27^ Linnaan Society. 



The following description of a new genus of Chalcididce found in 

 the cells of Anthophora was then given : — 



Genus Anthophorabia, Newp. 



Fern. Caput thorace latius ; antennce 6-articulatae, pilosae, articulis 2*** 

 ^tio 4to 5toqye subaequalibus, 6*° clavam elongato-ovalem efformante. 

 Thorax ahdomenque longitudine sequales. Alte vena mediana bifida. 

 Tarsi 5-articulati. Mas : AntenncB 4-articulatae, articulo ba^iali ar- 

 cuato, magnopere dilatato, inferne excavato, 2'^° cylindrico, ii*'° magno 

 globoso, 4*° elongato-ovali. Oculi stemmatosi. AIcb abbreviate. 



Anthophorabia retusa {Fern.). ^Eneo-viridis, capite magno, oculis 

 compositis nigris, abdomine nitido ovali, alis magnis rotundatis, pedibus 

 flavescentibus. (Mas) flavus vel saturate ferrugineus, capite magno ro- 

 tundato ocello utrinque unico tribusque in vertice instructo nigrescente, 

 pedibus robustis. — Long. lin. 1. 



Mr. Newport found this species in abundance in the nests of An- 

 thophora at Richborough in Kent, while searching for the larvae of 

 Meloe in August 1831, 1832 and 1834. The larva is apodal, sub- 

 cylindrical and slightly attenuated at each extremity, and formed of 

 fourteen segments, with a small head and short acute mandibles, and 

 there were usually from thirty to fifty specimens in each bee-cell. In 

 some instances they changed to nymphs and imagos at the end of 

 summer, but in others the change did not take place until the 

 spring, at which time the perfect insect comes forth. 



The author states that he was unable to find any description of 

 this curious parasite in the works of entomologists ; the only writer 

 who makes reference to an insect which, possibly, may have some 

 affinity with this, being Mr. Westwood, who refers to a species, 

 found by M. Audouin in France, under the name of Melittohia Au- 

 douinii, but without describing it ; so that if the two insects should 

 prove to be identical, which Mr. Newport considers doubtful, this 

 name cannot be adopted. Reaumur and Degeer both found parasites 

 in the cells of Mason-bees, but their species have not been clearly 

 made out. 



The author deduced conclusions with regard to the habits of 

 Anthophorabia from peculiarities in the anatomy of the sexes, and 

 expressed an opinion, from the absence of an ovipositor in the female, 

 from both sexes being found in activity in the closed bee- cell, and 

 more especially from the male possessing only stemmata, instead of 

 the usual compound eyes of winged insects, that impregnation is 

 effected before the female first quits the cell, and that she deposits 

 her eggs in new cells while these remain open and are being pro- 

 visioned. The difference of structure and function between compound 

 eyes and ocelli was explained in support of these opinions, and thesexes 

 of Anthophorabia were contrasted with those of Stylops, as described 

 by the author in bis " Memoir on Meloe," read to the Society on the 

 19th of January 1847. These differences of structure in similar or- 

 gans were regarded as always indicatory of peculiarities in economy. 



A second species of Chalcididce had also been found by the author, 

 in the larva state, in the nests oi Anthophora, on the 12th of Sep- 



