THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST 35 



THE BEE-GENUS THRINCHOSTOMA IN ASIA 



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



In 1891 Saussure described Thrincho stoma, a very remarkable 

 genus of Halictine bees, from Madagascar. Since that time several 

 species of the same genus have been found to occur in Africa, and 

 we have come to look upon Thrinchostoma as one of the most 

 characteristic members of the purely Ethiopian bee-fauna. Yes- 

 terday I received a box of bees from Mr. F. W. L. Sladen, and in 

 it were two specimens marked "genus?", collected by him in the 

 Khasia Hills, India, in 1895. To my utter astonishment, I re- 

 cognized a perfectly typical member of Thrinchostoma, even to 

 the unique patches of hair on the wings of the male! Thus a 

 genus of bees is added to the fauna of Asia, and we are warned 

 once again of the probable errors arriving from imperfect data 

 on insect distribution. The study of fossils has indicated that 

 the several groups of insects were formerly more widely distributed 

 than at present, and so explains the occurrence of species stranded 

 as it were, in remote regions, far from their nearest relatives. 



Thrinchostoma sladeni n. sp. 

 cf. — Length about 12 mm. (head extended), expanse nearly 

 19; head and thorax black, with the usual short white hair; inner 

 orbits concave; clypeus greatly extended as usual in the genus, 

 its broad apical margin and the labrum cream-colour, but the 

 sharp simple mandibles rufopiceous; molar space about as broad 

 as long; clypeus shining, distinctly but not densely punctured; 

 upper part of front shining and finely punctured, but its lower 

 two-thirds dull and opaque; scape wholly dark; middle of meso- 

 thorax and scutellum brilliantly shining, with scattered minute 

 punctures, but margins, especially broad anterior corners of meso- 

 thorax, duller and minutely rugulosopunctate; area of meta- 

 thorax triangular, finely rugosopunctate; tegula? light testaceous 

 wings hyaline, slightly brownish, especially on apical margin; 

 nervures and stigma dark rufous; b. n. falling a considerable 

 distance short of t. m.; submarginal cells subequal, the second 

 very broad; first r. n. joining second s. m. almost at end; second 

 t. c. running through a patch of black hairs; legs red-brown, 

 the basitarsi (except more or less at apex, and the hind ones on 

 inner side) creamy white; anterior tibia." clear red in front; hind 



February, 1913 



