COCKERELL— HYMENOPTERA, APOIDEA 35 



as ill vai'ious other species ; apical half of tubercles white, covered with white hair ; legs 

 black, the knees with a small white spot, and the anterior tibiae with a white band on 

 basal half; tegulse piceous, reddish on margin; wings moderately dusky, stigma and 

 nervures dark ; abdomen broad, shining and strongly punctured, with thin white hair. 

 Spurs pale yellowish ; hind tibise with a prominent tooth on outer side, beyond the 

 middle. 



$. var. a. Size and other characters the same, but smooth clypeal area smaller, 

 decidedly less than a half-circle. 



%. var. duponti, nov. Smaller, length about 5 mm. ; smooth clypeal area much 

 smaller, bow-shaped. 



$. Size and superficial appearance of $ var. duponti ; clypeus with a large hat- 

 shaped cream-coloured area ; structure ordinary, without any smooth space ; labrum with 

 a large U in pale yellow ; end of abdomen obtuse, obtusely emarginate in lateral view, the 

 morphological apex with two short teeth ; tooth of hind tibia small. 



Locality. Aldabra ; one var. duponti (in British Museum) collected by R. P. Dupont ; 

 all the others (one typical ?, three var. a. $s; one duponti ?, three ^s) by J. C. F. Fryer. 

 One male is marked "swept from flowers." A male and a female var. a. are labelled 312, 

 which shows that they were obtained on Esprit Island, December 27, 1908. Two females 

 var. a. are labelled 306, which refers to " Takamaka and lie Michel, November 1908." 

 The variety duponti may prove to inhabit some particular island ; it looks distinct, but 

 seems to have no characters beyond those cited. 



This little species has a certain resemblance to the group of black forms common in 

 Africa, but is very distinct by the peculiar facial structure of the female, and the toothed 

 hind tibiae. It is to be noted that a little black Ceratina [C madecassa Frlese) occurs in 

 Nossi-Be, but it is a normal member of the genus. 



6. Ceratina nodosiventris, sp. nov. 



$. Length about 5 mm. ; head and thorax dark green, the front, especially at sides, 

 with strong brassy tints, the mesothorax shining brassy-green ; clypeus nearly all ivory- 

 white, the white taking the form of an old-fashioned tall hat with a high crown ; labrum 

 with a very small white spot ; mandibles black ; antennae black, the flagellum dark red 



Fig. 3. Ceratina nodosiventris, male : (a) liind femur, (4) end of iibdomen. 



beneath ; eyes large, converging below ; sides of face dullish, densely nigosopunctate ; 

 supraclypeal area shining ; front rugosopunctate ; mesothorax closely punctured all over, 

 except along the usual lines ; scutellum closely and minutely punctured ; tubercles largely 

 yellowish-white ; tegulaj testaceous, with a cream-coloured spot ; wings dusky ; legs black, 

 the tarsi becoming dark brownish ; anterior and hind tibiae with a large cream-coloured 



5—2 



