214 Journal New York Entomological Society, t^'o'- xxiv, 



Thorax everywhere covered with dense whitish-yellow hair; in- 

 tegument with some green color, otherwise as in female. Abdomen 

 green on first two segments, then changing to a blue color, and to a 

 brilliant purple on the apical segments; ventral segments bluish pur- 

 ple mixed with more or less orange toward the middle ; pilosity 

 whitish-yellow on whole of first segment, a little on sides of all seg- 

 ments but the last, and a fringe on the hind margin of all the ventral 

 segments except the apical segment ; apical segment with a very thick 

 brush of long, black hair. Wings a little lighter than in female ; 

 tegulre brown. 



Hair of legs not entirely black as in female, but with some whitish- 

 yellow on fore tibix and tarsi, on middle and hind coxa?, trochanters, 

 femora, tibiae, and on the outer upper half of the first segment of 

 tarsi ; tibial scale much smaller and consisting of but one lobe. 



Type. — Probably lost. 



Distribution. — Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Texas, Cali- 

 fornia, Guatemala. 



I have examined Cresson's type of Xylocopa purpurea at the 

 American Entomological Society at Philadelphia and am convinced 

 that it is micans Lep. Cresson's description was made from speci- 

 mens from Texas, there being a series of four female specimens 

 present, three from Texas and one from California, of which one 

 from Texas is labeled lecto-type, and another from Texas is labeled 

 para-type. Lepeletier's description was made from specimens col- 

 lected in Carolina. 



According to Cresson's description of purpurea there might be a 

 distinction between it and micans. He described a tuft of white 

 pubescence on each side of the apex of the abdomen only, while 

 micans has a tuft of white on each side of the first segment in addi- 

 tion. Upon examining the type purpurea, however, I found the tuft 

 of white hair on each side of the first segment and therefore know of 

 no reason why purpurea is not a synonym of micans. 



Male specimens of micans collected in Texas also agree in every 

 way with the description of micans made by Lepeletier of the male 

 from Carolina. 



Micans has also been confused somewhat with texana Cr., but 

 these two species are very different and should be easily distinguished. 



In The Insect Book, plate III, fig. 24, Dr. L. O. Howard figures a 

 female of this species. 



