108 



A N D 1 11 A A N D R E N I D JE. 



ANDIRA (Lambert). A genus of two species of 

 hot-house trees, natives of the West Indies, belonging 

 to the Limueaii class and order Polydelphia Dccan- 

 dria. Natural order Leguminosce. Generic character: 

 calyx like a bladder, five toothed, teeth rather un- 

 equal ; vexillim roundish, margined, spreading ; legu- 

 men on a footstalk, round, hard, containing one 

 seed. 



ANDRENID.E (Leach). A numerous family of 

 insects of the order Hymcnoptcra, and the genus 

 Apis of Limueus. The insects belonging to this 

 family have the lip with the apex subcordate, with 

 one auricle ; generally nearly straight, but in some 

 of the species slightly curved ; in others reflexed, 

 the tongue being shorter than the sheathing tube ; 

 the tarsi have the first joint compressed, and are of 

 an elongated square shape. They all live in socie- 

 ties much in the same manner as the bees : but they 

 only consist of two individuals, the male and female ; 

 like the bees also they collect the pollen from the va- 

 rious flowers on which they feed. This family is di- 

 vided by Dr. Leach into three divisions, from the 

 form of the lip. The first has the lip with the 

 apex dilated, nearly heart-shaped ; to this division 

 belongs only the genus Colletes, Latreille ; the su- 

 perior wings with three submarginal cells ; antennas 

 with the third joint longer than the second ; ab- 

 domen much elongated, more or less downy ; ocelli 

 forming a curved line ; tongue obtuse, the apex di- 

 vided into two lobes. Of this genus we have 

 three species in this country, the Apis succincta of 

 Linnaeus being the most remarkable ; the second 

 species, C.fodicns, has been ably illustrated by Mr. 

 Curtis, who obsjrves that we are indebted to Reaumur 

 for a knowled^ e of the economy of these bees, and it 

 is a little singular that no one appears since his time 

 to have discovered any of their nests, which are 

 stated to have been formed amongst some earth 

 filling up the spaces in a stone wall. These nests are 

 cylindrical, and composed of many cells of different 

 lengths, placed in a horizontal line, each cell being 

 formed like a thimble and fitted to the next ; some- 

 times, however, when a stone obstructs their course, 

 the line becomes irregular. The cells have alternate 

 transverse bands of two or more colours ; the shorter 

 ones at their junction are white, the longer ones 

 enveloping the body are reddish brown. These cells 

 are constructed of many layers, lying one over the 

 other ; and although their contexture is close, they 

 are very transparent in consequence of their extreme 

 thinness sufficiently so to discover the colour of 

 the substances contained in them, which causes the 

 variegated line above described. 



The second division has the lip with the in- 

 termediate process oblong and acutely pointed ; 

 when at rest a little deflexed. This division contains 

 three genera, the superior wings having two sub- 

 marginal cells ; genus Dasypoda, Latreille ; maxillae 

 inHexed at their middle, or below ; their terminal pro- 

 cess triangular, lanceolate, and longer than the palpi ; 

 hinder feet with the first joint of their tarsi as long or 

 longer than the tibiye. 



Only one species is described of this genus, the 

 D. Swammcrdunielld, a very elegant insect, which 

 has been long known, as it was in the collection of the 

 celebrated Swammerdam, one of the fathers of ento- 

 mology, and has been tolerably figured by him. 

 Panzer has an admirable figure of it, under the name 

 of Andrena plnnupes ; but his description of it does 



not agree with our specimens, which renders his 

 synonym rather doubtful. 



" No person at first sight would take the male and 

 female of D. Swammerdamelfa for the same species, 

 so widely do they differ in most particulars ; nor 

 should 1 have suspected that there was any con- 

 nexion between them, had I not discovered their 

 retreats. In the month of August, 1797, I saw a 

 female take her flight from a grassy declivity of a 

 southern aspect, which was much entangled with 

 roots and shrubs. Upon examining this spot more 

 narrowly, I discovered a number of small burrows, 

 each of which had a little heap of sand, which had 

 been excavated from it, lying before it. In some of 

 these burrows I saw this insect sitting with her head 

 at the mouth enjoying the sunshine ; at the same time 

 I observed many other insects flying about the spot. 

 Upon my attempting to take them they disappeared, 

 but they soon returned to their amusement. With 

 some difficulty I at length succeeded in taking one, 

 and it proved to be the female just described. I have 

 since frequently visited the same spot, and at the 

 proper season have always found these insects there, 

 both males and females, employed in the manner I 

 have mentioned." 



In the genus Andrena of 

 Fabrieius, the maxillae are 

 bent at their extremity; they 

 are longer than broad ; the 

 hinder feet with the first joint 

 of their tarsi shorter than the 

 tibia? ; labrum or lip little elon- 

 A. negro-area. gated, shorter than its palpi. The 

 species A. negro-anea, represented above, inhabits the 

 blossoms of mallows, where it may be found in the 

 spring. It has the body black and densely covered with 

 tawny-coloured hairs ; the head has the front covered, 

 wilh tawny hair ; on the summit may be seen the 

 ocelli placed in a triangle ; the antemufi are black ; 

 thorax black and covered with reddish hair ; wings 

 transparent and slightly irridescent towards their 

 extremities ; the legs black and covered with brown 

 hair ; the thighs and shanks of the hinder legs be- 

 neath covered wilh long white hair. This bee is not 

 uncommon in April and May. We have figured it 

 in order to remind the entomologist of the very curious 

 parasite that is occasionally found on it, namely, 

 the stylops. Many species of these insects have 

 been added since their discovery, Mr. Curtis having 

 enumerated six species ; the same entomologist has 

 also added a new genus. 



The species of the andrena are extremely nu- 

 merous, and a very large portion of them inhabit 

 Britain. Their proboscis is downy and thick. The 

 hinder legs of the male are furnished with a flocculus 

 -at their base, the tibise with a thick scopa or brush, 

 and their anus is covered by a fringe of hairs. They 

 nidificate under ground in a light soil, some choosing 

 banks over which bushes are scattered, others l:are 

 perpendicular sections, but all seem to prefer a 

 southern aspect. They excavate burrows of a cylin- 

 drical form, from five inches to near a foot or more in 

 depth, of such diameter only as to admit the insect. 

 In making these holes they remove the earth grain 

 by grain, which they throw up outside their holes in 

 the form of a hillock. Some species penetrate in a 

 horizontal, and others in a perpendicular direction. 

 They construct a cell at the bottom of this hole, 

 which they replenish with pollen made into a paste 



