THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



No. 49.] JANUARY, MDCCCLXVIII. [Price 6d. 



A Revision qfihe British Species of Bees. 



By FREDEracK Smith, Esq. 



(Continued from vol. iii. page 338). 



Fam. CucuLiN.E, Latr. 

 Genus Ccelioxys, Latr. 



Of the genus Ccelioxys six species have been discovered 

 in this country ; they possess in common a striking resem- 

 blance to each other, and no very satisfactory characters 

 have hitherto been pointed out whereby they may be sepa- 

 rated with facility. This observation most rigidly applies to 

 the males, Dr. Nylander having pointed out the constant 

 deferential form of the a[)ical ventral segment in the females : 

 a careful examination of a vast number of specimens enables 

 me to testify to the value of this character. 



In the most common species, Ccelioxys simplex, the form 

 of the ventral plate will be found to vary in some degree, but 

 not more so than noay be reasonably expected in a species 

 that differs much more than any of the others in the size of 

 different specimens. Great difficulty has hitherto been 

 attendant upon an endeavour to separate the males of the 

 different species : this difficulty I hope to be able to 

 remove. 



Our native species bear a very close resemblance to each 

 other; all are black, and have the abdominal segments 

 banded with white pubescent fasciae ; all have tlie abdouien 

 of a conical form, and all of them are remarkable in having 

 the eyes covered with short erect pubescence. This pecu- 

 liarity is not cbaiacterisiic of the entire genus, since many of 

 the foreign species have the eyes naked, and these also 

 exhibit considerable variety in colouring, some having the 

 abdomen entirely red, whilst in others it is more or less so. 



The type of the genus is the A|)is quadridentata of Lin- 

 neus, its female being the A. conica of the same author ; the 



VOL. IV. B 



