Genus Colletes /rom Neio Mexico. 45 



space on mesothoras and the anterior part of scutellum, both 

 of which exhibit rather sparse very large punctures, and the 

 pitted base of the raetathorax. The posterior truncation is 

 quite hairy ail over. The hairs on the mesothorax, scutellum, 

 and postscutellum are very short, thick, and raoss-like ; many 

 are tipped with brown, but this looks like some accidental 

 staining in the cyanide bottle. None are black. These 

 peculiar hairs are very pubescent and result from a shortening 

 of the axis of the hair without a reduction in the number of 

 the lateral cilia, so that the latter become crowded. Tegul^e 

 dark testaceous, pubescent in front. Wings perfectly hyaline ; 

 nervures and stigma dark rufous, subcostal nervure black. 

 Third submarginal cell more oblique than usual. Legs 

 tolerably densely pubescent ; the hind femora carry a quantity 

 of pollen. Abdomen rather elongate, with short pubescence, 

 reminding one of Epeolus. Segments 1 to 4 have broad 

 greyish-white apical bands, 2 and 3 have also broad basal 

 bands, greyer in colour. The first segment is so pubescent 

 that the ground-colour appears as a dark band just before 

 the marginal band. The surface of the abdomen, where 

 exposed, is dullish, closely and minutely punctured. The 

 hair-bands are not continued on to the ventral surface. 



Hah. Santa Fe, N. M., July 27, 1895, on flowers of Peta- 

 lostemon candidus ; one specimen, no others seen [Ckll. 3820). 



Very easily known by the remarkable character of the 

 thoracic pubescence. The P. candidus was at the same time 

 and place visited by Sphex and Bombus, the latter in fair 

 numbers, gathering the orange pollen. 



(b) Pubescence of thorax normal. 



(i.) Dorsum of thorax with some black hairs ; punctuation of first 

 abdominal segment excessively sparse. 



CoUetes texana, Cresson, 1872. 



Las Cruces, N. M. ; one female on Salix, May 2. 



Cresson's description, from a single example found in 

 Comal Co., Texas, is rather inadequate, but it tallies precisely 

 with our insect, except that I should not call the wings 

 " short." Length about 10 millim. Tliere is a band at the 

 base of the second abdominal segment, not mentioned by 

 Cresson. Nervures and stigma piceous. Antennae wholly 

 black. 



Distinguished from compacta 2 by the entire band at apex 

 of first abdominal segment, &c. 



