!54 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



A NEW BEE OF THE GENUS ANTHOPHORA. 



BY T. D. A. COCKERELL, BOULDER, COLO. 



Professor R. H. Forbes, of the University of Arizona, writes me 

 under the date of Feb. 15, 1907: '-While waiting for the train at 

 Maricopa (Arizona) I became interested in a bee which was busy 

 depositing honey in cells in the ground, leaving an egg in each cell. The 

 workings of this bee were as deep as seven inches, often branched into 

 two to five separate tunnels, and each branch had from one to tiiree or 

 four cells of honey, one above the other. When a set of cells was 

 finished the bee would kick the loose dirt into the tunnel until full, then 

 seal it with mud. I am sending you specimens of bees, grubs and honey 

 cells containing eggs. What is the name of this most entertaining bee ?" 



Upon examination, it proves to be a new species of Atithophora. 



Aiithophora Forbesi, n. sp. 



$. — T^ength about 15 mm., width of abdomen a little over 63^, 

 length of anterior wing 11. Black, with dull white or creamy-white hair; 

 hair of front white, with a iftw black hairs intermixed, of vertex black, of 

 occiput white, of cheeks white, of thorax above white with many black 

 hairs intermixed ; hair on inner side of anterior tarsi a sort of dull sepia ; 

 on inner side of middle and hind tibise and basitarsi black, contrasting 

 with the creamy-white on the outer side ; abdomen broad, not at all 

 metallic ; the hind margins of the segments rather broadly whitish, 

 hyaline — not chalky, covered by quite dense white hair-bands ] hair of 

 surface between the bands erect, only conspicuous in side view, wholly 

 white except a very little short black hair at basal middle of third ; tufts 

 of black hair above and on each side of the long narrow apical plate. 



Superficially, the insect looks just like A. IVashingtoni, Ckll., except 

 that it is more robust. The third antennal joint is only a little longer than 

 the following four together, being less long and slender than that of 

 IVashingtoni. The eyes are perfectly black, in Washifigtoni they are 

 green. A. IVashingtoni also has conspicuous black hair on abdominal 

 segments 3 to 5, wanting in Forbesi. The clypeus oi Forbesi has a broad 

 smooth shining median band, wanting in Washifigtoni. 



The earthen cells are 21 mm. long, and about 14)^ broad, formed 

 as usual in the genus. The drawing of the burrow, sent by Prof. Forbes, 

 shows that it is veriical. There is no indication of the usual chimney-like 

 structure. 



October, 1907 



