42 SPHECOSOMA. By Dr. M. Draudt. 
legs, thorax and venter light yellow. Wings yellowish hyaline, veins finely black. Expanse of wings: 26 mm. 
Described from Colombia. 
testaceum. S. testaceum Wkr. (10 i) from British and French Guiana and the Amazon (Para) greatly resembles 
angustatum (10 e) in the colouring, though it is easily discernible by the much less strangulated abdomen. The 
head is black, the palpi yellow. The antennae are yellowish-red, the shaft is in the middle for a short distance 
black. The costal part of the forewing is faintly brownish as far as the cell-fold. 
metamela. S. metaniela Hmps. is smaller than the preceding and at once distinguishable by the orange abdomen 
the 3 last rings of which are quite black; besides the head is yellow, only the vertex is black, the antennae are 
quite black; the first abdominal ring exhibits above 2 fine black streaks. The yellowish hyaline wings are 
dusted orange-brownish in the costal-marginal half. Expanse of wings: 24 mm. Paraguay. 
vicimtm. S. vicinum Schrottky is deep dark-brown on the body with single blue, interspersed scales, palpi and 
forehead sparsely whitish-haired; the middle of the antennae mostly scaled deep dark-blue. Legs brown, forehips 
yellowish. The abdominal rings 4 to 6 are light brown at the hindmargin, like the ventral side. Wings yellowish 
hyaline with light-brown veins; costal- and distal margin blackish-brown, proximal margin dusted more light- 
brown. Expanse of wings: 24 mm. Paraguay, frequently flying in July on Ageratum-blossoms. 
abnorme. S. abnorme Hmps. (10 i) deviates from the typical forms in the veins by a well-developed, long and 
broad cell of the hindwing; the proximal margin of the forewing exihibits beneath, the costal margin of the 
hindwing above in the <$ long and dense hair. The colour of the body is orange, on the abdomen more brownish. 
The vertex is black and leaden-coloured, collar and shoulder-covers black, bordered by orange, the thorax 
black-striped. The two first abdominal rings above blackish, the first one with an orange dorsal spot; the hind 
segments exhibit silvery-blue dorsal bands. The hyaline wings are finely black on veins and margins, the 
subcostal is orange; the black margin expands somewhat towards the apex. Expanse of wings: 30 mm. Lower 
Amazon (Massauary). 
nigricomis. S. nigricornis Rbl. is closely allied to cognatum (10 i), but it differs by its unicolorously blackish head 
and palpi; the back of the thorax is dark, too, only at the shoulder-covers with some interspersed, orange, 
small scales. Legs outside brownish, inside orange; hips dark with yellow scales. Abdomen above blackish 
with broadly orange-banded ring-indentations. The under surface is unicolorously orange as far as the anal 
end. Wings hyaline. On the forewing the middle radial is brought very near to the upper one by a strong curve; 
the discocellular is not quite closed. Expanse of wings: 26 mm. Described according to 1 $ from the Central 
Cordilleras between Mediacon and Ibague. 
cognatum. S. cognatum Wkr. (= fasciolatum Btlr.) (10 i). Body light-yellow, palpi and legs more orange, the 
latter black-banded, forehead white, base of the antennae black; collar black-bordered, shoulder-covers and 
thorax black-striped; the two first abdominal rings are dorsally and subdorsally black-striped, the other segments 
black-curled. The wings are hyaline with fine black veins and margins, the costal margin and base of the proxi¬ 
mal margin yellow. Expanse of wings: 26 mm. Mexico, Colombia and Amazon. -— The species differs from 
the very similar deceptrix (10 h) by the two lower radial veins of the forewing rising separately. 
meeritatzi. S. meerkatzi Strand deviates from the preceding by its black antennae; forehead, palpi and legs are 
just as yellow as the body, not orange; only the anterior and middle tarsi are above dark; the wings are brown- 
yellowish hyaline. Expanse of wings: 21 mm. Brazil (Maranhao). 
melissa. S. nielissa Schaus (10 i) has quite black antennae. Head and thorax marked black and yellow, fore¬ 
head and a band across the vertex white. The abdomen is black and yellow banded. The hyaline wings have 
narrow black margins, a black apical spot and at the base some orange colouring. Known from Brazil. 
surrentum. S. surrentum Druce (10 i) has a yellow first abdominal segment with 3 black longitudinal stripes which 
are connected at the hind-margin by a black transverse beam, the 2nd segment exhibits orange-yellow lateral 
spots, the rest of the abdomen is black. Head and thorax are orange and black. The yellowish-hyaline wings 
have a narrow, blackish costal margin. From Bolivia and Peru. 
ecuadorum. S. ecuadorum Druce (10 i) is distinguished by the carmine costal margin, only the base and the extreme 
apex are black, for the rest the wings are hyaline with fine black veins and margins. Head and thorax are 
black and orange-yellow, the abdomen black except the three first yellow-curled segments. Ecuador, also 
from Peru (Marcapata). 
melanotum. S. melanotum Hmps. (10 i). Head, thorax and abdomen are black, on the forehead and vertex inter¬ 
mixed with white hairs; the 2nd strangulated abdominal segment is yellow, the third, in the $ also the 4th, 
yellow-margined; legs and ventral valve yellow. The hyaline wings with very fine black veins and margins 
exhibit a yellow subcostal stripe, so are the proximal margin, as well as the costal margin on the hindwing, 
of a yellow colour. •—- Bolivia (Corvico). 
