254 CHARLES A. BLAKE. 



Sphrerophthalma simillima Smith. 



Female. — Ferruginous, closely covered with strong, elongate punctures, those 

 on the abdomen running into striae ; the eyes, tips of mandibles and the flagellum 

 black ; the legs fuscous ; the thorax rounded in front, narrowed posteriorly, the 

 sides crenulated, the lateral margins of the metathorax crenulated ; abdomen : 

 the apical margins of the segments fuscous, those of the first and second fringed 

 with black pubescence, the four apical margins fringed with cinereous pubes- 

 cence. Length 7-14 mm. (Smith.) 



Hab. — Massachusetts. 



This species is very like the S. ferrugata of Fabricius, but is easily 

 distinguished by its coarse sculpture, and by having the base of the 

 abdomen broad, whereas in S. ferrugata it is much narrowed at the 

 base. This species varies greatly in size. 



Sphaerophtlialma brazoria Blake. 



-Female.— Head subquadrate, posterior angles rounded, closely reticulated ; face 

 and cheeks black, vertex dark chestnut brown, thinly clothed with short, erect, 

 black hairs; antennae blackish brown ; eyes round, prominent; thorax quadrate, 

 coarsely reticulated, slightly constricted at middle, the disc dark ferruginous, 

 with scattered, erect, black hairs; metathorax abruptly truncate; legs black, 

 clothed with scattered pale hairs, intermediate and posterior tibiae armed with a 

 row of spines ; abdomen ovate, basal segment reticulated, clothed with black, 

 its apical margin fringed with bright ferruginous pubescence, second segment 

 very finely punctured, ferruginous, densely clothed with pubescence of the same 

 color, interspersed with silvery hairs; the remaining segments black, fringed 

 with pale golden pubescence ; under side closely punctured, lateral carinae dis- 

 tinct, ventral segments fringed with mixed black and white hairs. Length 9 mm. 



Hab. — Texas. 

 Allied to S. waco. 



Sphrerophthalma iiionli vaga Cresson. 



Female. — Eufous, or rufo-ferruginous, brighter above, which is clothed with a 

 short, dense, appressed, silky red pubescence, very densely but not coarsely punc- 

 tured ; beneath more or less tinged with fuscous, with a silky ochraceous pubes- 

 cence ; head large, quadrate, a little broader than the thorax, the vertex has a 

 few scattered, long, blackish, erect hairs, the cheeks and mouth more or less 

 tinged with fuscous; eyes small, rounded, entire, convex and polished ; mandi- 

 bles also polished and black at tips; antennae reddish at base, the scape with 

 ochraceous pubescence ; the flagellum rufo-piceous ; thorax short, very broad and 

 truncate in front, subcordate, being deeply strangulated on each side behind the 

 middle, the apex truncate and very abrupt ; upper surface red, or ferruginous ; 

 the sides, under surface and metathorax behind often more or less fuscous, some- 

 times almost black ; lateral excavation deep, smooth and polished ; posterior face 

 of the metathorax slightly concave, finely sculptured, sometimes shining; sides 

 of thorax and summit of metathorax sometimes with a long, erect, fuscous pu- 

 bescence ; legs black, sometimes more or less piceous, clothed with a glittering 

 ochraceous pubescence, longer and more dense on the coxae and femora beneath ; 

 abdomen large, ovate, broad at base, gradually narrowed towards the apex ; large 



