516 



APIDJE. 



911. Melecta himalayana, n. sp. 



5 . Densely pubescent : the thorax, underneath the pubescence, 

 very closely and finely punctured ; the vertex of the head aud base of 

 the" segments of the abdomen smooth. Head and abdomen, under- 

 neath the pubescence, alutaceous ; thorax black ; the clypeus, the 

 face below the antennae and along the inner orbits of the eyes, and 

 the thorax covered with long silky pale yellow pubescence ; the 

 front below the vertex and a broad transverse stripe between the 

 wings with pale brown pubescence ; the antennae and legs alutaceous, 

 the front of the scape and the outside of the intermediate and 

 posterior legs clothed with brown pubescence; wings hyaline, slightly 

 iridescent, with a brownish tint, the nervures and tegulae brown ; 

 abdomen with the base of the 1st and 2nd segments sparsely, their 

 margins and the apical segments densely, clothed with rich ferru- 

 ginous pubescence. 



Hah. Kumaun, 5000 ft., and probably throughout the Himalayas 

 at and above that altitude. $ . Lenrjtli 14 ; exp. 23 mm. 



Genus CROCISA. 

 Crocisa, Jarine, Hym. p. 239 (1807). 



Type, Crocisa histrio, Fabr. 

 Range. Europe, Africa, and the Oriental region. 

 Head not so wide as the thorax, transverse ; eyes strongly 

 narrowed and contracted above; face below the bases of the antennae 



and the clypeus subporrect, labrum 

 bent downwards at an angle to the 

 margin of the clypeus ; mandibles 

 naiTow, simple, acute at apex; mentum 

 and labrum of about equal length ; 

 labial palpi 5-joiuted, the basal joint 

 elongate, full half the length of the 

 mentum, the 2nd less than half the 

 length of the basal joint, the 3rd 

 half the length of the 2nd ; the apical 

 two minute, articulated on one side 

 of apex of 3rd joint ; maxillary palpi 

 2-jointed. Thorax short ; scutellum 

 flat, produced into a plate posteriorly 

 and emarginate ; legs moderately 

 stout : wings broad and ample ; fore 

 wing with the radial cell narrow, 

 rounded at base and apex ; three 

 cubital cells, the 1st measured on the 

 cubital nervure equal in length to the 

 2nd and 3rd united ; the 2nd strongly 

 constricted towards the radial cell by the very marked curving 

 inwards above of the 2nd transverse cubital nervui-e ; the 3rd 

 subcrescentic ; the 3rd transverse cubital nervure having a curve 



Fisf. 173. — Crocisa. 1, maxilla; 

 2, labium. (Much enlarged.) 



