i8o HYMENOPTERA ACULEATA. 



March the 23r(lj as recorded by Mr. AVilloughby Gardner, 

 Eat. Mo. Mag. xxix. p. 114. 



PROSOPIS, Fab. 



The British species of this genua are all small, black and 

 nearly glabrous, with more or less yellow about the legs; 

 the face of the male is yellow, except in cornuta, and that 

 of the female usually with two yellow spots ; tongue short 

 and bifid, maxillary palpi six-jointed, labial palpi four- 

 jointed, the joints cylindrical, paraglossEe obtuse ; anterior 

 wings with two subniarginal cells; seventh and eighth ventral 

 segments of the abdomen in the males much modified, and 

 affording excellent specific characters; legs, with only 

 short hairs, so that there is no appearance of any pollini- 

 gerous apparatus, tibife without a patella : although these 

 little bees are almost glabi'ous, what hairs they have, espe- 

 pecially those round the prothoracic tubercles, are most 

 beautifully pectinated ; they generally form their nests 

 in bramble stems, burrowing down the pith, occasion- 

 ally, however, they utilize dock stems, or a hole in a wall, 

 or in a post ; their cells are lined with a semi-transparent 

 membrane, and Smith says that they are provisioned with 

 semi-liquid honey, but that Mr. Bridgmau has observed 

 that P. hyalinatus forms small pellets of honey and poUeu. 

 There are a great number of described species in this genus, 

 but many are so obscure that it is very doubtful as to what 

 proportion of them is really of value. The male abdominal 

 characters are of primary importance, but being hidden are 

 difficult to observe, and appear to have had little attention 

 paid to them. F. Smith says that the genus occurs in 

 both the Old and New World, and is well represented in 

 Australia ; there have also been several species described 

 from the Sandwich Islands. From Great Britain there 

 are eleven recorded species, which may be distinguished 

 thus : — 



