242 HYMEXOPTERA ACULEATA. 



abdomen and underside densely clotlied with l3lack hair?. 

 J' with a few black hairs along the margin of the eyes, 

 mandibles i-ather long, simple at the base, antennae with 

 the third joint almost as long as the fourth and fifth to- 

 gether, in the ? much longer; wings subhyaline in both 

 sexes, slightly clouded at the apex, abdomen in the ^ suboval, 

 somewhat shining, finely but indefinitely punctured, clothed 

 with rather paler brown hairs than the thorax, the posterior 

 margins of the segments piceous ; in the ? very densely 

 cliithed with black hairs, sometimes with broad apical 

 bands of pale hairs, rarely entirely clothed with brown 

 hairs ; apex of the posterior tibiae and the posterior 

 metatarsi in the J", the whole of the posterior tibite and 

 metatarsi and the intermediate metatarsi in the ? clear 

 testaceous. 



L. 11-13 mm. 



One of the very early spring bees. Mr. Frisby records 

 its occurrence at Maidstone as early as 19th February, in 

 the past extraordinarily early season (1893). It is very 

 widely distributed, frequenting Sallow blossoms all over 

 our islands, but not as a rule very abundant. The widely 

 pale-banded varieties of the ? are rare. The pale apex 

 of the posterior tibiae will distinguish the $ from any of 

 its allies. Varians, kelvola, &e., which also possess this 

 character, have the abdomen polished. Rarely stylopized. 



A. nigroaenea Kirh. [stylojnsed ^ = apriUna, Smith). 

 — Black, face densely clothed with black and brown hairs 

 intermixed, or brown in the centre, surrounded with black, 

 longitudinally rugose near the vertex between the eyes, 

 cheeks and mandibles simple in both sexes, autenuEe in the 

 ($ with the third joint short, hardly longer than the fourth, 

 in the ? nearly as long as tlie three following together ; 

 thorax densely clothed with bright fulvous brown hairs, 

 the colour brighter in the ? , wings subhyaline, mesonotum 

 rugosely but not deeply punctured, propodeum finely rugose ; 

 abdomen shining, clothed on the first four segments with 



