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Psyche 
[September 
and propodeum ; dark femora and tibiae ; uniformly dark hind-tarsus ; 
more strongly receding temples ; the same mesoscutal and mesopleural 
characters which separate florezi from praeclarus ; irregularly shaped 
areolet with 2nd intercubitus only 0.7 as long as 1st; and shorter 
and higher propodeum with the apical face nearly vertical and the 
apical trans-carina distinct throughout. 
On the infra-specific level, a striking feature of praeclarus is the 
inconstancy of its white flagellar band, which, at least in the male, 
is greatly variable in extent and often may be completely absent, 
whereas in most other species of Trachysphyrus the presence or ab- 
sence of a pale antennal band is a. stable character. 
Finally, although T. venustus and T. kinbergi are the only species 
of the Imperialis Group currently reported from Bolivia in addition 
to T. praeclarus , it should be kept in mind not only that most of 
the other Peruvian and North-Argentine forms may be expected to 
occur there but also that a region so ecologically diverse and so little 
explored is practically certain to harbor more new species. 
Habitat notes: The type locality, Cota Cota, is situated im- 
mediately above La Paz at about 4000 meters’ elevation but still in 
a high desert environment rather than in the puna. Here most 
specimens of praeclarus were collected along a path bordered by a 
lush growth of large cactus, leguminous shrubs, and many herbaceous 
plants, the majority of which was in flower. During periods of 
sunlight many individuals of this species were seen flying swiftly in 
and around the tangles of vegetation but they would cease activity 
at once whenever the sun was obscured, even for a moment, by clouds. 
Specific name: Praeclarus is a Latin adjective meaning “splen- 
did” or “illustrious”. 
Acknowledgements: Praeclarus was obtained during fieldwork 
made possible by a National Science Foundation Grant, under which 
the author is Associate Investigator, awarded to Dr. Howard E. 
Evans of the Museum of Comparative Zoology of Harvard Univer- 
sity. I thank also Senor Fadrique Munoz Reyes and the personnel 
of the Bolivian Ministry of Agriculture for their generous collabora- 
tion during our stay in La Paz. Finally, it gives me pleasure to 
acknowledge the help of my friend and assistant, Senor Alberto S. 
Garcia Ferrer of the Universidad Nacional de La Plata (Argentina), 
who collected a considerable part of the type series, including the 
unique female. 
Reference 
Porter, C. C. 
1967. A Revision of the South American Species of Trachysphyrus. 
Mem. Amer. Ent. Inst. 10. 
