CRYPTUS LEIGHI, sp. nov.

Dark red, the abdomen black, the sides of the basal segments obscure red, the apices of the last three narrowly testaceous; antennæ black, the scape red; the sixth to eighth white below; wings hyaline, the nervures and stigma black.

Length 10-11 mm.; terebra 3 mm.

Natal. Durban.

f.

Metanotum with two transverse keels; the basal is continuous, if not very distinct; the middle at the base is curved backwards, the prolongations straight, oblique, united to the sides of the areola, which is longer than it is wide at the base; the carinæ do not unite at the apex; the second keel is weak in the middle and ends laterally in blunt, short teeth; the base of the segment is rugosely punctured; between the keels it is somewhat stoutly transversely reticulated-striated; the apical slope is obliquely striated round the edges above; the rest transversely, closely reticulated-striated; the spiracles are linear, about four times longer than wide. Pro- and mesothorax closely punctured; the lower half of the former strongly irregularly striated; the punctures on the latter, at the apex, run into striæ. Sides of post-petiole depressed, rufous; the four front legs are red, like the thorax, but darker; the hinder black, except the sides and upper part of the coxæ; the spines on the tibiæ and tarsi are weak, sparse. Transverse median nervure interstitial; the stump on the disco-cubital distinct; the recurrent is received in the middle of the areolet. Front in the middle closely striated; the sides finely closely punctured; there is a narrow smooth furrow running down from the ocelli. Palpi black, lighter coloured (fuscous) at the apex. Mandibles dark rufous, the teeth black. The metasternum is black.

C. rufolimbatus, Tosq., is a closely allied form; it should be known by the punctured, not striated front; closely allied, too, is C. æthiopicus, Cam., it may be known by the apex of the scutellum being striated, not closely, finely punctured, by the space between the metanotal keels being strongly striated, especially at the apex, by the striæ on the apical slope being stronger and more transverse; the basal keel being also stronger.

ONEILELLA, Cam.

ONEILELLA FORMOSA, Bé.

Cryptus formosus, Brullé, Hym. iv. 187, pl. 41, f. 3; Tosquinet, Mém. Soc. Ent. Belg. v. 150.

Oneilella formosa, Cam., Zeit. f. Hym. ü. Dipt., 1904, 190.

A single from Durban, Natal.

The species has been reared from Anaphe reticulata. Cf. Cameron, l.c.

OSPRYNCHOTUS, Spin.

OSPRYNCHOTUS CAPENSIS, Spin.

Spinola, Guér. Mag. de Zool., 1841, 75; Brullé, Hymén. iv., 133; Tosquinet, Mém. Soc. Ent. Belg. v. 244.

Natal. Umvoti.

OSPRYNCHOTUS RUFICEPS, sp. nov.

Black, the thirteenth and fourteenth antennal joints entirely and the fifteenth and sixteenth below whitish yellow, the under side of the antennal scape, the head and the greater part of the prothorax, red; wings fuscous violaceous, the nervures and stigma black; the hinder tibiæ and tarsi yellow, the extreme base of the tibiæ, a band on the apex as long as the black hinder calcaria; a band on the base of the tarsi shorter than them, and the last joint of the tarsi with the claws, black. 9.

Length 21 mm.; terebra 10 mm.

Cape Colony. Port St. Johns.

Face and clypeus finely closely punctured; the clypeus distinctly separated from the face; the lower part of the clypeus finely closely striated. Lower part of front black and smooth, the upper irregularly striated; the ocellar region black. Thorax thickly covered with short black hair; the mesonotum closely, the scutellum much more sparsely punctured and shining. Metanotum closely rugosely punctured at the base behind the keel, the middle closely reticulated; the apex stoutly transversely reticulated. Propleuræ smooth; the meso- and metapleuræ closely strongly longitudinally reticulated. The recurrent nervure is received at the apex of the basal third of the areolet. The hind coxæ are longer compared with their width than they are with O. capensis; they are densely covered with black hair. In the sculpture of the thorax it approaches more to O. heros, Schlett., from the Congo. The hinder metatarsus is as long as the following three joints united; the last is as long as the preceding two united; in its middle are two stout, longish spines.

Comes nearest, of the three known species, to 0. flavipes, Bé.; that may be known, inter alia, by the much longer ovipositor. The second abdominal segment is three times longer than its width at the apex; the basal third is distinctly narrowed; it is as long as the following two segments united; the third is twice the length of the

fourth, which is not much longer than the fifth. Mandibles red, black at the apex. Palpi dark fuscous. The third antennal joint is fully one-fourth longer than the fourth; the apical joint is rufous and is not much shorter than the preceding two united.

MESOSTENINI.

STENAULAX, gen. nov.

Wings fuscous violaceous; the areola small, square, receiving the recurrent nervure near the middle. Disco-cubital nervure not broken. Transverse median nervure received behind the transverse basal. Radial cellule of moderate length. Transverse median nervure in hind wings broken shortly below the middle. Median segment. short, rugosely punctured, without any transverse keels; the spiracles long. Antennæ slender, not thickened towards the apex, not ringed with white. Anterior part of clypeus depressed, flat, smooth, and shining, the upper part raised, not clearly separated from the face by a furrow. Temples moderately long, roundly dilated, not narrowed. Front widely, deeply depressed. Abdominal petiole long, the post-petiole largely dilated; the segments are smooth, impunctate. Legs stout, longish; the tibia sparsely, the tarsi thickly spinose; the fore tibiæ not contracted at the base; their tarsi long and slender. Mandibles short, broad, stoutly bidentate at the apex; the upper tooth is the longer. The furrow on the mesosternum is short.

