482 Mr. T. D. A. Cockerell — Descriptions and 



LVII. — Descriptions and Records of Bees. — LXX. 

 By T. D. A. Cockerell, University of Colorado. 



Melissodes robustior, sp. n. 



5 . — Length about 13 ram., anterior wing 10 mm. 

 Robust, black, with the pubescence mainly light ochra- 

 ceous, but a moderate amount of black on vertex ; meso- 

 thorax with a large patch of black hair on disc posteriorly, 

 not approaching sides; anterior part of scutellum with much 

 black hair; tegula? with light hair in front and black about 

 middle; hair on apical part of anterior and middle tibia? 

 externally sooty ; anterior and middle tarsi and inner side of 

 hind tarsi with dark brown hair; scopa of hind legs very 

 large, collecting a great amount of sunflower pollen ; hind 

 margins of abdominal segments dark, only the first narrowly 

 subhyaline ; abdominal bands very pale ochraceous, no well- 

 defined basal band on second segment, -and the middle one 

 more or less interrupted in middle ; fifth and sixth segments 

 with black hair, fifth with long pale hair at sides ; venter 

 with reddish hair. Head broad, facial quadrangle broader 

 than long ; antennas black, the flagellum marked with dull 

 red beneath ; tegula? black or rufo-piceous. Wings dusky, 

 nervures fuscous ; disc of mesothorax shining, with distinct 

 well-separated punctures; spurs very pale yellowish. 

 <£ . — Length about 11 mm., flagellum 7 mm. 

 Pubescence pale ochraceous, with a little black on disc of 

 mesothorax and scutellum ; mandibles black ; labru.n with 

 a round cream-coloured spot ; clypeus bright lemon-yellow ; 

 flagellum blight ferruginous beneath ; third antennal joint 

 longer than broad ; teguhe with ochreous hair. Wings 

 dusky, nervures fuscous, the basal nervure ferruginous. 

 Hind margins of abdominal segments broadly reddish sub- 

 hyaline ; hair on inner side of hind tarsi ferruginous. 



' Hob. Berkeley, California; females at flowers of cultivated 

 Helianthus annuus, the type, Aug. 9, 1915. The male, 

 which possibly represents a distinct species, was collected at 

 Los Angeles, California, at flowers of Helianthus lenticularis, 

 August 1915 (Cockerell). At Orange, California, Aug. 16, 

 1 found numerous Mel ssodes visiting Helianthus lenticularis, 

 but they were all M. aurvjenia, Cresson. 



'X'he female M. robnstior runs in my tables in Trans. Amer. 

 $nt. Soe., 1906, to M. grindelice, but is much larger, and is 

 easily distinguished by the black hair of the thorax being; 

 separated from the tegulie by a broad ochraceous band. Iu 



