Order: Coleoptera. Section: Adephaga. Family: Carabidæ. Subfamily: Brachinides.
Genus. Galerita, Fabricius. Carabus p. Linn. &c.
Galerita Americana. Nigra, thorace antennis pedibusque ferrugineis, elytris cyaneis. (Long. Corp. 9 lin.)
Syn. Carabus Americanus, Linn. Syst. Nat. 1. II. p. 671. No. 19. De Geer Ins. iv. t. 17. f. 21. Fabricius Syst. Eleuth. 1. 214. 1. (Galerita a.) Olivier Ent. III. 35. n. 77. t. 6. f. 72. Klug. Jahrb. der Entomol. 1. p. 63.
Carabus Janus, Fabr. Ent. Syst. 1. p. 136. No. 51.
Carabus bicolor, Drury, App. vol. 2. De Jean Spec. General, 1. p. 187. 1.
Galerita bicolor. Klug. loc. cit.
Habitat: Virginia (Drury). North America.
Head very long, black, with a red brown spot on the middle. Antennæ dark brown, the basal joint being longest, thickest, and lightest coloured; the others are nearly of equal length; the whole being a little longer than the elytra. Neck distinct and black. Thorax light red brown, and almost oval, about the length of the head, and a little broader; it is also a little margined, and next the body truncate. Scutellum minute, black, and triangular. Elytra black, margined and furrowed, oval next the thorax, but more square at their extremities, and not covering the anus. Abdomen black. Breast light red brown; as are all the legs. The basal joint of the posterior tarsi is very long.
Plate XLII. fig. 3. natural size, and 7. magnified.
Order: Coleoptera. Section: Rhyncophora. Family: Curculionidæ. Subfamily: Brenthides, Schonh.
Genus. Brenthus, Illiger. Brentus, Fabr. Curculio p. Linn.
Brenthus Minutus. Niger, elytris striatis nigro-brunneis. (Long. Corp. fere 6 lin.)
Syn. Curculio minutus, Drury, App. vol. 2. Herbst. Col. 7. 200. t. 108. f. 9. B. (Brentus m.) Schonh. Sys. Ins. Curcul. 1. 368. 6.
Habitat: Virginia.
Head black, with a long, horny, slender beak. Antennæ placed near the head, near the base of the beak, black, and about the length of the thorax, the first and last joints being the longest. Thorax black, smooth, and shining; being almost the length of the body, and nearly round, but thickest towards the middle. Scutellum indistinct. Elytra dark brown, with some patches on them of a lighter colour; margined on the sides and suture, and with rows of small punctures thereon. Abdomen dark brown, smooth and shining. The fore legs are longer than the rest, and at the tips of the tibiæ are furnished with a spine. All the thighs are very thick in the middle.
Plate XLII. fig. 4. natural size, and 6. magnified.
Order: Coleoptera. Section: Adephaga-Geodephaga. Family: Carabidæ. Subfamily: Brachinides.
Genus. Casnonia, Latrielle. Attelabus p. Linn. Drury.
Casnonia Longicollis. Nigra, elytris punctato striatis, singulo tuberculo parvo subapicali luteo; thorace fere longitudine elytrorum, pedibus luteo nigroque variis. (Long. Corp. 4½ lin.)
Syn. Attelabus longicollis, Drury, App. vol. 2.
Habitat: Virginia.
Head black, long and broad over the eyes, but narrow next the thorax. Antennæ dark brown, about the length of the head and thorax. Thorax nearly the length of the wing-cases, black, slender and shining, rising a little circularly from the body. Scutellum wanting. The elytra are margined and shining, not covering the anus, with rows of very small punctures on them, and near their extremities have a small papilla or swelling of a yellow colour. Abdomen black. Legs partly yellow, and partly black.
Plate XLIII. fig. 1.
Order: Hymenoptera. Section: Mellifera. Family: Apidæ, Leach.
Genus. Xylocopa, Fabr. Apis, Linn. Drury.
Xylocopa Virginica. Hirsuta pallida; abdomine, excepto primo segmento, atro. (Magn. Bomb. terrestr.)
