Itecords of Bees. 1>>7 



f^nipbic at'couut of liis troubles with Indian Ihdicti, and 

 after working over a scries collected by Mr. Comber I can 

 fully appreciate the diiHculty of the subject. Not only are 

 tbe species very numerous and often closely allied, but tlie 

 existing descri|>tions are often bard to inter|)ret. 1 can only 

 hope that none of tbe names now proposed as uew are 

 synoiiyms, but in spite of much labour iu comparing 

 descriptions and tabulating characters, 1 fear there remain 

 some probabilities of error. Fortunately the types are all 

 iu tlie Britisli Museum, where they can always be examined 

 by stuileuts. The following table separates the species 

 described : — 



Mesothorax sinning, with sparse punctures on 



disc ] . 



Mesothorax dull, minutely rugose or punctured 3. 



1 . Labruui ferrufrinous ; flagellum ferruginous 



b.-neath (male) speculithorax, Cldl. 



Labruni black 2. 



2. Set'ond abdominal segnaent without a band of 



dense touientum; very small species, with 



ferruginous tarsi (male) debilinervis, Ckll. 



Second abdomiual segment with a dense band 

 of tomentum at base salsettensis, Ckll. 



3. Ocelli small and close together, far from eyes. 



(Ceylon.) kalutara:, Ckll. 



Ocelli normal 4. 



4. Area of metathorax dull, with widely separated 



prominent ridges. (Ceylon.) . . ." sigirielhts, Ckll. 



Area of metathorax shining, with closer or 

 less regular sculpture 5. 



5. Area of metathorax with only the basal half or 



a little more sculptured. (Ceylon.") semisculptus, Ckll. 



Area of metathorax sculptured all over .... G. 



6. Smaller ; mesothorax densely punctured all 



over nnsicensif, Ckll. 



Larger ; mesothorax less densely punctured on 

 disc : pcrhumilis, Ckll. 



Halictus speculithorax , sp. n. 



S . — Length about or nearly 7 mm. 



Black, with the small joints of the tarsi pale ferruginous ; 

 pubescence throughout white ; head broader than long, 

 clypeus hardly produced ; labrum and narrow apical margin 

 of clypeus pale ferruginous; mandibles ferruginous, except 

 at base; front dull, vertex shining; iace. and cheeks with 

 much white hair ; antennse long ; scape black, Hagelluni 

 strongly infuscated above, beneath pale ferruginous, with the 

 last two joints rather dusky ; mesothorax shining, the disc 

 smooth, with very sparse and stnall punetur;'s, all the margins 

 rather nairowly but densely bordered with pure white hair j 



