

 much more nearly allied to the smaller species H. tetrazonius, Kl. It agrees 



with the latter exactly, and differs 

 from scabiosce, in the structure of the 

 antennae, and the genitalia — also, to 

 some extent, (as Herr Alfken observed) 

 in the form of the head, though the 

 mandibles are not dilated and the 

 tempora (behind the eyes) are little 

 if at all excavated beneath. (See Fig. 

 2.) The antennae (except their two 

 black basal joints) are entirely tes- 

 taceous, the apical joint is not curved, 

 and all joints from the fourth onwards 

 are tuberculate beneath as in tetra- 

 zonius. The other pale parts of the 

 Pig. 2. body — namely the apex of the clypeus, 



the labrum, a large triangular mark 

 on each mandible and the greater part of the legs, which, as usual, are 

 partly black (especially the anterior femora behind, and those of the hind 

 legs in front also)— are not yellow (as according to Eversmann in senilis), but 

 definitely white. The stigmata of the wings, however, and their veins (except 

 the middle part of the subcosta which is fuscous) are yellow. 



All the pilosity is snow-white or silvery, as in many " desert-forms ". Tergites 

 1 to 5 of the abdomen have each a broad entire apical fascia, as in scabiosce, etc., 

 and tergites 2 and 3 are also fascia ted (but more thinly) at their bases. The 