Syn. Apis Virginica, Linn. Mant. p. 540. Fabr. Syst. Piez. 346. 14. (Bombus v.) Ent. Syst. 2. 318. 15.
Habitat: Virginia.
Head, between the eyes, black, with a cream-coloured spot in front, just above the mouth. Antennæ black, and shorter than the thorax, which is covered at top with hairs of a pale yellowish colour. All the four wings are membranaceous and transparent. Abdomen composed of six rings, entirely black, except the first, which is pale yellow above, but black underneath. The breast and legs are black and hairy, the hairs on the fore legs being rather dark brown. The under parts of all the tarsi are light brown.
Plate XLIII. fig. 2.
Order: Hemiptera. Suborder: Heteroptera. Section: Geocorisa. Family: Scutati, Burmeister. (Longilabres, Latr.)
Genus. Tesseratoma, St. Farg. & Serv. in Enc. Méth. Latr. Lap. Burm.
Tesseratoma Papillosa. Lutea, thoracis lateribus subrotundatis, antennis fuscis basi subferrugineis, abdomine supra purpureo-ferruginoso subtus luteo. (Long. Corp. 1 unc.)
Syn. Cimex Papillosus, Drury, App. vol. 2. (nec Fabr. Burmeist. Saint. Farg. & Serv. &c.)
Tesseratoma Sonneratii. St. Farg. & Serv. Enc. Méth. 10. 590. Guérin Icon. R. An. Ins. pl. 55. f. 4.
Cimex Chinensis, Thunb. Nov. Ins.. 45. t. 11. f. 59. Laporte Class. Hemipt. p. 60.
Cimex papillosus? Donovan Ins. India, pl. 13. fig. 2.
Habitat: China (Drury).
Head small, yellowish olive-coloured. Antennæ black. Thorax yellow olive, lying high above the level of the head, and projecting at the ligature of the wings. Scutellum triangular, terminating in a point near the middle of the abdomen; the basal part lying underneath the thorax. Hemelytra crossing each other when at rest; with the basal portion opake, and yellow olive-coloured; the apical membrane being almost transparent. Wings entirely membranaceous, and yellow brown. Abdomen above, dark red, but underneath clay-coloured; furnished with a sharp tooth at each of its segments. Anus terminating in two angular points, with a small spine on each side. Breast pale clay colour; having a black spot directly under the fore legs, and another on each side the middle ones. Legs brown yellow colour. Proboscis brown.
This very common Chinese insect has been confounded by Fabricius, &c. with an African species (Tesseratoma confusa Westw.) and by Saint Fargeau and Serville, with another from Java (Tesseratoma Javana, Klug. Burm. 2. 350. figured by Stoll. t. 1. fig. 2.) As, however, Drury's specific name, as applied to the Chinese species, has the priority in point of date, I have here reverted to it, and would apply a new specific name to the species from Sierra Leone. The Fabrician species belongs to a different section of the genus having the terminal joint of the antennæ elongated. The only specimens which I have seen of it are those contained in the Banksian Collection in the possession of the Linnæan Society of London. Wolff figures the Chinese species. I have little doubt that Donovan's figure is intended to represent the true papillosus, although it is given as an inhabitant of India.
Plate XLIII. fig. 3.
Order: Hemiptera. Suborder: Heteroptera. Section: Geocorisa, Latr. Family: Coreidæ, Leach. (Anisoscelites, Laporte.)
Genus. Leptoscelis, Laporte. Anisoscelis p. Burm. Lygæus p. Fabr.
Leptoscelis Balteatus. Thorace subspinoso; ferrugineus, elytris lineâ transversâ flavâ, femoribus posticis gracilibus spinulosis. (Long. Corp. 6½ lin.)
Syn. Cimex balteatus, Linn. Mant. 534. Fabr. Ent. Syst. 4. 142. 27. Syst. Rh. 213. 39. (Lygæus b.)
Habitat: Jamaica.
