SOME HALICTINE BEES EROM THE MARITIME PROV- 

 INCE OF SIBERIA 



By T. D. A. CocKEitELL 

 Of the Vniversity of Colorado, Boulder 



The genus Halictus is world-wide, with an enormous number of 

 species, many of which are very closely allied and hard to discrimi- 

 nate. The reason for this specific diversity is not wholly apparent, 

 as the insects are much less restricted to particular flowers and sea- 

 sons than the species of Andrena. From Europe we know at present 

 about 128 apparently valid species. The number would be consid- 

 erably greater were it not for the synonymy recently proposed hy 

 Dr. P. Bliithgen, based on his intensive studies. It may be that he 

 has gone too far in reducing names to the synonymy, but it must be 

 admitted that previous authors have proposed many needless names.^ 

 Errors have been difficult to avoid, partly because adequate collec- 

 tions were not available, and it is by no means eas}^ to describe 

 the pecularities of form and sculpture in a perfectly intelligible 

 manner. Some future monographer will perhaps illustrate the 

 form of the head, sculpture of the thorax, etc., by enlarged photo- 

 graphic figures, and thus place the whole subject on a much sounder 

 basis. It will also be desirable to figure the mouth parts and male 

 genitalia. 



Many of the p]uro]»ean species extend into Asia, either as local 

 races or subspecies, or in some cases practically unmodified. Tur- 

 kestan has an extensive fauna of about 47 supposedly endemic species, 

 but these are poorly represented in museums and rather insufficiently 

 known. I possess specimens of II. equestris Morawitz, cariniventris 

 Morawitz, and varipes Morawitz, but the latter two are now consid- 

 ered synon} mous with //. mucoreus Eversmann {poUinosus Sichel) 

 and II. fiubauratus Rossi, respectively. This Turkestan fauna be- 

 longs to a dry country, and has very little in common with that of 

 the moist coast region of southeastern Siberia, where my collecting 

 was done. The insects of the Maritime Province are to be compared 

 with those of Europe rather than with those of Turkestan or Mon- 



' Bliitligpn (in litt.) suggests that m.v //. bentoni, from Persia, is H. obscuratua Mora 

 witz,, described from TurlsestaiJ. 



No. 2607.-PROCEEDINGS U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM, VOL. 68, ART. 6. 



'>-M\-,:i--2rj 1 