The body is entirely black. It is stouter, broader than usual with the Cryptine. It has more the appearance of a Pimplid or of one of the Xoridini than of the Cryptina. Its areolet more resembles that of the Mesostenini than of the Cryptini and, in the ?, which I have regarded as the type of the genus, the apical nervure is bullated. In the I have described, the transverse median nervure is interstitial; the face in the middle is more distinctly raised and separated, this being also the case with the clypeus. It has also the head and thorax densely covered with black hair. The spiracles are placed as in the genuine Cryptine, not as in the Pimpline; and I have no doubt that the genus is a true member of the former group.

STENAULAX PILOSULUS, sp. nov.

Black; the head and thorax densely covered with black pubescence; the wings uniformly fuscous violaceous, the nervures and stigma black.

3. Length 15 mm.

Cape Colony. Namaqualand Distr.; Springbok (September). O'okiep (August).

Face and upper part of clypeus closely, strongly punctured; the vertex and sides of front less closely and strongly punctured; the depressed centre of front strongly transversely striated above, the middle with a wide furrow, keeled in the centre; the lower part smooth and shining. Temples wide, obliquely narrowed. Face distinctly raised in the centre, the raised part bordered by a depression. Thorax closely, regularly, distinctly punctured, densely covered with short black hair; the apical slope of the metanotum closely, strongly reticulated; the metapleuræ somewhat coarsely reticulated; the hair on the segment is denser and longer than it is on the rest of the thorax. Basal three segments of the abdomen closely and strongly, uniformly punctured; the spiracles at the base of the clearly separated and dilated postpetiole are prominent. The areolet is small; it is not square; the recurrent nervure is received close to the apex; the transverse median nervure is interstitial; in the hind wings it is broken shortly below the middle.

STENAULAX RUFIPES, sp. nov.

Black, the legs, except the coxæ and trochanters red; the wings fuscous violaceous, the nervures and stigma black. Face and upper part of clypeus closely strongly punctured, the lower part of clypeus smooth and shining; the middle of the greatly depressed front is stoutly, closely transversely striated, the middle with a stout longitudinal keel; the vertex is irregularly, weakly punctured. Mesonotum and scutellum smooth. Base of metanotum weakly punctured, the rest strongly, closely reticulated. Upper basal half of propleura weakly, sparsely punctured; the rest stoutly, closely reticulated. Mesopleuræ closely, but not strongly punctured; the metapleuræ strongly punctured at the base above, the rest strongly coarsely, irregularly reticulated; the upper part coarsely, obliquely, widely reticulated-punctured. Mesosternal furrow wide, crenulated. Metasternal keel large, curved. Abdomen smooth, impunctate; it is not much longer than the head and thorax united. All the tibiæ and tarsi are thickly covered with short spines. The middle lobe of the mesonotum is narrowed to a sharp point. ?. Length 16 mm.; ovipositor 9 mm.

Natal. Durban.

The following agrees generically with the above described ?, except that the transverse median nervure is interstitial.

*STENAULAX NIGER, sp. nov.

Black; the anterior tibiæ and tarsi fuscous; wings fuscousviolaceous, the nervures and stigma black; the areolet small, square, receiving the recurrent nervure near the apex, the transverse median nervure received behind the transverse basal. J. Length 17 mm.

Cape Colony or Transvaal.

Face closely and strongly punctured; the upper half of clypeus more sparsely punctured, the apical smooth. Front deeply excavated; there is a short broad keel below the ocelli; the middle irregularly transversely striated; the ocellar region strongly and closely, the rest less closely punctured. Head not quite so wide as the thorax; the temples wide, rounded. Thorax closely punctured; the apex of the scutellum smooth; the metanotum irregularly rugosely punctured, almost reticulated; the spiracles large, about two and a half times longer than wide; the segment is closely covered with short, fuscous pile. The petiole becomes slightly, gradually narrowed to the spiracles; post-petiole distinct.

S. pilosulus may be known by the densely pilose head and thorax, by the interstitial transverse median nervure, and by the temples not being obliquely narrowed. The antennæ, too, are longer and more slenderly built.

MESOSTENUS, Gravenh., sec. Ashm.

The small species of this genus with dark rufous head and thorax may be separated by means of the following table :—

5 (8). Median segment closely reticulated, not more strongly between the keels than on the apical slope.

6 (7). Breasts, lower part of metapleuræ and hind coxæ black; palpi testaceous; length 10 mm.

(6). Thorax and hind cox without black, palpi fuscous; length 7-8 mm.

8 (5). Median segment strongly, widely reticulated, more strongly between the keels than elsewhere; palpi white..

MESOSTENUS RHODESIÆ, sp. nov.

oneili, Cam.

elizabethæ.

albipalpis.

Head and thorax red, the former darker coloured, with the oral region and apex of mandibles black; abdomen black, the apical two