Head small and slender, red brown, striped with black. Eyes projecting. Antennæ dark brown, or russet colour, and almost the length of the insect. Thorax red brown, with two small yellow spots in front; lying above the level of the head, and terminating at the side in right angles. Scutellum small and angular. Hemelytra coriaceous half way down, and with the basal portion brown red; the apical membrane opake and dark brown; having a yellow bar crossing them near the middle. Wings transparent. Abdomen, above, yellow, and edged with dark brown, the sides being entire; underneath, entirely dark clay-coloured. Proboscis extending to the abdomen along the breast, and lying between the legs.
Plate XLIII. fig. 4.
Order: Hymenoptera. Section: Mellifera. Family: Apidæ, Leach.
Genus. Centris, Fabr. Apis, Drury.
Centris Surinamensis. Hirsuta nigra; abdomine, excepto primo segmento, flavo. (Mag. Xylocop. virginicâ minor.)
Syn. Apis Surinamensis, Linn. Syst. Nat. 1. 2. 961. 52. Fabr. Ent. Syst. 2. 318. 14. Syst. Piez. 355. 3. (Centris S.)
Habitat: Surinam.
Head black. Antennæ black. Tongue very long, extending to the middle of the abdomen. Thorax black and hairy. Wings transparent. Abdomen deep yellow, except the basal segment which is black. Breast and legs black, and covered with short hairs like pile. Hind legs very broad and thin, resembling scales; and at the tip of the tibiæ furnished with two sharp spurs; intermediate tibiæ also with two shorter spurs.
Plate XLIII. fig. 5.
Order: Hymenoptera. Section: Pupivora. Family: Ichneumonidæ, Leach.
Genus. Ophion, Fabr. Ichneumon, Drury.
Ophion Macrurum. Fusco-luteum; alis hyalinis, abdomine thorace triplo longiori ensato. (Long. Corp. 1 unc. 3 lin.)
Syn. Ichneumon Macrurus, Linn. Mant. p. 540. Drury, Append, vol. 2.
Habitat: New York.
Head small, dark orange-coloured. Eyes large, black, and oblong. Ocelli shining brown. Antennæ nearly the length of the insect, brown orange, and resembling threads. All the other parts of the insect are of the same brown orange, except the wings, which are transparent. Thorax short. Abdomen three times as long as the thorax, very small at the base, like a thread, but increasing in depth (not in thickness) to the extremity, where it appears square and even as if obliquely cut off; arched from the base to the tip. Legs slender, the hinder ones being the longest. Tips of the tibiæ with two long spines, those of the fore legs having only one.
This insect very closely resembles the common English species Ichneumon luteus, Linn. It is, however, considerably larger.
After describing this insect our author took occasion to enter into the natural history of the family to which it belongs, namely, the Ichneumonidæ, so named from the Linnæan genus Ichneumon, which last he says, "appears to be taken from its nature and way of life." He then proceeds as follows:—
"It is generally known that butterflies are produced from caterpillars, and that these caterpillars put on different forms before they arrive to that of the butterfly; but few persons know, who have not engaged in this study, that the bodies of these caterpillars are receptacles or habitations for lesser insects, that live and grow within them during a certain time; where they are nourished and fed by the juices of their bowels, till they arrive to a mature age; when, by the appointment of nature, they kill their fosterers, being totally unable to live on any other kind of food but what the intestines of these animals supply them with. The uses and advantages accruing to mankind by the institution of such a genus of insects, together with their natural history, are the subject of the following lines.
