350 HYMENOPTERA ACULEATA. 



9 differs from retusa ia having the pubescence shorter, 

 the face less transverse, the mandibles with the apical 

 tooth long and sharp, the calcaria of the posterior tibi» 

 black, and the puucturation of the abdomen less dense 

 and fine. 



L. 15-16 mm. 



Common and generally distributed, one of the earliest 

 spring bees, burrows in the ground like the preceding, 

 A little Chalci.il, Melittohia, West^^Anthophorahia, Newport, 

 frequents the burrows of this species. An interesting ac- 

 count of it is given by Mr. Newport, who considered it as 

 a parasite of the bee, in " Linnean Transactions," vol. xxi. 

 p. 63 ; F. Smith found this little parasite in the cells of the 

 Anthophora, but with it another parasite, MonodontoTnerus 

 nitidus, and the conclusion he came to was that the Mono- 

 dontomerus was the true parasite of Anthophora and Mellt- 

 tohia of Monodontomerus, but he says that Melittohia 

 attacked indiscriminately the larvse of both, although " in 

 their natural situation I only found them feeding on 

 Monodontomerus." 



A. furcata, Fanz. — Black, head and thorax closely 

 punctured, clothed with brownish hairs, those of the vertex 

 of the former, and of the discal band on the latter black ; 

 <J with the clypeus except its apical margin, labrum, an- 

 terior lateral angles of the face, a transverse spot above the 

 clypeus, and a line on the scape of the antennae, flavous ; 

 wings slightly smoky ; abdomen somewhat shining, finely 

 punctured, the first three segments clothed with very pale 

 brownish hairs, those of the second and third, especially in 

 the c?, intermixed with darker ones, remaining segments 

 in the S clothed with black hairs, fourth in the ? clothed 

 with black hairs, fifth and sixth with bright golden red 

 hairs, the latter with a narrow glabrous dorsal area, ^ 

 with the seventh segment bidentate, fourth and fifth 

 ventral segments of the 3 clothed with fine velvety golden 

 pubescence, sixth deeply emarginate, seventh with the 



