On the Apidee in the British Museum. 325 



XXVIII. — Notes on the Apidje [Hymenoptera) in the CoUec- 

 tion of the British Museum, with Descriptions of new Species. 

 By Geoffrey Meade- Waldo, M.A. 



(Published by permission of the Trustees of the British Museum.) 



VI. 



Among tlie large collections of Hymenoptera made by 

 Mr. R. E. Turner iti Western Australia during his recent 

 visit, probably no single genus is more richly represented 

 than Megachile. The earlier species (those collected at 

 Yallingup) were principally found burrowing in the sand, in 

 which they made tlieir cells, or entering holes made by 

 beetles in the tree-trunks ; those collected later were irre- 

 sistibly attracted by tiie blossoms of gum- and acacia-trees. 



Altogether twenty-four species were collected between 

 October 1913 and February 1914, of which six are described 

 as new. In working these out I have had the advantage of 

 consulting Professor Cockerell's MS. keys to the Australian 

 Megachile^ and have £t)und them extremely useful ; by their 

 means I have been able to arrive at the affinities between 

 the new species and described species I have not seen. The 

 discovery of a female Thaumatosoma is very satisfactory. 



A complete list of the species of Megachile taken is given. 

 Mr. Turnery's itinerary was as follows : — Yallingup, Oct. 1913- 

 Jan. 23, 1914; Busselton (20 miles E. of Yallingup), Jan. 

 24-27, 1914; Perth (150 miles N.N. E. of Busselton), Feb. 

 1-7, 1914 ; Kalamunda (15 miles E. of Perth), Feb. 9-2.S, 

 1914. 



1. Megachile {JEumegachile) aurifrons, Smith. 

 Perth, Feb. 1914. 2 ? ? . 



2. Megachile (^Eumegac/ii^e) erythropyga, Smith»^ 



Yallingup, Kalamunda, Perth. A long series of both, 

 sexes. 



3. Megachile {Eamegachile^ nasuta, Smith. 

 Yallingup. 14 ? ? . 



4. Megachile eriadiformis. Smith. 



Yallingup. A long s ries of both sexes. 

 Ann. & Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 8. Vol. xv. 22 