"If we examine the glorious works of the creation, and reflect on the paternal care and wisdom of the Almighty, displayed in the preservation and increase of all ranks and kinds of animals; that even the most direful and noxious, have such a proportion in the scale of life, as is most agreeable to the ends of His divine providence; that the limits He hath prescribed to each, extend so far and no farther; and that each species shall multiply in such abundance or scarcity, as are best adapted to preserve, by a just equilibrium, the harmony of the universe: When, I say, we behold this, the mind can scarcely forbear crying out, under a rapturous sense of conviction, "every thing is good." It is to this end we see the strong are permitted to prey on the weak; and that the number of the latter increase in a proportion sufficient to supply the wants of the former; it is to this end we see some feed on herbs and plants, some on fruits and seeds, and some on flesh; each being furnished with appetites and powers, suited to their respective ways of life: and it is to this end, we see those of the most minute kinds, abounding in a degree far beyond those of the first magnitude. The knowledge of the insect kingdom illustrates this observation beyond all possibility of doubt; and the number that may be bred from a single pair, in many species, would exceed all credibility, if it was not to be proved by any person who would take the trouble. The wonderful increase that only two summers would be capable of producing among many of them, if each egg was to yield its respective insect, is amazing. The world itself, in a few years, would be incapable of affording plants sufficient for the nourishment of one single species.[29]
"Hence will appear the 'loving kindness' of the Almighty, in setting such bounds, and keeping them within such limits as best answers the purpose for which He created them; and hence appears the necessity of their becoming food to other animals. Birds, fishes, and the smaller kinds of beasts, are at eternal war with them; but as all these would be insufficient of themselves to restrain and prevent them from multiplying too fast, other kinds of beings are instituted for this end, whose existence depends on their destruction. Of these, the species of insect I am describing, is the most singular, of which (genus) there are several sorts, differing greatly in size and shape. Some are furnished with three setæ or bristles at the extremity of their bodies, the middle one being a hollow tube, secured or fenced by the outer ones, through which they eject their eggs, after they have penetrated the body of the caterpillar they settle on. Some appear to have no bristles, others have them bent close under their bodies, and are not to be seen, unless closely examined. As their whole business appears to be the destroying the caterpillars of the butterfly and moth tribes, they are indefatigable in the pursuit of them; but as this is confined to the pregnant females, they are observed ranging about continually in search of the proper subjects to lay their eggs on; flying on every bush, and running with unwearied diligence on every twig, till they have arrived to the place where the scent of the caterpillar soon furnishes them with the certainty of its being there. Having thus discovered the animal it was in quest of, the Ichneumon immediately settles on it, with an intent to discharge its eggs; but the caterpillar being sensible, from a natural instinct, of its enemy's assault, bends its head backwards to the place where it feels itself attacked, and endeavours by various means, either by striking its head violently against the part, falling to the ground, or by some sudden contortion, to disengage itself: but this seldom happens, unless the Ichneumon is feeble, and unable to withstand the shocks of the caterpillar; in which case they will frequently relinquish their attack, and seek out some other subject, whose resistance they are more capable of encountering. On the other hand, if the Ichneumon is strong enough to withstand the efforts of the caterpillar, it either lays its eggs on the outside of the skin, as is the nature of some to do, or else perforates the body with the bristle before described, and immediately discharges an egg. Some of these Ichneumons quit the caterpillar upon the emission of an egg, but others continue thereon till they have emitted them all; which sometimes is more than an hundred. It is necessary to observe, that many caterpillars of moths and butterflies (the former more especially) are infested by a particular species of these Ichneumons, that confine themselves entirely to them alone, and never, that we know of, attack any other. Thus that of the Privet Hawk or Sphinx Ligustri of Linnæus, that of the Elephant Hawk or Sphinx Elpenor of the same author, &c. are always found to yield particular kinds of Ichneumons. Others, indeed, attack any kind of caterpillar belonging to the farinaceous-winged tribe; and, as I observed above, if not too powerful and strong for them, will there deposit their eggs.
"If the egg is laid on the body of the caterpillar, and not within it, a few days, by the warmth of the sun, ripens it to maturity; and then the young destroyer, directed by nature, eats its passage through the under-side of the egg, and passes into the body of the caterpillar, but if the egg is discharged into its body, it there ripens, unseen, to maturity. In either case, it lives on the substance or juices of its intestines; thriving and increasing in bulk, in a proportion equal to the creature it is doomed to kill. The caterpillar, also, notwithstanding its having thus received the means of a slow but certain death, increases in size, and, to outward appearance, in health; arriving to the period when it is to undergo its metamorphosis, and become a Chrysalis, in as much strength and vigour as any other of the species: but when the time arrives for its enlargement into its complete state, and to become a moth or butterfly, the Ichneumon makes its appearance; having arrived to its time of completion within the body of its supporter, and exhausted its juices by the nourishment drawn from it, leaving behind it a dry empty shell, in the form of a chrysalis.
