﻿430 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  MUSEUM 
  vol.98 
  

  

  observed 
  great 
  differences 
  due 
  to 
  altitude, 
  and 
  the 
  accompanying 
  

   difference 
  in 
  the 
  flora. 
  Thus 
  on 
  February 
  9 
  a 
  group 
  of 
  collectors 
  

   worked 
  at 
  over 
  5,000 
  feet 
  on 
  Mount 
  Uyaca 
  and 
  got 
  about 
  18 
  species 
  

   not 
  observed 
  in 
  the 
  Zamorano 
  Valley. 
  

  

  Cresson's 
  catalog 
  of 
  1879 
  lists 
  152 
  species 
  of 
  Central 
  American 
  bees, 
  

   mostly 
  from 
  Mexico. 
  But 
  Friese 
  (1916-1921) 
  lists 
  243 
  species 
  from 
  

   Costa 
  Rica, 
  and 
  of 
  these 
  only 
  sLx 
  are 
  Cresson 
  species. 
  It 
  is 
  natural 
  

   to 
  suppose 
  that 
  Friese 
  had 
  more 
  of 
  the 
  Cresson 
  bees 
  but 
  failed 
  to 
  

   recognize 
  them, 
  but 
  comparison 
  of 
  the 
  descriptions 
  does 
  not 
  suggest 
  

   that 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  case, 
  at 
  least 
  to 
  any 
  important 
  extent. 
  I 
  am 
  told 
  that 
  

   somewhere 
  about 
  the 
  Nicaragua-Costa 
  Rica 
  border 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  marked 
  

   change 
  in 
  the 
  flora 
  ; 
  but 
  also 
  I 
  think 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  Friese 
  species 
  (he 
  has 
  

   164 
  new) 
  were 
  obtained 
  near 
  sea 
  level. 
  The 
  Honduras 
  collection 
  

   appears 
  to 
  include 
  a 
  considerable 
  proportion 
  of 
  new 
  species, 
  with 
  

   very 
  little 
  in 
  common 
  with 
  the 
  Costa 
  Rican 
  fauna 
  but, 
  as 
  would 
  be 
  

   expected, 
  more 
  resemblances 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  Guatemala. 
  

  

  Prof. 
  T. 
  B. 
  Mitchell 
  kindly 
  reported 
  on 
  my 
  Honduras 
  Megachile, 
  

   and 
  found 
  eight 
  species, 
  of 
  which 
  two, 
  those 
  most 
  numerously 
  repre- 
  

   sented, 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  new. 
  These 
  eight 
  species 
  are 
  placed 
  in 
  seven 
  

   subgenera, 
  only 
  one 
  subgenus 
  (Chelostomoides) 
  containing 
  more 
  than 
  

   one 
  species. 
  

  

  The 
  problem 
  of 
  subspecies 
  or 
  races 
  in 
  the 
  Neotropical 
  region 
  is 
  a 
  

   complex 
  one 
  and 
  can 
  never 
  be 
  dealt 
  with 
  adequately 
  until 
  we 
  have 
  

   long 
  series 
  of 
  specimens 
  from 
  many 
  localities. 
  In 
  the 
  Seitz 
  volume 
  

   on 
  American 
  Rhopalocera 
  there 
  are 
  some 
  very 
  striking 
  statements 
  

   about 
  Erycinidae 
  and 
  Morphidae, 
  indicating 
  that 
  the 
  local 
  races 
  

   are 
  almost 
  infinitely 
  numerous. 
  It 
  is 
  considered 
  impracticable 
  to 
  

   describe 
  and 
  name 
  all 
  these 
  races, 
  but 
  one 
  who 
  knows 
  them 
  well 
  can 
  

   tell 
  where 
  a 
  particular 
  butterfly 
  came 
  from. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  J. 
  Bequaert 
  has 
  very 
  kindly 
  identified 
  the 
  diplopterous 
  wasps 
  

   from 
  Zamorano, 
  and 
  I 
  give 
  a 
  list 
  of 
  species 
  below. 
  After 
  receiving 
  

   the 
  first 
  consignment 
  (of 
  14 
  species) 
  Bequaert 
  remarked, 
  "The 
  wasp 
  

   fauna 
  is 
  almost 
  exactly 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  coastal 
  lowlands 
  of 
  Honduras, 
  

   where 
  I 
  collected 
  (Puerta 
  Castilla)." 
  Thus 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  Diploptera 
  

   appear 
  to 
  be 
  more 
  constant 
  than 
  those 
  of 
  bees, 
  more 
  widely 
  distrib- 
  

   uted, 
  and 
  less 
  affected 
  by 
  altitude. 
  

  

  WASPS 
  OF 
  ZAMORANO 
  

  

  Polistes 
  instabilis 
  de 
  Saussure. 
  

   Polistes 
  carnifex 
  Fabricius. 
  

   Polistes 
  canadensis 
  Linnaeus. 
  

   Polistes 
  fuscatus 
  neotropicus 
  J. 
  Bequaert. 
  

   Polistes 
  major 
  Palisot 
  de 
  Beauvois. 
  

   Polistes 
  oculatus 
  Smith 
  (new 
  variety). 
  

   Polyhia 
  sitmllima 
  Smith. 
  

   Polyhia 
  occidentalis 
  Olivier. 
  

  

  