166 [July, 



NOTES ON THE BRITISH SPECIES OF THE 



ANDRENA MINUTULA, K., GROUP, AND CORRECTION OP AN ERROR. 



BY R. C. L. PERKINS, M.A , D.Sc, K.R.S. 



Probably most students of our British bees have found the 

 discrimination of these small species of Andrena a matter of difficulty, 

 and this, I believe, is due partly to the large amount of variability 

 that some of them exhibit, and partly to the fact that there are more 

 than the three species, that are named in our lists. I have therefore 

 drawn up a table of the various forms, indicating two as new to us, 

 but not naming these. I have adopted this course because I have not 

 been able to procure specimens of some of the described Continental 

 species, and also because Herr Alfken, of Bremen, has for some time 

 had in preparation a paper on the German species, which are more 

 nmuerous than our own. At the same time, particular attention is 

 needed as to the summer (July and August) forms of these bees, and 

 the publication of these notes may lead to their receiving this atten- 

 tion. The tabular discrimination of the species hero given will I 

 believe enable all specimens, excej^ting possibly a few very aberrant 

 ones, and those that are greatly altered by the attacks of Stylopidse, to 

 be distinguished. 



1 (2). Face beneath the antennae clothed witli long dark or sooty hairs, 



often more or less mixed with pale ones parvula, K. 



(In some examples the clypens is entirely clothed with pale 

 hairs, shorter than in typical specimens, but there are black 

 hairs at the sides of the face and also some on the sides of the 

 head behind the eyes. These may belong to an intermediate 

 brood of parvula-minutula.) 



2 (1). Face entii'ely clothed with pale hairs (in miniUula sometimes with a 



few dark ones beneath the antennae). 



3 (10). 2nd and 3rd abdominal segments along the apical margins generally 



smooth and shining, at most with a very faint, obsolete surface- 

 sculpture, never very dull and densely sculptured. 



4 (5). Scutelhim and mesonotum always very dull and sparsely punctured, 



the piinctui-es very fine and feeble, sometimes impvmctate or nearly 

 so sp. a. 



5 (4). Scutellum and mesonotum with distinct, though often sparse, pimc- 



tures, the sciitellum often more or less shining, though sometimes 

 dull ; if the scutellum is not more or less shining, the pimctures 

 are ordinarily large and deep. 



6 (7). Face beneath the antenna, in fresh examples, with pale yellowish 



hairs j the stigma generally brown or yellowish-brown in the 



