INSECTS 



never common, is widely distributed. C. palmipes is common locally, especially on the north coast. 

 Baily obtained several specimens of C. anxius from Godolphin. C. dlmldlatm is not uncommon in 

 the east of the county, but does not appear to have been found west of Liskeard. C. interruptus has 

 occurred at St. Germans and in the Looe valley. 



The Diploptera or true wasps are divided into two sections, the social and the solitary. Of the 

 former Cornwall possesses six out of the seven British species, and of the latter eleven representatives 

 occur in the county. An example of the social genus Polistes was captured at Penzance in 1866, 

 and recorded by F. Smith in the Ent. Ann. for 1868 (p. 87). As suggested by him, it was 

 probably imported. No further appearances have been recorded for the British Isles. 



Among the social wasps Fespa crabro y the hornet, is now chiefly confined to the larger woods 

 in the east, but sixty years ago seems to have been common about Falmouth and Penzance. V. noruegica 

 is common locally along the southern half of the county from the Tamar to Ponsanooth. 



The rarer county species of the solitary wasps include Odynerus f ictus, which is common at 

 Penzance, has been taken by Nevinson at Newquay, and in 1902 was plentiful about Falmouth, 

 and occasionally seen at Truro ; O. trimarginatus found on the Isles of Scilly, about the Land's End 

 peninsula, at Newquay, and sparingly at Falmouth ; 0. trifasciatus in the neighbourhood of Penzance. 

 Baily obtained a female O. parietinus from Ludgvan, in which the tibiae were of a dusky brown 

 throughout except at the base, where they were tawny. O. antilope has been taken at Botus- 

 Fleming, at Whitsand Bay east by Bignell, and several times about Falmouth. Marquand described 

 it as quite abundant in the neighbourhood of Penzance, burrowing in clay walls with a south-east 

 aspect, and in 1902 it was still common. O. gracilis is occasionally taken in the Penzance district, 

 and has twice been captured near Helston. A solitary female of 0. sinuatus was obtained near 

 Calstock in June, 1903. 



Of the Anthophilae or Bees 134 species and six varieties have been obtained in the county up to 

 the present. All the larger genera are well represented with the exception of Specodes, a group of 

 little black and red bees of uncertain position but of peculiar interest, as they are either beginning 

 the parasitic habit or giving it up. Of the sixteen British species of this genus only four have been 

 captured in the county. 



Colletes fodiens was taken by Ralfs at St. Loy Cove, Burian. There is a large colony in the 

 valley of the Gannel, near Newquay. Another near Ruan Lanihorne was unfortunately destroyed 

 in 1901. Several of the straight cylindrical burrows lined with hardened slime like goldbeater's skin 

 were in this last case obtained quite entire. The three that were opened contained five, seven, and 

 nine cells respectively. From the three that were kept throughout the winter eighteen bees emerged 

 in the month of June. Colletes picutigma was recorded by S. S. Saunders from Falmouth, and has 

 been obtained lately by Rothney at Tintagel, by Nevinson at Newquay, and by Davies at St. Issey. 

 A very large colony of a Colletes which may have been this species was destroyed a few years ago when 

 the foundations of some new houses were being prepared at Perranporth. C. marginata is scarce, but 

 has been reported occasionally from the south coast. A small colony existed for some years near 

 Gerrans, but apparently died out in 1903, as, in spite of careful searching, not a single specimen 

 has been captured there or a burrow found for the last two seasons. This species has been taken 

 lately by Nevinson at Newquay. Prosopis confusa is sparingly distributed over the south and west of 

 the county. In August, 1900, eight were taken at bramble flowers one sunny afternoon on the road 

 between Hayle and St. Erth. Halictus xanthopus was taken many years ago at the Lizard by 

 C. W. Dale. In 1896 two females and a male were obtained by Baily from Godolphin, and a 

 female by Thomas, in 1900, from Manaccan, so that though scarce, it seems to be distributed over 

 the Lizard peninsula. It has also been taken around Falmouth and at Heligan near Mevagissey. 

 H. zonulus is described by Saunders as occurring as far west as Ilfracombe, but it has been obtained 

 occasionally both at Bude and Newquay, and was reported from Falmouth in 1904, but without a 

 voucher specimen. H. laevigatus was among Dale's captures at the Land's End, and was taken in 

 1902 at Enys, near Penryn. In the museum of the Royal Institution are two dilapidated females 

 labelled 'Tresco, Isles of Scilly.' The attractive ashy-grey H. sexnotatus occurs round Penzance in 

 most years, and has been taken near Bishop's Wood, Truro, and reported from Looe. H. malachurus 

 is mentioned in several local lists, but all the specimens so far submitted are small females of H. cylin- 

 dricus, which is locally an abundant species. H. pauxillus has never been recorded from the county, but 

 a single female occurs among several H. nitidiusculus marked ' local ' in the museum at Launceston. 

 H. punctatissimus has been obtained occasionally on Trevaylor Heath, near Penzance, where it was 

 first found by Marquand. H. minutus was fairly common near Calstock in 1901 and 1902, but, 

 like several other rare Hymenoptera, disappeared in 1903, and has not been captured since. 



The genus Andrena is represented in the county by thirty-three species and at least two 

 varieties. A. pilipes was taken by Dale at the Lizard and by Marquand at water-mint, near Pengersic 

 Castle, Penzance. From 1899 to 1904 it was common near Falmouth, but last year could not be 

 found. It occurs on the north coast between Tintagel and Boscastle, and there is a large colony on 

 the top of Forth Island, Newquay. A. bimaculata was obtained at willow-catkins, near Godolphin, 



