236 BEUTENMULLER, MONOGRAPH OF THE SESIID^. 



Melittia beckeri Druce, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. Vol. IX, 1892, p. 276 ; Biol. Cent.-Am. Vol. 

 II, Het. 1896, p. 325, pi. Ixix, fig. 18. 



Male. — Head and thorax olive gray brown ; palpi yellow. Legs yellow, tarsi ringed with black. 

 Hind legs with long orange hairs inside, and black on top from about the middle of the tibiae to 

 nearly the tip of the tarsi ; underside of hind leg white, spurs black. Abdomen brown along the 

 back, sides orange, or banded with orange ; underside pale orange. Fore wings green brown or 

 olive green above, yellowish beneath, green brown at apex. Hind wings transparent in both 

 sexes, veins marked with dirty orange ; fringes green brown, marginal line blackish. 



Female. — Same as the male, but larger. 



Expanse : Mate, 38 mm. ; female, 50 mm. 



Habitat. — Arizona, Texas, and Mexico. 



Type : One male, Coll. H. Strecker, Reading, Pa. 



Closely allied to M. gloriosa, but differs from this species in the color of the 

 abdomen, and by having the hind wings transparent in both sexes. The pectina- 

 tions of the antennae are also shorter than in gloriosa. The insect described 

 by Mr. Druce as M. beckeri is probably the same as grandis. Both description 

 and figure agree with the specimen of grandis before me. 



Melittia magnifica Beuten. 



Plate XXIX, Fig. 5, Female. 



Melittia magnifica Beutenmuller, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. Vol. XII, 1899, p. 151. 



Female. — Head blue black ; palpi orange, with the extreme tip black. Thorax steel blue, 

 tipped with orange on each side posteriorly. Antennae blue black, ferruginous towards the tip 

 beneath. Abdomen metallic steel blue black above and below. Two pairs of anterior legs steel 

 blue black (hind pair wanting). Fore wings bright steel blue black, with the inner part broadly light 

 orange. The light part covers more than half the width of the wings to a little beyond the middle, 

 where it curves downward to a point touching the hind angle. Fringes light orange. Hind wings 

 deep orange above and below. Fore wings beneath orange, outer fourth black ; fringes orange. 



Expanse : 42 mm. 



Habitat. — Austin, Texas. 



Type : One female, Coll. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 



This is the most beautiful and brilliant species of the genus, and may be 

 known at a glance by the contrasting orange and blue colors. The hind legs are 

 unfortunately wanting, but these are probably entirely steel blue or mixed with 

 orange. The earlier stages and the male are not known. 



Gaea Beutenmuller. 



Fig. 9. 



Larunda Edwards, Papilio, Vol. I, 1881, p. 182. (Preoccupied.) 



Gaea Beutenmuller, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. Vol. VIII, 1896, p. 115. 



Palpi rather short, almost porrect, scarcely upturned ; thickly clothed with short hairs, third 

 joint bare. ^ Antennae of male with rather long pectinations, simple and clavate in the female, 

 scarcely pointed at the tip. Hind tibiae with short hairs above. Fore wings with n veins, R 4 and 