"In this manner many of these Ichneumons exist. Others, when arrived to maturity, having lived within the bodies of the caterpillars, as described, eat their way out through its sides, and, crawling to a small distance, form round themselves cases of a substance like silk; wherein, having lain a few days, they quit their prisons in the shape of very small flies, some having two wings, others four."—Vide Goedartius, Albin, Wilks, Harris, &c.
Plate XLIII. fig. 6.
Order: Hymenoptera. Section: Diploptera. Family: Vespidæ, Leach.
Genus. Polistes, Fabr. Vespa, Linn. Drury.
Polistes Annularis. Fusca; genubus, antennarum apicibus margineque primi segmenti abdominis flavis. (Long. Corp. 1 unc.)
Syn. Vespa annularis, Linn. Syst. Nat. 1. 2. 950. 9. Fabr. Syst. Piez. 271. 3. (Polistes a.)
Vespa cincta, Drury, App. vol. 2.
Habitat: Virginia (Drury).
Head dark brown colour, like the rust of iron. Antennæ shorter than the thorax; dark brown, yellow at the tips. Thorax dark brown, with a black stripe on each side. Wings extending beyond the abdomen, thin, membranaceous, and dark brown, not perfectly transparent, and doubled or folded lengthways together. Abdomen black, except the first segment, which is dark orange, margined with yellow. Anterior femora dark brown, the other parts of those legs yellow. The other legs dark brown; the tips of the tibiæ and the tarsi being yellow.
Plate XLIII. fig. 7.
Order: Hymenoptera. Section: Diploptera. Family: Vespidæ, Leach.
Genus. Polistes, Fabr. Vespa, Linn. Drury.
Polistes Squamosa. Thoracis dorso nigro lineis flavis, scutello flavo lineâ nigrâ, abdomine fulvo annulo nigro versus apicem. (Long. Corp. 10 lin.)
Syn. Vespa Squamosus, Drury, App. vol. 2.
Polistes lineata? Fabr. Syst. Piez. 271. 9. Ent. Syst. 2. 259. 20.
Habitat: New York.
Head yellow; but on the top, near the ocelli, black and hairy. Antennæ shorter than the thorax, dark brown, yellow next the head to the first joint, including about a third part. Thorax yellow, slightly hairy; having three black stripes on the top and two on each side meeting on the breast. Wings thin, almost transparent, and doubled or folded longitudinally. Abdomen dark orange, with a black ring next the anus, and two lesser ones near the thorax; none of which are seen underneath, being there entirely of a dark orange. Legs yellow, and furnished with two spines at the tips of the tibiæ; the anterior having only one.
Plate XLIII. fig. 8.
Order: Chilognatha, Latreille. Aptera, Linnæus, Drury. Family: Julidæ.
Genus. Polydesmus, Latreille, Brandt in Bull. Soc. Nat. Mosc. vol. 6. Julus, Fabr. Fontaria, J. E. Gray.
Polydesmus (Fontaria) Virginiensis. Corpore pallide griseo, segmentis convexis, articulo pedum secundo acutissimo. (Long. Corp. 1 unc. 6 lin.)
Syn. Julus virginiensis, Drury, App. vol. 2. Pal. Beauv. Ins. d'Afr. et d'Amer. Apter. pl. 4. f. 5. p. 156.
Julus tridentatus, Fabr.
Fontaria Virginiensis, J. E. Gray in Griff. An. K. Ins. pl. 135. f. 1.
Habitat: Virginia.
This insect is entirely wingless. Head circular and flat, placed under the first segment. Antennæ composed of five equal articulations. Body rounded at top, forming an arch equal to one-fourth of a circle, and consisting of nineteen rings or scales, which lie very closely over one another, the hinder part of one exactly fitting the fore part of the next. Each of these scales, except some near the head, have four short feet fixed to them; the whole number of which is sixty. The general colour of the insect is whitish grey; the under part being lighter than the upper. Along the middle of the latter runs a darker shade, having a single spot of a wainscot colour placed on the middle of each scale.
Plate XLIV. fig. 1.
Order: Diptera. Section: Notacantha, Latr. Family: Mydasidæ, Leach.
