314 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Basal nervure to base of marginal cell about equal to half length 

 of cell. At first sight one seems to see indications of a third sub- 

 marginal cell, as figured by Heer, but this is illusor}', and is 

 negatived also by the fact that the broad second submarginal 

 receives both the recurrent nervures, the first very near the base, 

 the second some distance from the apex ; this dift'ers a little from 

 modern Litkurgus, in which the second recurrent is received 

 nearer the apex. The shape of the second submarginal cell also 

 differs from that in living Litkurgus, in that it is less constricted 

 above, the second transverso-cubital nervure going more directly 

 to the marginal. Basal nervure meeting the transverso-medial 

 a little on the apicad side; it falls distinctly short of it in 

 modern Litliurgus. 



All things considered, therefore, the G^ningen bee must be 

 placed in Litliurgus, with the remark that it is somewhat Jess 

 modified or specialized in venation than the living species. It 

 might possibly be justifiable to distinguish it sub-generically. 

 In Prussian amber, of Oligocene age, there are two extinct 

 genera of bees possessing only two submarginal cells, and pro- 

 bably referable to a group from which the Megachiloids (includ- 

 ing Litliurgus) sprung. Glgptapis mirahilis, Ckll., has a venation 

 not very unlike that of Litliurgus adamiticus, but the stigma is 

 relatively long and narrow. This is, however, a little black bee, 

 slightly over 5 mm. long, with hairy eyes, mandibles with a broad 

 cutting edge notched near the apex, metathorax divided by ridges 

 into large subquadrangular areas. The hairy eyes of Glyvtapis 

 are especially interesting, because this character exists to-day in 

 the parasitic Megachiloid genus Coslioxys. (In the African * 

 C. decipiens, Spin., the eyes are naked however.) In the other 

 amber genus referred to the eyes are bare. Ctenoplcctrella 

 viridiceps, Ckll., is a small stout bee like Glyptapis, hardly 

 5 mm. long, claws strongly cleft, pulvillus large, malar space 

 very short, wings dark rufo-fuliginous, stigma large, second sub- 

 marginal cell receiving first recurrent nervure some distance 

 from base, and second not far from apex. These amber bees, 

 and many others which I have described, are in the museum at 

 Konigsberg, where a full account of them is in process of publica- 

 tion. All of the Prussian amber bees, so far as seen by me, are 

 of extinct genera; but the Miocene bees, whether of Europe or 

 America, include various living genera. 



Xylocopa ahavus (Heer). 



The "type" is a bee with a broad thorax; no head or 

 abdomen visible, and the venation cannot be made out. The 

 legs show a scopa, and the hind tibia is very broad, with a 

 gently curved longitudinal ridge visible on both sides, and, 



•■ Specimen from Willowmore, Cape Colony (Brauns). 



