1 na L September, 



ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS TO THE LIST OF BRITISH 

 ACULEATE HYMENOPTEBA. 



BY EDWARD SAUNDERS, F.L.S. 



(Concluded from page 86). 



Peosopis Masoni, Sound, (dilatata, Saund., nee Kirby, Smith). 



In my Synopsis I described the wrong insect under dilatata, Kirb.,and only dis- 

 covered my mistake a few months ago when Mr. Billups lent me two males of this 

 genus, both with white dilated antennary scapes, and told me that he felt sure they 

 were distinct ; one had the apices of the posterior tibise black, the other had the 

 entire tibise yellow. I did not think much of the colour character, as the species I 

 have always called dilatata (Masoni) has often a black spot on the inner side of the 

 posterior tibise, which might increase to a band, but on closer examination I found 

 a distinct difference in puncturation, and in the shape of the scape of the antennse, 

 and I at once recognised in the specimen with black apexed tibiae the four-sided 

 scape mentioned by several continental authors as characteristic of dilatata, Kirb. 

 Professor Perez years ago questioned whether specimens of my so-called dilatata 

 were Kii'by's species, and referred them to Rinki, Gorski. I carefully examined them 

 with Q-orski's description and figure, and found they would not agree with these, 

 and I assured Prof. Perez tliat they were the true dilatata, Kirb. ; there is, however, 

 no doubt that I was wrong. I have examined Kirby's and (through Dr. Mason's 

 kindness) Smith's type specimens of dilatata, and they are both identical and distinct 

 from what I have described in my Synopsis under that name, and I have, therefore, 

 much pleasure in naming our second species, which appears distinct from any of 

 those described by continental authors, Masoni, after Dr. Mason, whose kindness in 

 lending me Smith's specimens of the rarer Aculeata has been extreme. In Smith's 

 collection the two species were mixed, but although I have taken Masoni pretty 

 plentifully in some localities, I have never met with dilatata. The two species may 

 be thus compared : — 



^ . Mandibles white, the scape of the antennse nearly four-sided, its ^ 

 anterior and posterior sides subpavallel, apical joint pale, abdomen I 

 more finely punctured, posterior tibia; ringed with black at the i 

 „r>ov v dilatata, 



^^^^- . r Kirb. 



$ . Basal segment of abdomen nearly impunctate, very finely punctured 



at the sides only, apical segments more clothed with brownish- 

 white hairs. 



<J . Mandibles black, scape of antennse subtriangular, apex of terminal 

 joint black, abdomen more coarsely punctured, posterior tibise j 

 without black apical rings. ' Masoni 



$ . Basal segment distinctly but rather finely and remotely punctured feauna. 



on the disc, apical segments less clothed with brownish-white V 

 hairs. J 



Sphecodes divistjs, v. Hagen ?. 



I have placed the British exponents of this under variegatus, as the only 



character I can see to distinguish them lies in the extreme narrowness of the 2nd 