Genus. Mydas, Fabr. Latr. Midas, Weidemann. Musca, Drury, De Geer.
Mydas Clavatus. Niger, abdominis segmento secundo aurantiaco, alis nigris. (Long. Corp. 1 unc. 3 lin.)
Syn. Musca clavata, Drury, App. vol. 2. (1773.)
Bibio filata, Fabr. Mant. Ins. 2. 328. 1. (1787.) Syst. Antl. 60. 1. (Mydas f.) Weidemann Aussereur. Zweifl. Ins. 1. 240. 3. tab. 11. fig. 3. Ditto in Nova Acta Nat. Curios. vol. 5. p. 2. pl. 53. fig. 8.
Nemotelus asiloides, De Geer Mem. vol. 6. t. 29. f. 6.
Habitat: New York, and other parts of North America.
Head black. Antennæ nearly the length of the thorax, black, slender, and knobbed at their extremities. Thorax black and smooth. Wings coppery brown, very membranaceous, and not transparent. Abdomen black, and composed of eight segments, the second being of a deep yellow; which colour extends only to its sides, the under part being black. Legs entirely black; the hinder ones being furnished with a strong spine at the tips of the tibiæ, the middle ones having four small ones, and the fore ones none. Each of the ungues has two small yellow scales (puvilli) placed underneath.
Plate XLIV. fig. 2.
Order: Diptera. Section: Tabaniens, Latr. Family: Tabanidæ, Leach.
Genus. Tabanus, Linn, &c.
Tabanus Plumbeus. Obscurè coccinelleus, abdomine marginibus posticis pallidioribus, alis sublimpidis costâ fuscâ, antennis brunneo-rufis. (Long. Corp. 1 unc.)
Syn. Tabanus plumbeus, Drury, App. vol. 2.
Tabanus ruficornis, Fabr. Syst. Ent. 789. 8. Syst. Antl. 96. 14. Weidemann Auss. Zw. Ins. 1. 112.
Tabanus Americanus, Forster Novæ Sp. Insect. Cent. 1. 100.
Tabanus limbatus, Pal. Beauvois Ins. d'Afr. & d'Amer. Dipt. t. 1. f. 2.
Habitat: New York, Virginia, &c. North America.
Head ash-coloured. Eyes nearly black. Antennæ red brown. Only one ocellus, placed a little above the antennæ. Proboscis almost equal in length to the depth of the head. Thorax dark greenish-brown coloured; having a white spot at the base of each wing. Abdomen dark brown colour; each segment being on the under side margined with grey. Wings transparent; anterior edges brown and opake. Legs dark brown; the middle ones having two spines at the tips of each of the tibiæ. The ungues have two small brown scales under them. Breast hairy and ash-coloured, but white on the sides.
Plate XLIV. fig. 3.
Order: Diptera. Section: Tabaniens. Family: Tabanidæ.
Genus. Tabanus, Linn. &c.
Tabanus Americanus. Niger, abdomine canescente, alis fusco-nigris. (Long. Corp. circ. 11 lin.)
Syn. Tabanus Americanus, Drury, App. vol. 2. (nec Forster.)
Tabanus atratus, Fabr. Syst. Ent. 789. 9. Syst. Antl. 96. 16. Weidemann Auss. Zw. Ins. 1. 114. No. 3.
Tabanus niger, Pal. Beauv. Ins. Afr. et Amer. Dipt. t. 1. f. 1.
Habitat: New York, and other parts of North America.
Head black. Antennæ black, being placed on the front of the head; the parts surrounding them shining, as if finely polished. Ocelli wanting. Proboscis red brown; being inclosed in a kind of sheath, which is black. Thorax very dark brown, almost black. Wings dark brown and membranaceous, not transparent. Abdomen lead coloured, the extremity nearly black; being of the same colour underneath as at top. Legs entirely black; the middle ones being furnished with two spines at the tips of the tibiæ. Breast hairy and black.
Plate XLIV. fig. 4.
Order: Hymenoptera. Section: Fossores. Family: Sphegidæ, Leach.
Genus. Sphex, Linn. &c.
