Publ. 24. ITT. 1915. 
SPHECOSOMA. By Dr. M. Draudt. 
41 
brown, in the middle darker with a violet-blue scaling; thorax black, marked by yellow. First abdominal ring 
dark-yellow with a black median line, the 2 next segments brown, the anterior one with yellow lateral margins, 
the 4 following ones are black with yellow rings, the last is quite black. The hyaline, iridescent wings have 
light-brown veins and a proximal margin dusted in the same colour; costal- and distal margins are black. Paraguay, 
flying in July, on blossoms of Ageratum conyzoides L. 
S. deceptrix Hmps. (= fasciolatum Druce) (10 h). Head whitish with a black band between the antennae deceplrix. 
which are of an orange-yellow colour like the palpi and legs, only the base of the antennae is black. The body 
is yellow, the collar, shoulder-covers and thorax are striped with black, the abdomen with black bands. 
Wings hyaline with a red-yellow costal margin and proximal margin, distal margin and base of the proximal 
margin narrow black. Costa Rica, Guatemala, Panama, also from Peru (Marcapata) (Baxg-Haas). It differs 
from the very similar cognatum by both the lower radial veins of the forewing rising from the same place. 
S. nigriceps Hmp-s. Head and thorax are black; palpi at the base yellow, in front with whitish hair; nigriceps. 
collar and shoulder-covers striped yellow, chest, ventral side and legs yellow. The first abdominal ring is 
yellow, at the sides black, the 3 next ones orange-brownish with yellow ring-indentations, the 4 last ones 
black, curled yellow. The hyaline wings have fine, brown veins and margins; the costa of both wings and the 
proximal margin of the forewings are yellow, the costal-marginal half of the latter dusted in brown. Expanse 
of wings: 26 mm. Bolivia. 
S. simile Schaus (10 h) from Venezuela (Aroa) has a yellow body; the vertex exhibits a black spot; simile. 
the collar and shoulder-covers are margined with black, the thorax marked black. The first abdominal ring 
exhibits above 2 black dots, and on the lateral tubercles black streaks; beginning from the 3rd one, the segments 
are banded black; the black of the 4th ring extends as far as the ventral side. The hyaline wings exhibit 
a black distal margin being expanded to a spot towards the apex. 
S. mathani JRothsch. (10 h). Head and palpi are yellow; collar orange with narrow black margins; mafhani. 
shoulder-covers yellow, bordered by black; thorax yellow with a black centre. The orange-coloured abdomen 
with the leaden-coloured ring-indentations makes this species and the following easily recognizable. The hyaline 
wings are yellow at the costal margin and the base of the inner margin, the black distal margin is somewhat 
expanded between the upper radial and the 4th subcostal vein. From the Amazon (Teffe, captured in September). 
S. plumbicincta sp. nov. (10 h) is very closely allied to the preceding species. It differs by quite black plunibi- 
antennae with a. slight purple reflection, a large black spot on the vertex, the collar being black only at cvncia. 
the base, but entirely orange-yellow in the posterior half, as well as by the much more extensive apical spot 
by which it also resembles the small Isanthrene- species. The whole under surface inclusive of the 3 pairs of 
hips is light lemon-coloured, the legs on the whole orange. The two first abdominal rings are also above lemon- 
coloured; the first exhibits a large, black median spot with a metallic blue centre, on each of the lateral tubercles 
a black streak, the second segment with a broad, black, longitudinal streak; the other rings are above orange 
with leaden-coloured segmental indentations; those on the 3rd and 4th rings are laterally continued downward 
as black transverse bands. At the base of the costal margin there is a snow-white spot bordered by black. The 
costal margin is hyaline in the basal third, only the subcostal is faintly coloured yellowish: only the median 
third of the costal margin is of a bright orange-red; the median vein is orange-yellow as far as the place 
from which the two lower radial veins rise, the other veins are black. The proximal margin is broadly black 
at the base, only at the distal base it is orange. Panama (Chiriqui, J Baxg-Haas ; Lino, 800 m, $ Fassl). 
Type in Coll. Fassl. 
S. melapera Dogn. Head, collar, and shoulder-covers lemon-coloured, palpi with an orange-yellow mclapcm. 
terminal joint, antennae black; vertex black-spotted, collar in front, shoulder-covers outside bordered by black, 
thorax black with yellow lateral spots. The 3 first abdominal rings lemon-coloured, the others orange; the 
first ring exhibits a black median streak, the second a large black dorsal spot with a metallic-green reflection 
in the centre, next to it on both sides a black spot, the third a smaller, four-cornered spot; the other rings are 
black and curled in a metallic green. Under surface and legs lemon-coloured, tarsi orange, above black. Wings 
hyaline with black margins and a black apical spot; subcostal margin, median and proximal margin yellow. 
Expanse of wings: 26 mm. Colombia (Cauca River) in July. 
S. abdominale Schaus. Head yellow with a brown spot on the vertex, palpi yellow with ochreous abdomincde. 
terminal joints; antennae dark-brown; collar in front black, behind yellow; thorax yellow, black-spotted with 
ochreous-yellow, black-bordered shoulder-covers. The two first abdominal rings are yellow, the first exhibits 
subdorsal, black spots covered with brown scales and on each side of it a black transverse streak; the other 
segments are ochreous brown, beneath yellow. Legs yellow and ochreous, anterior and middle tarsi striped 
in black. The wings are hyaline with black veins and fringes; the costal margin of the forewings ochreous yellow, 
as well as the median between the 2nd median and 3rd radial; at the base of the costal margin a white dot. 
Expanse of wings: 27 mm. Venezuela (Caura Valley). 
S. Sparta Druce. Head and palpi yellow; antennae black with a brilliant red shaft; collar black, sparta. 
bordered by yellow; thorax black with a white line at the base; abdomen black, curled yellowish-white; 
VI 
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