PANISCINI.

PANISCUS, Schr.

PANISCUS MELANOGASTER, sp. nov.

Dark rufous, the abdomen for the greater part black; the antennæ of a lighter rufous colour; the orbits, sides, and apex of the clypeus yellow; wings hyaline, the costa, stigma, and nervures black. 3.

Length 21 mm.

Cape Colony. Neighbourhood of Cape Town.

Face and clypeus closely punctured, the latter (especially below) not so closely punctured. Mandibles tinged with yellow, black at the apex. Clypeus separated by a furrow from the face. Scutellar keels distinct, black. Except at the apex the metanotum is closely transversely striated; there is a large depression, bordered behind by a keel, on the sides of the apex. Basal two segments of the abdomen as long as the thorax. Disco-cubital nervure with a slight indication of a stump of a nervure.

PANISCUS MELANOCOTIS, Bé.

This seems to be a variable species as regards the amount of black on the head and abdomen and of yellow on the head and thorax. The ocellar region may want the black, and the abdomen may be blackish from the second segment. The stump of a nervure on the disco-cubital may be distinct, indistinct, or even absent.

BANCHINI.

EXETASTES, Grav.

EXETASTES PERONATUS, sp. nov.

Black, a line on the base of the mesonotum in the middle, narrowed gradually behind and reaching near to the tegulæ, a large mark on the scutellum, commencing at the top of the basal slope, a narrow one on the apex of the post-scutellum, tegulæ, and tubercles, yellow; the apical four segments of the abdomen with their apices narrowly lined with white. Legs red; the coxæ, trochanters, apex of hind femora narrowly, apical half of hind tibiæ and the hind tarsi, black. Wings hyaline, the nervures and stigma black; the disco-cubital nervure broken by a stump of a nervure. and .

Length 10-11 mm.; sheath of ovipositor 1 mm.

Cape Colony. Namaqualand Distr.; O'okiep; Klipfontein. Face closely, distinctly punctured; the upper part of the clypeus more strongly, but not so closely punctured, the lower smooth; the front and vertex punctured somewhat like the face. There is a short yellow line behind the middle of the mandibles in front. Palpi blackish. Pro- and mesothorax closely and regularly punctured. Metanotum closely rugosely punctured, more or less finely striatedreticulated; the metapleuræ punctured like the mesopleuræ. Abdomen smooth and shining. Areolet 5-angled; the nervures not quite meeting in front; the transverse median nervure not quite interstitial.

RHYNCHEXETASTES, gen. nov.

Labrum large, longer than the clypeus, malar space distinct, as long as the antennal scape; the mandibles long, projecting downwards, their apices meeting in the middle of the labrum, enclosing the labrum; they end in two broad teeth. Trophi elongated; the maxillæ as long as the face and clypeus united. Occiput transverse, margined. Temples obliquely narrowed. Parapsidal furrows absent. Metanotum neither areolated nor keeled; the spiracles linear. First abdominal segment as long as the following two united; it becomes gradually widened towards the apex; the second is longer than its width at the apex; the third is square. Areolet shortly appendiculated; the disco-cubital nervure distinctly broken by a stump of a nervure; the transverse median is interstitial. Transverse median nervure in hind wings broken near the top. Third antennal joint as long as the following two united. Front with a keel between the

antennæ.

The abdomen is smooth and shining; it is thickened towards the apex; the sheaths of the ovipositor are broad and as long as the apical two segments united. Hind legs long; the coxa thickened, long; apices of tarsal joints spinose; the claws simple. The wings are uniformly fuscous violaceous.

The affinities of this species are with Exetastes, from which it may be known by the elongated trophi, fuscous violaceous wings, and by the disco-cubital nervure being distinctly broken. The elongated trophi allies it to the American genera Agathilla, West. and Agathobanchus, Ashm., but these have the trophi much more. lengthened.

As I have said, the affinities of this genus are with Exetastes rather than with Banchus. Probably its nearest known ally is.

Semnophrys, Foer.; it may be known from the present genus by its very broad head and by there being a horn between the antennæ.

* RHYNCHEXETASTES VIOLACEIPENNIS, sp. nov.

Rufous, the antennæ, the occiput, vertex, front broadly, a large mark on the sides of the clypeus, malar space except in the centre, the mesonotum, except a curved line, widest at the base along the sides, a transverse mark, wider than long, of equal width and length, propleuræ except narrowly at the base, mesopleuræ except for an irregular, somewhat pyriform mark (the narrowed end in front) at the apex below, the breast, a narrow line along the base of the metapleuræ, two streaks on the apical half of the first abdominal segment, two broader ones, dilated at the apex, on the second, the third except at the sides, and the whole of the others, black. Legs coloured like the body, the apex of the hind tibiæ and the hind tarsi, except at the base and apex, black. Wings uniformly fuscous violaceous, the nervures and stigma black.

Length 12 mm.

Cape Colony.

