62 MELITTA, (**. b.) 



Hal. Barhamiae. Apud nos, itemque in Gallia, teste ill, 

 Reaumurio, sub terra nidificat haec species ; in Aus- 

 tria tamen secundum Schrankium " in foraminibus 

 palorum antiquorum apricorum." In floribus /re- 

 quens obvia. 



DESCR. Acul. 



CORPUS nigrum, parce pilosulum. 



Caput. AnteninB basi approximatae, nigrae, 

 subtus fulvescentes. 



Truncus. TAora,r glaber, nitidus, punctulatus. 

 Metathorax postice rotundatus. Alee subhy- 

 alinae, iricolores ; nervis nigris, anastomosi 

 pallida striga nigricanti. Pedes nigri, albido- 

 hirti. 



Abdomen ovale, nltidissimum,punctulatissimum 

 punctulis levissime impressis. Venter hirtus. 



Var.^ tertia parte minor, anastomosi nigra. 



Maris Fades infra antennas tomentoso-alba. 

 Nasus apice albus. Antennce thorace longi- 

 ores. Abdomen segmentis intermediis basi 

 depressiusculis. 



This insect agrees well with Schrank's descrip- 

 tion of his Apis minuta, but in this country and in 

 France, if Reaumur's synonym be right, it nidifi- 

 cates under-ground; whereas the habitat of his 

 was in old pales : this leads me to doubt, in some 

 degree, whether they are the same. 



villosula. 21. M. atra, albido-villosula ; abdomine subovato; 

 an tennis eubtus, tarsisque, rufescentibus. 



MUS. 



