NOVITATES ZOOLOGICAE XXIV. 1917. 227 



Caput thorace paullum latius, discoideum, vertice elevato, oculis hirtis, 

 iabri incisura media lobulos duos rotiindatcs separante, mandibulis 3-dentatis. 

 Antennae ad os, infra lineam ocularem. in.sertae, scapo compresso ocellum baud 

 attingente, prope apicem latiore eiusqiie superficie tota pilis pauci.s brevibus 

 instructa ; flagello duplo fere qiiam scapo longiore, qiiam capitis latitudine 

 breviore, annellis inconspicuis, microscopio inspectis quasi duplicata lamella 

 perspiciendis ; funiculi articulis tribus sensim latioribus, primo longitudine 

 parum, ultimo fere sesquilatiore ; clava brevi, triarticulata. 



Thorax, cum abdomine, valde depressus, hoc ultimum vix brevius. Pro- 

 thorax longus, conicus : scutum medio haud sulcatum, scutellum sulcis ducbus 

 parallelis ; metathorax etiam longus, dorsello fere lineari. spiraculis parvis 

 rotundatis, carina nulla. Callus pilis paucis instructus. Pars thoracis superior 

 minute reticulata, areolis scutelli fere linearibus. 



Proalae abdominis apicem nonnihil superantes, latitudine dimidiae earum 

 longitudini fere aequali. apice leniter rotundato, nen'o submarginali setis longis 

 tribus, interdum duabus vel quatuor instructo, marginali quam cellula costali 

 vix longiore, postmarginali brevissimo, latitudine sua haud longiore, stigmatico 

 1/3 marginalis parum superante (propoftione 7:18). parte basah glabra, excepto 

 spatio quodam cellulam basaleni inferius limitante : speculo infra praestigma 

 nuUo, hoc autem a nen^o humerali non bene discrete setaque instructo quam illis 

 nervo marginali antice adfixis nonnihil longiore. Metathoracis alae ipsarum 

 latitudine quintuple longiores, cellula costali ad hamulos extensa, pOis marginis 

 postici 1/3 latitudinis vix longioribus. 



Pedes robusti, tarsorum articulis longitudine subaequalibus, calcaribus 

 brevibus metatarsum non superantibus. 



Abdomen distincte petiolatum, latitudine maxima 2/3 eius longitudinis 

 attingens, quam thorax aliquantulum latius. lateribus fere rectis. apice parum 

 rotundato, terebrae valvis vix prominentibus. segmcntis subaecjualibus, pilis 

 numerosis sparsis, longiusculis, superficie in longitudinem confertim striata. 

 Long. 1 mm. 



Habitat. Mahe : Cascade Estate. 

 Specimina plurima. 



Adn. Hanc speciem amplius et apte describere nequeo, quum sint exem- 

 plaria adeo exsiccatione deformata ut ne quidem solutione alcalina partes omnes 

 in priorem formam restitui possint. quod saepe huius generis speciebus cccurrit. 

 Gratias nunc agam domino Watersten qui hanc speciem recognovit et 

 cum europaea M. acasta (Walk.) comparavit ; is de characteribus Melittobiae 

 haumiensis notas quasdam scripsit, quas libenter hie referam. " The mandibles 

 are shorter and broader than in acasta. The median clypeal incisicn is much 

 shorter and the lobes are truncate, not roi.nded (a condition not found in others 

 of the genus). The eyes are for this genus densely pubescent and the face more 

 hairy, the scrobes are smaller, and the impressed lines en the mid frons more 

 approximated. In the antennae the scape is shorter and broader and the joints 

 of the funicle are all much broader than long ; the sensoria are more numerous. 

 In the prothorax the spiracular emargination is very slight and the spiracle is 

 not deeply embedded. Ihis is an extremely bristly form all over. It may 

 be separated at a glance from acasta by comparing the mid lobes of their respective 

 mesonota. In the European insect there are about 40 bristles (20,20) while in 

 the Seychelles form the bristles arc about 80 (40, 40) The wing has stronger 



