Records of Dees. 



327 



perhaps related to Synapis (it certainly is not a typical Apis), 

 but it is so imperfectly preserved and described that its 

 affinities are doubtful. 



The Meliponine bees, now so abundant in the tropics of 

 both hemispheres, are only known in the fossil state by a 

 single species, Meliponorytes succini, Tosi, from Sicilian 

 amber (Middle Miocene), In this insect the first submarginal 

 cell is complete and well-defined, but the others are absent. 



The general scheme of relationships will be about thus : 



Modern. 



Bombus, Psithyrus. 



Apis. 



Mdipona. Trigona. 



Miocene. 



Meliponorytes. 



Oliqocene Ckalcobomlms. 

 Protobombus. 



Sophrobombus 



Eocene (no fossils known). 



Although Bombus and Psithyrus are thus derived from 

 ( 'alyptapis in the diagram, this must not be taken too literally, 

 as meaning that they are of American origin. Galyptapis 

 very probably occurred in both hemispheres, as Bombus does 

 to-day, or was represented in Europe and Asia by allied 

 genera, from which Bombus might equally well be derived *. 



* It would even he possible to use Calypt apis as an argument in favour 

 of the Old- World origin of Bombus. It is recognized that nearly all 



23* 