Sphex Jamaicensis. Castaneo-rufus, abdomine nitido, capite thoraceque fulvo-hirtis, antennis nigris, alis fuscis.
Syn. Vespa Jamaicensis, Drury, App. vol. 2.
Habitat: Jamaica.
Head brown orange. Antennæ almost black, and near the length of the thorax. Eyes large, and dark brown. Thorax brown orange-coloured, and hairy, with a black spot between the wings. Wings nearly transparent, and doubled or folded together. Abdomen shining and very smooth, red brown, and united to the thorax by a small but short thread-like peduncle. Legs red brown, and, except the fore ones, furnished with three spines at the tips of the tibiæ.
Drury described this insect as having the wings doubled or folded together, a peculiarity observed only in the wasps, amongst which the insect was placed by our author, who named it Vespa Jamaicensis. My specimen of this insect, which I have reason to believe belonged to Drury, is so pinned, that the upper surface of the thorax is pressed down, and the upper wing forced backwards, and thrown nearly upside down, which was evidently the case with the specimen described by Drury.
Plate XLIV. fig. 5.
Order: Hymenoptera. Section: Fossores. Family: Scoliidæ.
Genus. Scolia, Fabr. Sphex, Drury.
Scolia Fossulana. Atra, thorace flavido hirto, abdomine fasciis quatuor flavis, intermediis dentatis. (Long. Corp. 1 unc.)
Syn. Scolia fossulana, Fabr. Syst. Piez. 242. No. 18.
Sphex plumipes, Drury, App. vol. 2.
Habitat: New York.
Head pale yellow in front, black on the top and hairy. Antennæ black, and shorter than the thorax. Neck hairy, lemon-coloured. Thorax black, and covered with yellow hairs. Wings dark brown, almost transparent; not folded or doubled together. Abdomen black underneath and lemon-coloured above, where it has three black lines crossing it, two of them being broadest in the middle. Anus and breast black. Legs black and hairy; the hinder ones being furnished with two remarkable long spines at the tips of the tibiæ. Tarsi, particularly those of the hinder legs, furnished with very strong hairs, or rather bristles at each of the joints; pale yellow-coloured.
I should have retained the specific name given to this insect by Drury, on account of its priority, but it is so inappropriate, not only being applicable to one sex alone, the female, but the spines on the fore legs being found throughout the genus, as well as in nearly all the burrowing Hymenoptera. Fabricius has incorrectly referred this figure to his Scolia radula, which has a spotted thorax.
Plate XLIV. fig. 6. Imago—fig. 7. Cocoon—fig. 8. Imago taken out of the
Cocoon.
Plate XLV. fig. 8. Nest—fig. 9. Section of the Nest—fig. 10.
two Cocoons exposed.
Order: Hymenoptera. Section: Fossores. Family: Spegidæ.
Genus. Pelopæus, Latr. Fabr. Sphex, Linn. Drury.
Pelopæus Cæmentarius. Abdomine petiolato nigro, segmento primo (excl. pedunc.) lunulâ flavâ thoraceque punctis flavis, pedibus flavis posticorum femoribus apiceque tibiarum nigris. (Long. Corp. 1 unc.)
Syn. Sphex Cæmentaria, Drury, App. vol. 2.
Pelopæus lunatus, Fabr. Syst. Piez. 203.
Habitat: Jamaica, Antigua, St. Christopher's (Drury). "In America insulis, in India orientali frequens." (Fabricius, incorrectly?)
Head black and hairy. Antennæ black, basal joint yellow. Thorax black, with short hairs on it, but next the head yellow, having a yellow spot at the base of each wing, and another next the abdomen. Wings brown, and almost transparent; lying flat, not folded. Abdomen black and round, nearly as long as the thorax; basal segment (exclusive of the peduncle) yellow; pointed at the tip, and armed with a retractile sting. Peduncle very slender, black at top, and yellow underneath; being nearly the length of the thorax itself. Breast black. Fore and middle legs black next the body, but from the middle of the thighs yellow. Hinder thighs and lower parts of the shins black, the remainder yellow. Claws black.
The following particulars relative to the economy of this species were communicated to Mr. Drury from a correspondent in Antigua, who forwarded to him specimens of the insect.
