THEODORE H. FRISON 137 



NOTES ON THE LIFE HISTORY, PARASITES AND 



INQUILINE ASSOCIATES OF ANTHOPHORA 



ABRUPTA SAY, WITH SOME COMPARISONS 



WITH THE HABITS OF CERTAIN OTHER 



ANTHOPHORINAE (HYMENOPTERA) 



BY THEODORE H. FRISON 



Urbana, Illinois 



Not many years have elapsed since Ashmead (1894), in his 

 retiring address as President of the Cambridge Entomological 

 Club, said in regard to the genus Anthophora that ''Almost 

 nothing is known of the nesting habits of our species." When 

 this quotation was written our literature contained only a few 

 short contributions to the hfe history of the American species 

 of Anthophora. The first account is that given by Walsli (1868) 

 and deals with certain phases of the biology of Anthophora 

 sponsa Smith, as he observed them in Ilhnois. The Anthophora 

 sponsa of Smith is now considered by the authorities on the 

 subject as identical with Anthophora abrupta Say, the latter 

 name having priority. Riley (1877) also published a few ol)ser- 

 vations on the habits of Anthophora sponsa in connection with 

 the description of a new genus and species of Meloidae found 

 infesting the cells of this mining bee. In addition to these ac- 

 counts. Say (1837) added to his specific description oi Anthophora 

 taurea a few observations on the habits of this species. This 

 latter bee, however, is no longer regarded as belonging to the 

 genus Anthophora. It was first removed by Patton (1874) 

 when he erected the genus Entechnia, making taurea of Say the 

 type. Since then this generic assignment has been adhered to 

 by the authorities on the group. In the most recent list of the 

 North American Anthophoridae, by Lutz and Cockerell (1920), 

 taurea is still retained in the genus Entechnia, but the authors 

 state ''It seems quite probable that the name Entechnia must 

 give way to Melitoma.'^ As the two genera involved are closely 

 related, in fact belong to the same subfamily, the original obser- 

 vations of Say are doubly interesting from a ('om])arative stand- 

 point. Since the time of Ashmead's addn^ss some additional 



TRANS. ASl. ENT. SOC, XLVIII. 



