228 



ENTOMOLOGY 



branched hairs occur also on the flower-frequenting Bombyliidae and 

 Syrphidse. 



The most extensive modifications in relation to flowers are found in 

 Pronuba, as already described, and above all in Apidae, especially the 

 honey bee. 



Honey Bee. The thorax and abdomen and the bases of the legs 

 are clothed with flexible branching hairs (Fig. 266), which entangle 



CO 



FIG. 267. Adaptive modifications of the legs of the worker honey bee. A, outer 

 aspect of left hind leg; B, portion of left middle leg; C, inner aspect of tibio-tarsal region of 

 left hind leg; D, tibio-tarsal region of left fore leg; a, antenna comb; au, auricle; &, brush; 

 c, coxa; co, corbiculum;/, femur; p, pecten; pc, pollen combs; s, spur; sp, spines; ss, spines; /, 

 trochanter; ti, tibia; v, velum; iv, so-called wax pincers; 1-5, tarsal segments; i, metatarsus, 

 or planta. 



pollen grains. These are combed out of the gathering hairs by means 

 of special pollen combs (Fig. 267, C, pc) on the inner surface of the 

 planta of the hind tarsus, the middle legs also assisting in this operation. 

 From these combs, the pollen is transferred to the pollen baskets, or 

 corbicula (Fig. 267, A, co), of the outer surface of each hind tibia, the 

 pollen from one side being transferred to the corbiculum of the opposite 

 side. This is accomplished in the following manner: the left pecten 

 combs out the pollen from the right planta and a mass of pollen forms 

 just above the left pecten at the lower end of the corbiculum; this mass 

 gradually grows larger and is pushed up along the corbiculum by the 



