KEYS FOE THE SEPAEATIOX OF THE BREMIDAE, 

 OK BUMBLEBEES, OF ILLINOIS, AXD OTHER 



XOTES. 



Theodore H. Frisox, University of Illinois. 



The following five keys will serye for the separation of 

 the males, queens, and workers of sixteen species of 

 Brcmus, and of the males and queens of four species of 

 Psithi/rus. These keys are not intended to represent the 

 writer's views of our Bremidac phylogenetically, but are 

 simply for the purpose of an easy identification of the Illi- 

 nois species. Characters evident to the naked eye are used 

 in the keys wherever possible, in preference to those of 

 more obscure nature. 



It has been found necessary to replace the name of 

 Bomhidac by that of Bremidac for the following reasons. 

 The genus Bomhiis was first proposed for the bumblebees 

 by Latreille in 1802. In 1805 Bremiis was used by Panzer 

 for this same group. Quite naturally, then, the term 

 Bomhus was at first accepted as having priority over 

 Bremus. Panzer, however, writing in 1805. referred to an 

 article by himself that was published earlier than 1805. A 

 recent investigation has disclosed, in the libraiy of the 

 University of Erlangen. an article now known as the 

 "Eriangen List." This list was published, unsigned by 

 Panzer, its author, in May, 1801, and contained a synoptic 

 list of the Panzer-Jurine Genera compared with the genera 

 adopted by Latreille. In this list we find Bremus first 

 used as the name for the bumblebee division of the Apidae. 

 The discovery of this article naturally gives Bremus 

 (1801) priority over Bombus (1802), and also explains 

 the use of Bremus by Panzer in 1805. Bremus, however, 

 must not be accredited to Panzer but to Jurine. It was 

 Jurine, then living in Bern, Switzerland, who had first 

 worked out the so-called ''aary system" and had sent speci- 

 mens and particulars of their ''habitates" to Panzer in 

 1779. Panzer writing in 1801 merely published in an 



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