i.s9r..] 259 



part of the year; the warmer conditions of the south of France are 

 probably more favourable for the existence of males during hiberna- 

 tion, as Perez also says of Halictus xanthopns (the probable host of 

 S. spinulosus), that the (J sometimes hibernates. If Mr. Sladen's ob- 

 servations be correct, S. rubicundus is probably an inquiline of Andrena 

 nigrooenea, which has only a spring brood, and, therefore, both sexes 

 would probably remain in the burrows till the spring, and appear when 

 the Andrena is making her cells, &c. The occurrence of males in the 

 burrows in the imago state in August seems, at first sight, to be against 

 this theory, but when it is remembered that Andrena nic/rocenea and 

 lahiaUs, as well as Eucera were dug up at the same time alive and 

 ready to emerge (species which are all single-brooded), one can only 

 imagine that they, like their companions, were prepared to wait 

 patiently till the spring. The species is a very distinct one, and may 

 be recognised by the following combination of characters : — 



<J , head and thorax closely punctured, and rather densely clothed with grej hairs, 

 much as in pUifrons ; antennae rather short, the joints much swollen in front, with 

 very narrow basal pubescent rings, 4th joint hardly longer than the 2nd and 3rd 

 together, and subequal to the 4th, the following joints almost as wide as long. 

 Abdomen suboval, unusually wide for that of a male, and formed more like that of 

 ferrnginatiis, the basal and 2nd segment entirely red, the 3rd more or less black at 

 the apex, basal segment largely and somewhat remotely punctured, the following 

 segments more closely so, lacinia of the armature produced into a single spoon- 

 shnped process, quite unlike that of any other British species ; 2nd submarginal cell 

 almost as wide at the base as high, wing hooks 5 to 7. 



$ closely resembles that sex of spinulosus and pilifrons by the close punctu- 

 ration and hairiness of the mesonotum, but may be known from the former by 

 the coarser puncturation of the head, the shorter antennae, the points of the flagellum 

 of which are wider than long, and by the smaller number of its alar hooks, 5 — 7 

 instead of 9 — 10 ; from the latter {S. pilifrons) it may be known by the red colour 

 of the abdomen extending almost to the apex, the 5th segment, and sometimes the 

 apex of the 4th, alone being black, also by the stronger puncturation of the segments, 

 and the slightly more pointed, smoother, and less flattened area of the dorsal valve. 



I have kept to v. Hagens' name, as to my mind it is very doubtful 

 which species Panzer described and figured as TipJtia riifiventris, the 

 ])ale tarsal which he mentions do not scein to agree with any species I 

 know. I have an example of what seems to be the ? of this species 

 from Littlehampton, and another from Tunbridge Wells, so I hope 

 that now it has been called attention to it will occur in other localities. 



St. Ann's, Woking : 



October VOth, 1895. 