"This insect is called at Antigua, and several other places in the West Indies, the Mason Fly, a name given it from the remarkable manner in which it builds its nest, or receptacle for its young.
"When the male and female have performed the business of copulation, their[30] next care is to provide a proper habitation for raising and securing their future progeny; to this end they seek out a proper spot that is secure from rains, &c. and is so situated as to afford a sufficient warmth for the young offspring, but not so hot as to destroy instead of nourishing them. The sides of a wall underneath the eaves of a house, is the place often pitched on for this purpose. Thus prompted by nature, and instinctively knowing the necessity of performing this work, they carry a quantity of dirt, and place it against the wall, which they temper and soften with a liquor issuing from their bodies, that renders it sufficiently strong and tenacious, and when dry, is proof against any rains that may happen to get at it. The nest is composed generally of about a dozen cells, that are round, and sufficiently capacious to hold the caterpillar when grown to its full size; each of which is about an inch long, and about three-eighths of an inch in diameter, lying parallel with each other, and formed in such a manner, that each cell lies between two others, both above and below it, except the outward ones, having a hole left open at the extremity of each, for the parents to go in and out at pleasure. See Plate 45. Fig. 8. that at 9 being a nest supposed to be cut through its middle, to shew the form of the cells, and manner of their being built. The industry exerted on this occasion is remarkably great, for in a few days the whole is completed. There is no doubt but the heat of the climate greatly contributes to facilitate this work, as the dirt of which it is composed is quickly dried, and by that means enables them to be very expeditious. Their next employment is procuring a number of small spiders, with which each cell is properly filled, and are to serve for food to the young brood; of these they always take care to lay in such a sufficient store, that the young ones seldom, if ever, perish from want. I have opened many of these cells, and constantly found a spider remaining uneat, sometimes two, and not seldom three, so that it is evident the parent animal makes ample provision for the appetite of its young. By the time one cell is replenished with provision, the pregnant female, finding the eggs within her ripening to maturity, and under the necessity of discharging them, lays a single one in the cell, and then covers up the hole with dirt, which was left open for a passage, in so neat and curious a manner, that the nicest eye could not discover the place where they used to enter. She then proceeds in the same manner to the next, and so on, till all her eggs are emitted and laid in their respective cells, each cell being furnished with a single egg and no more. My correspondent assures me, he is not certain whether the male assists in building the nest, or whether it is the sole production of the female; but they both equally contribute to furnish it with provision, which they carefully watch and preserve from the ants, that in that hot climate would soon rob them of. In a little time the young ones are hatched; and each, finding in its respective habitation a proper quantity of food, subsists thereon, and there lives unseen, till it arrives to its complete state. When it (the caterpillar) is advanced to its full size, it forms round itself a brown case, as appears at Fig. 7. Plate 44. and at Fig. 10. Plate 45. and in that inclosure undergoes its transformation; when it puts on its form as at Fig. 8. Plate 44. remaining with its legs, wings, and horns, closed round, as is there shewn, till it has acquired strength to break its enclosure. At its first assuming this form, it is white, soft, and tender, and its wings shorter than those in the figure; in a few weeks its becomes hard, strong, and of its proper colour. The wings, also, before that time, grow to their proper size; and now, finding itself arrived at a period when the forementioned circumstance of its confinement is no longer necessary to its well being, it obtains its liberty, by making a hole at the end of its cell, with its jaws and fore legs, large enough to permit its escape.
"The separation of the thorax and abdomen, by such a long slender membrane or ligament, is very singular, and the power the insect is invested with, by means of those jaws or forceps placed at its mouth, is really wonderful; for the number of insects, of a superior strength, as well as size, which it is capable of destroying, is scarcely credible. It will overcome a spider of twice its own size, if it can but get upon the back of it, by means of its forceps and sting: nor will multitudes of other insects find it a less formidable enemy, if they are not guarded by nature with a covering too hard to yield to the force of these destructive weapons. In short, it seems to be an animal formed by nature, as one of those instruments instituted for subduing and lessening the vast numbers of small insects that abound in warm climates."