16 ANDRENIDJE. 



between those described and totally black individuals occurring, 

 black males being most common. 



Added to the British list on the authority of a single specimen in 

 the British collection of Apida? in the British lEuseuni ; it has a 

 label with the locality Bantham, a village about four miles from 

 Kingsbridge, S. Devon. Several of the once doubtful Devonshire 

 captures by Dr. Leach have been rediscovered, although this has 

 not been met with more recently ; I therefore include it amoug the 

 British Bees. 



Subfam. II. ACUTILINGUES, Westw. 



Genus 3. SPHECODES, Latr. 



Sphex (pt.), Linn. Si/st. Nat. i. 041 (1766). 

 Apis (pt.). Christ. Hym. p. 153 (1791). 

 Nomada (pt.). Fabr. Ent. Si/st. ii. 345 (1793). 

 Melitta (pt.), Kirby, Mon. Ap. Angl. i. 137**a (1802). 

 Spheeodes, Latr. Hist. Nat. xiii. 368 (1805). 

 Dichroa, Germ. Faun. Ins. Europ. fasc. 5 (1817). 



0M 



Head as wide as the thorax, body nearly naked ; the tongue acute, 

 short, not folded ; the labial palpi 4-jointed, the first, joint nearlv 

 as long as the two following, the apical joint shortest ; the paragloss t 

 minute ; the maxillary palpi 6-jointed, the basal joint short, the 

 second twice its length, the four apical joints of about equal length, 

 about one third shorter than the second joint ; the superior wings 

 having one marginal and three submarginal cells- — the first sub- 

 marginal about as long as the two following, the second slightlv 

 narrowed towards the marginal, subquadrate, its inferior margin 

 angulated and receiving the first recurrent nervure a little beyond 

 the middle. The ocelli placed in a triangle on the vertex ; the an- 

 tenna; of the males submoniliform. The posterior legs and abdomen 

 of the female destitute of poliinigerous apparatus. 



The bees which are included in this genus have hitherto been re- 

 garded as parasites on those comprised in the genus Halictus ; and, 

 indeed, many circumstances tend to support such a supposition ; they 

 are usually found burrowing not only in similar situations, but 

 forming mixed colonies. The females of both genera appear some 

 time before the males, and. in fact, their economy is alike. St.-Far- 

 geau places them amongst his division of parasites, immediately fol- 

 lowing his exotic genus Raihymus, with which they have not the 

 slightest affinity, their only resemblance being in the distribution 

 of the colours, black and red. The result of my observations leads 

 to the conclusion that no species of the Andrenida? is parasitic. The 

 only apparent support of the theory of parasitism is the absence of 

 the usual poliinigerous organs ; such, however, is also the case in 

 Prosopis, Ceratina, &c. In the year 1849 I discovered a mixed 

 colon}' of the Halictus abdominalis, Andreua nigro-a^ea, Halictus 



