Insect life: Souvenirs of a naturalist

The following Hymenoptera appear new to me in the French fauna. I append their description:—

Cerceris antoniæ, H. Fab.

Length—16–18 millimetres. Black, closely and strongly punctured; clypeus raised like a nose, i.e. forming a convex projection, large at the base, pointed at the end—like half a cone cut down its length; crest between the antennæ projecting; a line above crest, cheeks, and a large dot behind each eye, yellow; hood—yellow with black point; mandibles, rusty yellow; tips, black. The 4th and 5th joints of antennæ, rusty yellow, the rest brown. Two dots on prothorax, wing scales and postscutellum, yellow; first segment of abdomen with two dot-like spots; four next on posterior edge having a yellow band sharply hollowed in triangle form, or even broken, and this the more as the segment is a less distant one.

Under part of the body, black; feet entirely of rusty yellow colour; wings slightly bronzed at tip. Female. Male unknown to me.

In colouring this species approaches Cerceris labiata, from which, however, it differs remarkably in the form of the clypeus and the much larger size of the insect. Observed round Avignon in July. I dedicate this species to my daughter Antonia, whose help has often been valuable to me in my entomological researches.

Cerceris julii, H. Fab.

Length—7–9 millimetres. Black, closely and strongly punctured; clypeus flat; face covered with a fine silvery pubescence; [318]a narrow yellow band on each side, on the inner edge of the eyes; mandibles—yellow with brown tips; antennæ—black above, pale red below; lower face of their basal joint, yellow. Two small distant points on the prothorax; scales of wings and postscutellum, yellow. A yellow band on third segment of the abdomen, and another on the fifth; these two are deeply hollowed on the anterior edge—the first in a semicircle, the second in a triangle.

Under part of the body all black; coxæ black; thighs of the hinder pair of legs quite black; those of the two anterior pairs, black at base, yellow at the ends; legs and tarsi, yellow; wings rather smoke-coloured. Female.—Var. (1) Prothorax without yellow dots; (2) two small yellow dots on second segment of abdomen; (3) wider yellow band on inner side of the eyes; (4) front of clypeus edged with yellow.

Male unknown to me. This Cerceris, the smallest of my part of France, feeds its larvæ on the smallest kinds of weevils (Bruchus granarius and Apion gravidum). Observed round Carpentras, where it builds in September in soft sandstone—locally called safre.

Bembex julii, H. Fab.

Length—18–20 millimetres. Black, with bristling whitish hairs on head, thorax, and base of first segment of the abdomen; labrum lengthened, yellow; clypeus, with a sloping ridge, forming as it were an angle of three sides—one face—that of the outer edge—is all yellow, while each of the two others is marked with a large rectangular black patch bordering on its neighbour, and thus forming a stripe; both marks, as well as the cheeks, are covered with a fine silvery down; cheeks on line between the antennæ, yellow; posterior edge of eyes with a long yellow border; mandibles—yellow, with brown tips; two first joints of antennæ yellow beneath, black above, the rest black; prothorax—black; sides and dorsal division, yellow; mesothorax—black; the callous point, and a small one on each side above the base of the intermediate feet, yellow; metathorax—black, with two yellow dots behind, and a larger one on each side above the base of the hind feet. The two first dots are sometimes wanting.

Abdomen—bright black above and without hairs, except at [319]the base of the first segment, which bristles with whitish ones. All the segments have a wavy transverse band, wider on the sides than in the middle, and approaching the posterior edge in proportion as the segment is further back. On the fifth segment the yellow band reaches the posterior edge. Anal segment—yellow, black at the base, bristling all over the dorsal surface with papillæ of a rusty red, which serve as base to the hairs. A row of like hair-bearing tubercules occupies also the posterior edge of the fifth segment. Below, the abdomen is a brilliant black, with a triangular yellow mark on each side of the four intermediate segments.

Coxæ—black; thighs yellow in front, black behind; legs and tarsi—yellow; wings transparent.

Male.—The zig-zag mark on the clypeus is narrower, or even absent; face then entirely yellow; abdominal bands very pale yellow, almost white. The sixth segment has a band like the preceding ones, but shorter and often reduced to two dots. The second segment has underneath it a longitudinal keel, raised and spine-shaped behind. The anal one has below it an angular, rather thick projection. Otherwise like the female.

This Hymenopteron much resembles Bembex rostrata in size, shape, and arrangement of the black and yellow colouring, but differs markedly in the following characteristics:—The clypeus makes a triangle of three sides, while in other Bembecids it is rounded and convex. Also at the base is a large zig-zag band, formed by two rectangular marks joined together and softened by a silvery down, very brilliant under certain lights. The upper surface of the anal segment bristles with papillæ and reddish hairs—likewise the further edge of the fifth segment. The mandibles are only black at the tips, while in Bembex rostrata the base is also black. Their habits are equally unlike; B. rostrata especially hunts gadflies, while B. julii never catches large Diptera, but takes smaller kinds of very varying size. It is frequent in the sandy land of the Angles, round Avignon, and on the hill of Orange.

Ammophila julii, H. Fab.

Length—from 16–22 millimetres. Stalk of abdomen composed of the first segment and half the second; third cubital [320]narrowed towards the radial; head—black, with silvery down on the face; antennæ—black; thorax—black, with transverse stripes on its three segments, darker on prothorax and mesothorax. Two marks on the sides and one behind either side of the metathorax, covered with silvery down; abdomen bare, shining. First segment—black; second—red in the part narrowing to the petiole and in the widened part; third segment all red; the rest of a beautiful metallic blue. Legs—black, with silvery down on the coxæ; wings slightly reddish. Builds in October, and lays up two smallish caterpillars in each cell. Nearly related to A. holosericea, having the same shape, but differing markedly in the colour of the legs, which are all black, by the much less downy head and thorax, and by the transverse stripes on the three segments of the thorax.

I wish these three Hymenoptera to bear the name of my son Jules, to whom I dedicate them.

Dear child! snatched so early from thy passionate love of flowers and insects! Thou wert my fellow-worker; nothing escaped thy clear-sighted glance; it was for thee that I was to write this book—for thee, to whom its recital gave such delight, and thou wert one day to have continued it. Alas! thou didst leave us for a better home, having heard but the first few lines of the book. But at least let thy name appear in it—borne by some of these industrious and beauteous Hymenoptera so dear to thee!

J. H. F.

Orange, 3rd April 1879.

THE END