Head closely punctured; the labrum is of a paler, more yellowish hue and is much less distinctly punctured; the rufous colour of the mandibles has a yellowish tint; the teeth are black. Palpi fuscous. Pro- and mesothorax closely punctured, the punctures distinctly separated; the metapleuræ punctured like the mesopleurae; the metanotum closely rugosely punctured, striated in the middle. Abdomen smooth and shining.

ALLOTHECA, gen. nov.

Metathoracic spiracles small, oval. Basal third of abdominal petiole narrowed, the apical part dilated; the basal part of it becomes gradually wider, the apical (and larger) is of equal width; the other segments are not much compressed. Parapsidal furrows obsolete. Clypeus not separated from the face, its apex bluntly rounded. Malar space long, not quite so long as the antennal scape. Eyes parallel, not emarginate within. Scutellum roundly convex. Metanotum with the apex widely and deeply depressed. Areolet 4-angled, the nervures meeting in front. Transverse median nervure interstitial. Sub-discoidal nervure originating below the middle of the recurrent nervure. Disco-cubital nervure rounded in the middle, not broken. Basal abscissa of radius roundly curved downwards; the apical

straight, oblique. Apical nervures in hind wings almost, if not quite, obsolete. Antennæ shorter than the body, the third joint distinctly longer than the fourth. Claws simple. Mandibles bidentate. Labrum large, projecting. Palpi and trophi normal.

The head in front is elongate, clearly longer than wide; it is somewhat rostriform, but not so much as in Rhynchexetastes. The characteristics of the genus are the campanulate abdominal petiole, narrowed clearly at the base, large, hollowed labrum, hollowed centre of metanotum, and semi-obsolete apical nervures in hind wings. The transverse median nervure in the latter appears to be broken close to the bottom. The ovipositor, too, is longer than in the normal Banchini. The long ovipositor makes it look more like a Pimplid than anything else.

ALLOTHECA ANNULIPES, sp. nov.

Black, the labrum and middle of the antennæ dark red; legs red, the coxa and the greater part of the trochanters black; the outer side of the four front tibiæ yellowish white; the outer side of the hinder white in the middle, the base and apex broadly black; the hind tarsi black; the base of the first joint and of the second more narrowly white; the spurs white; wings hyaline, the nervures and stigma black; tegula white.

f.

Length 9 mm.; ovipositor 3 mm.

Cape Colony. Neighbourhood of Cape Town.

Head and thorax closely punctured, thickly covered with short white pubescence. Scutellum roundly convex; its apex more closely, rugosely punctured than the base. Metanotum rugosely punctured ; the centre transversely striated, more closely and finely above than below; the upper part of the pleuræ more coarsely rugosely punctured than the metanotum. Abdomen shining, smooth; the apical segments shortly pilose; the sheaths of the ovipositor broad, densely pilose, dilated at the apex.

PORIZONINI.

RICRENA, gen. nov.

Wings without an areolet; the transverse cubital nervure thick, short, the recurrent nervure received shortly beyond it, the cubitus sloping down to receive it; transverse median nervure interstitial; the second cubital cellule closed. The apical nervures in hind wings almost obsolete, only the radius being faintly indicated. Median

segment, if anything, longer than usual; it is completely areolated; the areola is three times longer than wide, obliquely narrowed at the base, transverse at the apex; the spiracles are separated from the pleural keel. Second abdominal segment closely, longitudinally striated. Antennæ about 34-jointed, shorter than the body. Parapsidal furrows distinct. First abdominal segment spiracles minute, placed near the base of the apical third. Clypeus separated from the face. Malar space distinct. Occiput margined, but not strongly. Ocelli large, more prominent than usual. Hinder metatarsus shorter than the following two joints united; claws small, simple. Palpi slender, of moderate length.

In the Foersterian-Ashmeadian system this genus would come in near Dolichopselephus and Temelucha. From the very large size (as in Ophion) of the ocelli and from the colouration I should think the type of this genus is of nocturnal habits. The wings have a slight milky tint.

*RICRENA PALLIDIPENNIS, sp. nov.

Rufo-testaceous, the flagellum of antennæ, a line uniting the posterior with the anterior ocelli, the parts at the sides of the scutellum, the base, apex and middle of metanotum, mesosternum and base of first abdominal segment, an oblique mark on mesopleuræ below the tubercles and the lower side of the metapleuræ, black. Wings hyaline, with a slight milky tint; the nervures black, the stigma dark fuscous.

Length 7 mm.

Cape Colony.

3.

Face minutely punctured, the inner orbits, malar space and base of mandibles pale yellow. Mandibular teeth black. Ocelli ambercoloured, the hinder are separated from each other by a distinctly greater distance than they are from the eyes; the anterior has a semicircular keel in the middle. Thorax closely punctured, shining; the lower part of the propleuræ, the parapsidal furrows and tegulæ are yellow; the median segment is more irregularly and not so strongly punctured; the posterior median area is closely, transversely striated. Legs slender, the tarsi longer than the tibiæ; the anterior more than twice their length; the basal two joints united being longer than them. The disco-cubital nervure near the apex and the upper half of the recurrent nervure are bullated; the short, transverse cubital nervure is much thickened; the costa between the stigma and where it receives the transverse basal nervure is thickened.