178 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Bembicini have only three-jointed maxillary palpi. I think it 

 is certain that Apis has no particular relationship with the 

 ordinary long-tongued bees, such as Anthophora, &c. ; so far 

 as blood-relationship goes, it must be nearer to some of the 

 primitive bees. 



P.S. — When I say that certain characters of Apis are primi- 

 tive, I mean that they are wasp-characters not ordinarily found 

 among bees. Regarding the matter from a broader standpoint, 

 the characters are not primitive ; and no doubt a square wing- 

 cell is more primitive than a long or triangular one. The point 

 is that the bees are derived from the wasps, and it is not probable 

 that such wasp -characters as Ajns shows would reappear after 

 being absent in a long series of bee ancestors. 



East Las Vegas, New Mexico, U.S.A. : May 14, 1903. 



DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES OF AMMOPLANUS 

 (HYMENOPTERA) FROM SOUTH AFRICA. 



By p. Cameron. 



Ammoplanus mandibularis, sp. nov. 



Black, the mandibles and fore knees pale testaceous, the flagellum 

 of the antennae brownish beneath ; the wings hyaline, the large stigma 

 black, pale at the base. ? . Length 2 mm. 



Hab. Pearston, South Africa; Dr. Robert Broom, C.M.Z.S. 



Smooth, shining, the median segment aciculated ; the base of the 

 antennae brownish ; the scape not quite reaching to the middle of the 

 head and not to the top of the eyes ; the pedicle twice longer than 

 broad, the following joint is about equal in length to it. Propleurae 

 with a wide furrow in the centre, which becomes narrowed towards 

 the apex ; the metapleurae obscurely striated ; the strife are roundly 

 curved ; there is a round shallow fovea on the mesopleurfe. Meta- 

 notum opaque, strongly aciculated, obscurely furrowed in the middle. 

 The lower abscissa of the radius is straight and oblique, not roundly 

 curved, as in A. perrisii. The metatarsus pale. The eyes on the 

 inner side below distinctly curve inwardly. 



The genus Ammoplanus is of small extent, and hitherto has 

 only been recorded from the Paleearctic and Nearctic Zoological 

 Regions. 



