MELITTA. (**. c.) 103 



I observed in the ir.troductory part of the 

 work(j), that Fabricius had placed the two sexes 

 pf this insect in two different genera. He appears 

 to have been led to do this by the difference of 

 their form, the male being much more slender 

 than the other sex, without inspecting their in- 

 strumenta cibaria, which he would have found to«- 

 be exactly alike. Christius has given the male for 

 j1. thoracica, and the female for A. hicolor. Pan- 

 zer's figure of the male is extremely accurate. 

 Variety ^ of the aculeate sex is common enough 

 with us, but I never met with more than a single 

 specimen of a, which appears to be the genuine^/. 

 thoracica, and that was given me by Mr. Mar- 

 sham. They may be distinct species, but they are 

 too similar to be separated, without a more stiiking 

 difference than merely the colour of their wings. 



50. M. atra, subvillosa; thorace liirsuto-flaves-^'^/' 

 centi ; 



MUS. Kirly 



nnrc.'- 



centi ; abdomine ovatq, nigro. -^ '"'"^' 



Long. Corp. Lin. 6. 

 Hah. In Anglia, a D, Goodenougli semel lecta, 



DESCR. Mas. 



CORPUS atrum, pube nigricanti. 



Caput. Fades atra, hirsuta. P^ertex calvus. 

 Occiput pilis flavescentibus. Antemice thorace 

 breviores, nigrae, articulis subarcuatis. 



Tru Nc u s supra hirsuto-flavescens. Squamukv 

 (s) Vid. vol. 1. Introductory Keniarks, p. 67. 



H 3 piceas. 



