1901.] HYMEKOPTEEA or THE " SKEAT EXPEDITION." 31 



and the outer upper half o£ the eye-orbits, pale yello\\-. The 

 central part of the clypeus is flat and strongly punctured ; the 

 sides are oblique ; the apex transverse. Pro- and mesothorax 

 closely and strongly punctured, as are also the scutellum and 

 postscntellum ; the postscutellum has an oblique slope, and does 

 not project at the apex. Median segment opaque, rugose, and 

 thickly covered with silvery pubescence. Legs pallid yellow ; the 

 femora rufous ; the middle tibiae are lined behind with black ; the 

 posterior are entirely black. On the thorax there are two yellow 

 marks on the pronotinn, which become gradually wider outwardly ; 

 the tegulic are yellow at the base and apex ; the sides of the 

 scutellum and of the postscutellum more widely are also yellow. 

 Wings clear hyaline, the stigma fuscous ; the nervures are darker 

 coloured. The basal half of the petiole is rufous ; its apex and 

 the apex of the second segment are yellow ; the apical three 

 segments are marked with yellow in the middle ; on the sides of 

 the second segment behind the middle is a small yellow mark.] 



[Ehtnchium taproban^, sp. n. 



Nigrimi, ahdomine flavo-lineato ; femorihus rvfis ; alls violaceo- 

 hyalinis, nervis stigmateque nigris. § . 



Long. 9 mm. 



Hah. Ceylon. 



Antennae black, brownish beneath. Head black, a hue on the 

 lower side of the eye-incision, a small triangular mark over the 

 antennae, and a large curved mark on either side of the top of the 

 clypeus, yellow. Erout and vertex closely and strongly pimctured ; 

 the lower part of the front, of the eye-incision, and the face and 

 clypeus covered with silvery pubescence; there is a stout keel 

 between the antennae. Clypeus obliquely narrowed towards the 

 apex, where it is roundly but not deeply incised ; the sides are 

 triangular. Pro- and mesothorax closely and strongly punctured ; 

 the median segment is more deeply, more rugosely, punctured : 

 the postscutellum has a sharp edge behind and is slightly depressed 

 in the centre there ; the sides of the median segment, seen from 

 above, are straight and oblique. The base of the thorax is trans- 

 verse ; in the centre are tv^ o small yellow marks ; the tegulae are 

 black. Wings fuscous-violaceous ; the violaceous tint is more 

 distinct at the apex and base ; the nervures and stigma are deep 

 black. Legs black ; the four posterior femora are rufous ; the 

 anterior and the anterior tibiae in front are of a darker rufous 

 colour. The abdomen is closely and rather strongly punctured ; 

 the basal segment is cup-shaped, and behind is clearly separated 

 from the 2nd, which becomes distinctly narrowed towards the 

 base ; the basal two segments are banded with yellow all round ; 

 the 3rd is banded with yellow above ; the ti'ansverse suture on 

 the base of the second ventral segment has a blistered appearance 

 and is not punctured. The sides of the median segment are 

 broadly rounded, not angular or toothed ; the postscutellum is 

 more distinctly raised than usual and is broadly rounded behind. 



