go ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Mar., '07 



Notes on Bombiriae, with Descriptions of New Species. 

 By H. J. FRANKLIN, B. S. 



Massachusetts Agricultural College, Amhcrst, Mass. 



Bombus nigrodorsalis n. sp. 



?. Length, about 19 mm. Labrum sulcate in the middle. Clypeus 

 rather smooth and shining, very delicately and sparsely punctate over 

 entire surface except the corners. Malar space distinctly longer than it 

 is wide at the apex ; about one-third as long as the eye. Third antennal 

 segment somewhat longer than the fifth; fifth distinctly longer than 

 fourth. Ocelli normal and placed near the supraorbital line, above the 

 narrowest part of the front. Hypopygium without median carina. Head 

 with face, occiput and sides behind the eyes all black except for a very 

 slight sprinkling of light hairs, visible with a lens, above the bases of 

 the antennae. Labrum fringed on free edge with yellowish fulvous 

 hairs. 



Thorax with pleura covered with light yellow pile from the tegulse 

 to the bases of the legs, the yellow on the two pleura being connected 

 by a rather narrow band of the same color which crosses the dorsum of 

 the thorax in front. This yellowish band does not nearly extend back 

 on the middle of the dorsum to even with the tegulse, but its posterior 

 border is curved forward strongly from them on each side. Metanotum 

 with a mere fringe of yellow pile behind. Otherwise the thoracic dorsum 

 is entirely covered with black pile, there being, however, a very small 

 bare spot on the center of the mesothoracic disc. 



Abdomen above with the three basal segments entirely and rather 

 densely covered with bright yellow pile ; fourth segment entirely black 

 and bearing black pile ; fifth segment clothed with black pile, except 

 its apical margin, which bears dull fulvous hairs ; sixth segment dull 

 fulvous and fringed with pile of the same color. Ventral surface of 

 abdomen black toward the base, but with the hair which thinly fringes 

 the apical margins of the second, third and fourth segments light 

 yellow ; hair fringing the apical margin of the fifth segment and the 

 entire sixth segment dull fulvous. 



Middle and posterior coxae bearing some yellow hairs. Hind femora 

 entirely black, with no light or yellow pile. Anterior and middle 

 femora and tibiae all black and without light pile. Some of the hairs 

 fringing the corbiculas behind tinged with fulvous. Wings somewhat 

 stained with brown. 



$. Length, about i2, l / 2 mm. Like the $, except in point of size, but 

 the corbicular fringes arc entirely black and the pile of the r.pical 

 abdominal segment and the apical fringe of the fifth segment arc much 

 less strongly fulvous than in the ?. 



