2168 Insects. 



tennae piceous beneath. Thorax closely and finely punctured, thinly 

 clothed on the disk with pale fulvous pubescence, rather more dense 

 on the sides ; the tegulae piceous ; the wings subhyaline ; the nervures 

 testaceous ; the metathorax truncate ; the legs have a similar pu- 

 bescence to the thorax, but brighter on the posterior tibia?. Abdomen 

 oblong-ovate, rather widest towards the apex, smooth and shining ; 

 the basal margin of the second, third and fourth segments, has a fas- 

 cia of white or pale yellow pubescence ; the apical segments have a 

 thin, short, griseous pubescence, pale fulvous at the apical incision. 



Male. — (Length 3 J — 4 lines). Black ; the face clothed with short 

 white pubescence, the nose much produced ; the apex of the clypeus, 

 the labium and mandibles yellow, the latter black at the base and 

 ferruginous at the apex ; the antennae as long as the head and thorax, 

 dark rufo-piceous beneath ; the scape black. Thorax closely punc- 

 tured; at the base of the metathorax is a rugulose half-circular space, 

 having a defined raised margin ; the tubercles have generally a pale 

 yellow spot, as well as the tegulae in front, posteriorly testaceous ; the 

 wings hyaline, splendidly iridescent ; the nervures nigro-piceous ; the 

 femora at their apex, the tibiae at their base and apex, and the tarsi 

 entirely, pale yellow ; the claws pale ferruginous. Abdomen linear, 

 rather broadest towards the apex ; the base of the first segment black ; 

 its apical margin and the second and third segments red ; a minute 

 black dot at the basal margin of the second and third segments late- 

 rally, sometimes a transverse black dash in their centre, differing much 

 in size, at times nearly as wide as the entire segment on the third, 

 leaving only the margins red; the margins of the remaining segments 

 rufo-piceous, — sometimes black, only rufo-piceous on the margins. 



This species is not so abundant as H. abdominalis, but the sexes 

 resemble those of that insect ; both are, however, quite distinct : inde- 

 pendent of size, the female has the clypeus much more produced, and 

 the abdomen is of a different form. The male is very distinct ; the 

 colour of the mandibles, tibiae, &c, are characteristic differences, and 

 also the sculpture of the metathorax. I once found a small colony of 

 obovata in Hampshire, where I found the males entering and issuing 

 from the same burrows with the females. Mr. Walcott also agrees 

 with me in the propriety of uniting these insects. St. Fargeau doubts 

 H. albipes being distinct from H. abdominalis, but I suspect he had 

 not had an opportunity of observing the habits of the species. Panzer 

 has a tolerable figure of this species. 



