18«5.] 3 



OBSERVATIONS ON THE GENUS DORYLUS, AND UPON A NEW GENUS 



OF APID.E. 



BY FKEDEEICK SMITH, V.T.E.S. 



The Entomologist's Monthly Magazine will no doubt contain a 

 report of the meeting of the Entomological Society on Monday, the 

 1st of May, in Avhich will be noticed Dr. Jerdon's discovery of the 

 workers of the genus Dorylus ; but I think this claims something more 

 than the simple record of the fact. Eor many years the males only 

 were known of the remarkable genus ; such had been the case since 

 the time when Linnseus described the type, Dorylus helvolus, placing it 

 in the genus Vespa ; here it continued until Fabricius formed the genus 

 Dorylus for its reception ; this was in 1793, but it was not until 1858 

 that another sex was discovered. The affinities of the genus long 

 occupied the attention of Hymenopterists, and, at length, appeared 

 Shuckard's most able monograph on these insects, in which the 

 connection between the genus Lahidus (the Dorylus of the new world), 

 and the genus Th^phlopone was suggested, a genus consisting of workers 

 only, but, as shown by Shuckard, possessing so many analogous points 

 of structure, as to induce him to consider them to be the females of 

 the genus Lahidus. 



In 1858, the Hon. Walter Elliot discovered nests of Dorylus near 

 Madras ; he states, that they live after the manner of ants, under 

 stones, &c., and their varieties are very numerous. Dr. Jerdon's 

 account accords precisely with that of the Hon. Walter Elliot, but 

 unfortunately neither of these gentlemen discovered the female ; on 

 some future occasion I hope to receive all the sexes. Dr. Jerdon 

 promising to use every exertion to obtain them. The Dorylidcd now 

 consists of four genera, Dorylus, Bhogmus, Dabidus, and jEnictus ; they 

 are genera of social species, and must, in my opinion, be placed at the 

 end of the group. We have much to learn in order to complete our 

 knowledge of these genera ; of Dorylus, twelve species are described, 

 and I am acquainted with three or four undescribed ones ; BliogmMS 

 only contains a single species ; but twenty-one are known of the genus 

 Lahidus, and four of the genus ^nictus. Only twelve species of the 

 genus Typlilopone have been discovered, so that the workers of twenty- 

 six species are unknown. 



In tlie report, to which I have previously alluded, will be recorded 

 the reading of a short paper on some Australian Hymenoptera, and, 

 probably, allusion will be made to a most remarkable species of bee, 

 named Thaumatosoma Duboulayi, taken on the Swan Eiver by F. du 



