MELIPONA. 561 



a'. Basal abdominal segment and abdomen 

 beneath markedly "white or testaceous 



■white M. ventroiis, p. 562. 



b'. Basal abdominal segment not differing 

 markedly in colour from remaining 

 segments. 

 a-. Vertex of head and front highly polished, 



shining M. laricepn, p. 563. 



IP-. Vertex of head and front not polished, 

 opaque, 

 a'*. Legs entirely rufo-testaceous .... M. smithii, p. 563. 

 b^. Legs black, apical 3 or 4 joints of 



tarsi only testaceous M. iridijjennis, p. 563. 



c^. Legs black, anterior and intermediate 

 tarsi and posterior tibiae and tarsi 



only testaceous M. prceterita, p. 56J. 



C. Wings flavo- or pale fusco-hyaline. 



a. Head, thorax, and abdomen entirely of a pale 



honey-yello-w M. lutea, p. 564. 



b. Head, thorax, and abdomen black, a square 



mark on mesonotum rufo-testaceous .... M. thoracica, p. 564. 



984. Melipona vidua, Le2)el. Hym. i, p. 420, ^ ; Dall. Torr. Cat. x, 



p. 686. 



^ . Head and thorax dull and opaque, a deep 

 abbreviated furrow in front of the anterior 

 ocellus ; abdomen smooth, shining. Black ; the 

 face in front with a thin cinereous pile ; antenna) 

 and the anterior tarsi brownish ; wings deep 

 brown for more than half their length from 

 base, milky white beyond. 



Hah. India (Smith) ; Burma ; Tenasserim, and 



the Malayan region to Timor. ^ . Length 6-7 ; 



Yig. 189.— Melt- ex2y. 14-io mm. ^ 



pona vidua, i} . f. This species is fairly common in the plains 



and valleys in Burma and Tenasserim, bat does 



not extend up to the higher hills. 



985. Melipona atripes. 



Trigona atripes. Smith, Jour. Linn. Soc. ii (1858), p. 50, ^ . 

 Melipona atripes, Dall. Toir. Cat x, p. 576. 



^ . Head smooth, impunctate ; mesonotum and scutellum with 

 a few large coarse punctures ; median segment and abdomen 

 smooth and shining, the latter broad at base and somewhat short. 

 Pale reddish yellow ; the face in front and the sides of the thorax 

 with short pale thin pubescence, the scutellum fringed with 

 fuscous hairs ; the basal segments of the abdomen darkening to 

 brown ; the anterior legs pale reddish yellow, the posterior four 

 jet-black, the apical joints of their tarsi ferruginous ; wings 

 reddish brown, milky-white beyond the stigma. 



Hah. Malacca ; Mergui, South Tenasserim. ^ . Length 5 ; 

 exp. 11 mm. 



VOL. I. 2 o 



