of Vespa vulgaris and V. Gcrmanica. clxxvii 



den, according to the retraction of the segments ; all have, on each 

 side of the angulated spot, a small ovate dot. Legs as in the female. 



Var. 1. — The small lateral dots on the second segment united to 

 the marginal fascia. 



Var. 2. — The second and third pairs united to the marginal fascia. 



Var. 3. — All the lateral dots united to the marginal fascia. 



Male. — Length 4 J — 7 lines. Head and thorax black; head marked 

 with yellow as in the worker, with the addition of a yellow stripe on 

 the scape of the antennae beneath, occupying the apical half; the cly- 

 peus has a round black dot in the centre, a short line, or a line and a 

 spot beneath. Thorax marked with yellow, as in the worker, but want- 

 ing the yellow spots on the metathorax. Abdomen, the band at the 

 basal margin of the first segment produced in the centre into an an- 

 gulated point, the rest of the segments having the black basal band 

 produced into a tridentate shape at their apical margin, all the dots 

 being united to the transverse fascia. (This is the V. Saxonica of 

 Fabricius). 



Var. 1. — Having the fascia on the second segment only, tridentate. 



Var. 2, 3, 4. — Having the first and second, the second and third, 

 or the second, third and fourth tridentate, the spots uniting in great 

 variety. 



Var. 5. — A halberd-shaped black spot in the centre at the basal mar- 

 gin of the first segment, and a small lateral spot on each side, the ba- 

 sal bands produced into angular points down the centre, each having 

 a minute black dot on each side. (This variety represents the male 

 of V. Germanica). 



Vespa Germanica. 



Vespa Germanica, Pans. Faun. Germ. 49, 20, £ . St. Farg. Hist. 

 Nat.'i. 516, 13, $, £. 



Female. — Length 7 — 8 lines. Clypeus with a central minute black 

 dot, or having in addition two minute ones beneath it. Abdomen, a 

 halberd-shaped black spot in the centre of the basal segment, and a 

 rounded spot on each side ; the black basal bands of the other seg- 

 ments are produced down the centre into angular points, having on 

 each side a round black dot. 



Var. 1. — The clypeus with a black stripe running halfway down. 



Worker. — Length 5^ — 7 lines. The worker agrees with the female 

 in its markings ; the clypeus has usually a black stripe running down 

 the centre rather more than half way, in rare instances it has an indis- 



