HYMENOPTERA. 159 



46. Megachile venusta, n. s. B.M. 



Female. Length 3f lines. — Black, the sides of the face have 

 a bright silvery-white pubescence, between the antennae and 

 above it is slightly fuscous ; the cheeks, legs and thorax have a 

 hoary pubescence, on the disk it is short, sparing and ochra- 

 ceous ; the wings hyaline, their nervures black ; all tlie tarsi 

 beneath fulvous, the calcaria pale testaceous, claws feiTuginous. 

 Abdomen gradually tapering to the apex, the basal segment has 

 a little pale pubescence, the margins of the segments have a 

 narrow white fascia ; beneath, the pollen-brusli is white towards 

 the base and fulvous towards the apex. 



Hab. Port Natal ; Cape of Good Hope. 



47. Megachile basalis, n. s. B.M. 



Female. Length 5 lines. — Head and thorax black, the face 

 covered with white pubescence ; mandibles porrect, dark ferru- 

 ginous, deeply sculptured longitudinally, and having three teeth 

 at their apex ; the pubescence on the thorax and legs cinereous ; 

 legs dark ferruginous, the basal joint of the posterior tarsi broadly 

 dilated, all the tarsi fulvous beneath ; wings hyaline, their ner- 

 vures black. Abdomen red at the base, becoming gradually 

 darker to the apex ; the margins of the segments laterally have 

 a pale fascia ; the pollen-brush is of a bright golden yellow in- 

 clining to fidvous at the sides and towards the apex. 



Hab. Port Natal. 



48. Megachile perplexa, h. s. 



Male. Length 4i lines. — Black, the face clothed with pale ful- 

 vous pubescence, as are also the cheeks and body beneath ; on the 

 vertex, and on the disk of the thorax it is black, and brown at the 

 sides of the metathorax ; the wings subhyaline, faintly clouded at 

 their apex ; the tarsi beneath clothed with fulvous pubescence, 

 the apical joints ferruginous, the anterior tarsi simple, the coxae 

 unarmed. Abdomen short and thickly clothed with bright ful- 

 vous pubescence; the sixth segment sUghtly produced in the 

 middle and notched at the apex ; beneath, the margins of the 

 segments testaceous. 



Obs. This is another of the species which closely resemble 

 the mystacea of Fabr., but the colour of the wings and pubes- 

 cence of the face at once distinguish it. 

 Hab. Port Natal. (Coll. W. W. Saunders, Esq.) 



49. Megachile combusta, n. s. B.M. 

 Female. Length 10 lines, — Black, the head and thorax strongly 



