VOLUCELLA. 



47 



6. Volucella avida. 



Volucella avida, Osten Sacken, Western Diptera, in Bull. U.S. Geol. & Geogr. Surv. iii. p. 333 1 ; 

 Willist. Synopsis N.-Ara. Syrphidae, p. 139, t. 6. figg. 12, 12 b * 

 Hab. United States, California 1 2 .— Mexico, Jaral in Guanajuato {Schumann). 



A single female specimen from Jaral presents a number of minor variations from the 

 descriptions. The cheeks are not wholly black ; there are two oval, rather remote, 

 spots in front of the scutellum. I see no black hairs on the margin of the scutellum \ 

 the median stripe of the second abdominal segment is not expanded anteriorly ; and 

 the basal joints of the tarsi are deep red. 



6. Volucella picta. 



Volucella picta, Wiedem. Aussereur. zweifl. Ins. ii. p. 201 1 ; Kondani, Studi Ent. p. 65 2 ; Schiner, 



Reise der Novara, Diptera, p. 358 3 ; Willist. Trans. Am. Ent. Soc. xv. p. 275 \ 

 Volucella pulchripes, JBigot, Ann. Soc. Ent. Fr. 1875, p. 480 5 . 



Hab. Mexico 5 , Omilteme 8000 feet, Dos Arroyos 1000 feet, Venta de Zopilote 

 2800 feet, and Tierra Colorada 2000 feet, all m Guerrero (H. H Smitli), Orizaba 

 (//. H Smith and F. 1). Godman), Temax in Northern Yucatan (Gaumer).— Soutii 

 America, Brnzil 1234 — West Indies, Cuba. 



Twenty specimens, which 1 confess myself unable to refer positively to this species, 

 though I have compared them with examples from Brazil. As mentioned by me in 

 the paper referred to above 4 , there is great variation in the markings. If all these 

 Mexican representatives are referable to V. puita, as I believe they are, then it would 

 seem very probable that the name V. pusilla, Macq.,is synonymous. In structure the 

 specimens are all quite alike, and there is no noteworthy variation in the markings of 

 the wings. I group the principal varieties as follows : — 



(a) Male. Cheeks, mediati facial stripe, and frontal triangle deep black. Thorax wholly deep blue-black, save 



a small spot below the humeri and another in front of the scutellum ; usually, also, a small vittula above 

 the base of the wings. Scutellum reddish-yellow, without black pile. Abdomen black, with obscure 

 reddish spots on the sides of the second and third segments. Legs deep black, the knees narrowly yellowish, 

 the base of all the tarsi reddish-yellow, the base of the hind femora narrowly reddish. Humeri ofteii 

 yellowish. 



This is evidently the same as V. pulchrijoes, Bigot. 



(b) Male. Like «, but the facial stripe browa, the scutellum with biack pite, the humeri and a vittula above the 

 wings yellow. 



(c) Male. Face and frontal triangle light yellow | sides ©f the mesonotum yellow, enclosing a black spot poste- 



riorly ; scutellum light yellow, with da,rk red pile ; a large yellow spot on the mesopleuroe ; two yellow 

 spots in front of the scutellum ; base of the abdomen light yellow ; a large yellow spot on the sides of the 

 second and the third segments. 



This variety agrees quite with some of the specimens from Brazil, and seems to be 

 the true V. picta. 



