1902.] 



233 



the ease of C. Dcbeyi this procedure does not appear to be carried 

 out. I found masses of the eggs actually in the galleries of the bee, 

 all hatching out into the characteristic triungulins. The eggs were 

 deposited at the ends of the galleries, and each mass must have con- 

 tained several thousaud individuals. The full grown larva? of the beetle 

 excavate for themselves offshoots from the tunnels of the bee, of a 

 much smaller diameter and an inch or more in length, in which they 

 pupate. The fact that the young larva? are hatched inside the nest of 

 the bee, suggests that at least some of them may pass their whole larval 

 existence on the spot ; but they are produced in such vast numbers 

 that for most of them a migration must be necessary. They are 

 doubtless unconsciously transported to fresh colonies by the bees 

 themselves. I have frequently captured specimens of Xylocopa 

 bearing examples of the triungulins attached to their hairy legs. On 

 one occasion I found a single triungulin on the stamens of a large 

 blue Thunbergia, the blossoms of which are frequented by the Xylo- 

 copa. It is noticeable that the male bees are more constantly utilized 

 by the triungulins than the females. 



The galleries of the bee were carefully searched for other stages 

 of the Acarid parasite, Qreenia Parkinsi, Oudmns. Half a dozen 

 full sized examples were found wandering in the galleries. These 

 very closely resembled the nymphs found in the remarkable abdominal 

 pouch of the female Xylocopa, but had a rather larger chitinous 

 dorsal plate. I have submitted specimens to Dr. Oudemans, the 

 author of the name of the parasite (" Tijdschr. d. Ned. Dierk. 

 Vereen" [2], Dl. vii, Afl., 3). 



The nests were also infested by many 

 tiny mites, possibly an early stage of the 

 Qreenia. 



I may mention that I have found 

 examples of Qreenia Parkinsi in similar 

 abdominal pouches, in the allied bee, J 

 Xylocopa bryorum, Fabr. 



As, to the best of my belief, no 

 figure of the interesting abdominal pouch of Xylocopa has been pub- 

 lished, I append a sketch of a longitudino-vertical section through 

 the bee, which shows the bisected pouch at the. base of the abdomen, 

 just below the dorsum. 



Peradeniya, Ceylon : 



August, 1902. 



