316 T. D. A. COCKERKLL. 



LCIOPODI IS Smith. 

 Eeiopodus lacertinus Sm. %. 



A peculiar South American Epeoloid bee, with narrow abdomen 

 and large and long hind coxae. Second s. m. very broad, broader 

 below than first ; b. n. falling a considerable distance short of t. m. 



MELISSA Smith. 

 Bees looking like Thalestria, but with a shorter abdomen. The 

 middle tibiae of all the species have strongly modified spurs ; in M. 

 insignia £ the spur ends in two prongs of about equal length, but 

 one of them, which is slightly curved, has on its inner side two little 

 spines ; in M. regalis $ the arrangement is the same, except that 

 the spine bearing prong is much shorter than the other. The sexes 

 of M. insignis, according to the collection and description, are re- 

 markably different ; if it should prove that they are wrongly asso- 

 ciated, it is not exactly apparent which ought to carry the name, as 

 the 2 has priority of place in the description, while the £ carries 

 the type label in the collection. The following table brings out the 

 differences referred to, and compares the species with M. regalis: 



Head and thorax with extremely brilliant yellow pubescence, the area between 

 the wings dark, as in some Bombus ; small yellow hair-spots on sides 

 of abd. s. 1 and 2 insignis Sm. % (T.). 



Not so ; general color not due to pubescence to any extent 1. 



1. Face, cheeks and occiput densely covered with silvery-white hair; two long 



pencils of red hair projecting from apex of labrum- .regalis Sm. 9 . 



Face without white hair, except a tuft at outer side of each antenna; labium 



covered with black hair, the dowuwardly directed pencils of hair 



black insignis Sm. 9 , 



M. rufipes Perty (said to = azurea Lep.), $ , is distinguished by 

 the dark reddish legs, hind femora with a tooth beneath at base; 

 hair on clypeus shining, white stained with sulphur-yellow. 



M. decorata Sm., 9 (T.), has white hair up each side of face, 

 stained with sulphur-yellow at upper end. 



MES04 HEIR A Lepeletier. 

 Bees with the general build and color of Thalestria. 



Apex of wing with a large square fuliginous spot; scutellum with two flat pro- 

 cesses overlapping base of abdomen; abdomen without lateral white 

 marks bicolor (Fabr.) 9 • 



Costa in region of marginal cell and beyond fuliginous, but no square black spot ; 

 scutellum with only two tubercles; abdomen with lateral white marks. 



asteria Sm. 9 . 



