HYMENOPTERA OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. 221 



32. Odynerus obscure-punctatus. 



O. obscure-punctatus, sp. nov. Subopacus^ subtiliter pu- 

 bescens, niger ; mandibulis rufis ; abdomine rufo- 

 maculato ; alis cseruleo-iridiscentibus ; clypeo vix 

 emarginato, capite thoraceque vix punctatis ; abdo- 

 mine puactato minus opaco, segmento primo trans- 

 verso, antice verticali. 



Long. cJ 8-12 millim., $ 12 millim. 



Less shining tbaa the preceding, which it resembles. 

 The head and thorax are very faintly punctured, the punc- 

 tures being not at all close to each other, and hardly 

 observable without the help of a lens. The metathorax 

 is only slightly rugose. The pubescence is easily seen 

 with a lens. The first two segments of the hind body are 

 red at the sides on both the upper and undersurfaces. The 

 hind body is evidently more shining than the thorax ; its 

 structure and punctuation are much as in the preceding 

 species. The wings of a rich bluish purple colour. The 

 apical joint of the antennae, in the male, is obscurely 

 testaceous. 



This species is, in most respects, perplexingly close to 

 the preceding. It is difficult to specify any colour difi'er- 

 ence beyond that the mandibles are, in this, red, occasion- 

 ally varying to reddish pitchy, while in the former they 

 are black varying to pitchy ; and that the red markings 

 on the hind body, though similar in form and distribution, 

 are generally smaller in this than in the other; the pro- 

 portions of the red and black on the underside of the hind 

 body vary in both species. The punctuation of the head 

 and thorax, however, is so entirely different in the two, 

 without appearing to vary, that I must consider them 

 distinct. 



Not rare on the higher mountains of Hawaii. 



