2o8 The Irish NaiuralisU [September, 



INSKCTA. 



H YMEN OP TERA . 



BY H. K. GORE CUTHBERT. 



The aculeate Hymeiioptera noted or collected during the Conference 

 week were not numerous, and hardly any points of unusual interest in 

 regard to them were observed. 



In some respects the places visited by the excursions of the Conference 

 seemed highly suited to yield members of this Order in abundance ; 

 possibly, however, from the long-continued cold and wet weather during 

 the spring the aculeates as a whole were poorly represented. The 

 absence of sand-hills, the favoured home of so many of these insects, 

 may also have accounted in part for their comparative scarcity. 



Taking them in order, beginning with the more highly organised, the 

 Social Bees were represented by nine species, nearly all from heather 

 on the uplands. Three examples of the variable Bo/ubus lalreillellus, var. 

 distingtiendus were taken on Derrinknow, Upper Lough Cloonee. These 

 are all very pale forms. A very light form of B. cognatiis and a dark 

 form of B. hortonim occurred together on rocky ground adjoining the 

 same lough. B. derhameUus appeared to be everywhere more abundant 

 than its near ally, B. lapidantis, and the form virginalis of B, terrestris 

 occurred at least six times as often as the form hicortim. Among the 

 inquiline Humble«bees, Psithynis barbutellus and P. camfestris were both 

 taken on the Caha mountains, — the latter also on Mucksna. 



Among the diplopterous genera only two of the social wasps, Vespa 

 Vidgaris and V. norvegica, were noticed, both in the woods skirting the 

 Long Range at Killarney ; and two of the solitary species, Odynenis 

 irintarginalus^ow the heather at Cloonee, and O.panetinus in the Beech wood 

 near the hotel grounds. Out of four examples of 0. trimarginatus taken, 

 two, male and female, show the dusky spotting of the tibise, a well- 

 marked variation from the type, first noticed by Mr. E. Saunders in 

 specimens from Rosscarbery. 



Several Andrcnce were captvired, notably Andrcna labialis^ Kirby, new 

 to the Irish list, and A. coitana, in the marshes along the Sheen River ; 

 also A> roscB, A. wilkella, and a couple of unusually late examples of A. 

 nigro-cenea. A dead specimen of A. cineraria was taken from a spider's 

 Web near the tunnel on the Glengarriff Road. Among the smaller 

 bees Sphecodes similis and S. pilifroiis were taken at Cloonee, S. affiitis on 

 Mucksna, and S. gibbtis in a field beside the hotel. Six Halicti, none of 

 them uncommon, were met with; and one Prosopis^P. confusa^\h^ ovXy 

 one hitherto recorded as Irish, was taken on a hawkweed at the margin 

 of Lower Lough Cloonee. 



The sand- wasps Pompilus iiigcr, P. gibbtiSy Priocnemis exaltatus and Cero' 

 pales maculata, were fairly abundant along the Kenmare River, and pro- 

 bably not scarce, though not noticed, in other parts of the district* 

 The genus Crabro was represented by C. varius, taken at ClooUee, and C. 

 dimidiatus, on Mucksna. 



