3G [July 



CAPTURES OP STYLO PS. 



BY FREBK. EXOCK:. 



COMMUNICATED WITH NOTES BY FREDK. SMITH. 



1 send for publication a very interesting register of tlie captures 

 of stylopized Andrenidce, kept by Mr. Frederick Enock, who this spring 

 has been AvonderfuIIy suocessful in obtaining so large a number of the 

 rare males of Stylops ; what species it may eventually prove to be, 

 will in all probability be determined by the President of The Entomo- 

 logical Society, Sir Sidney S. Saunders, who is at present investigating 

 our British species. It will be seen that the register records no less 

 than seventeen males being obtained ; since the table was drawn up, 

 Mr. Enock has secured another male, — certainly under circumstances 

 that throw a new light on the history of Stylops. The stylopized 

 bees were kept in a box that contained a good bed of moist sand ; they 

 were kept well supplied with fresh flowers, and at the expiration of 

 twenty days it was supposed that all the males of Stylops must have 

 emerged from the bees, in fact, the latter were also supposed to be 

 dead ; but, upon removing the gauze that covered the box, a bee flew 

 out, which, upon examination, was found to have an undeveloped male 

 of Stylops still remaining between the abdominal segments. This was 

 a matter of great surprise to Mr. Enock, who, immediately on making 

 the discovery, removed the cap of the pupa-case of the Stylops, when, 

 to his increased astonishment, he saw it move its antennae ; it very 

 shortly emerged and expanded its wings, was secured, and prepared 

 as a specimen for the cabinet. 



Whether in a natural state the Stylops would have remained such 

 a length of time as twenty days as ascertained, and probably some 

 three or four days before Mr. Enock captui'ed it, it is impossible to 

 determine. I have, myself, bred six males of Stylops, each at different 

 periods ; but I never found the males longer than two days before 

 they emerged after being captured ; in fact, I think only on one 

 occasion did more than one day elapse before they emerged. 



One misfortune has attended Mr. Enock's captures — he totally 

 destroyed eight specimens in endeavouring to prepare them for 

 microscopic objects. 



All the stylopized bees, with, I believe, a single exception, were 

 Andrcna atriceps, the other species being Andrena Afzeliella. Since 

 the tables were drawn up, Mr. Enock has taken Andrena convexiuseula 

 and A. lahialis infested by females of Stylops. All the captures were 

 made at Ilampstead Heath. « F. Smith. 



