122 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



nervures and stigma are darker. The insect is larger than H. vire- 

 scens, Lep., from Bozen, Tirol (Friese), and differs, as Vachal has 

 indicated, in the teeth of the hind spur. The metathoracic cliaracter 

 mentioned by Vachal is scarcely distinctive for the Benguella form. 

 Smith described H. jucundus from tlie Cape and Sierra Leone, but 

 the former must be taken as the type locality, as it is given first, and 

 the wings are described as hyaline, with the nervures and tegulae pale 

 testaceous. The measurement given by Smith for the female is at 

 least 2 mm. too small for the Benguella insect. 



Hah. Benguella hinterland, at flowers of an orchid, January, 

 1908 (Wellman) ; Ekuiva Valley, at flowers of Geigeria, 1907 

 (Wellman). 



Halictus creightoni, sp. nov. 



$ . Length about 8 mm. ; anterior wing about 6^ ; black, with 

 dull white hair ; abdomen black, with the hind margins of the seg- 

 ments concolorous ; bases of segments 2 to 4 with bands of dense 

 pure white tomentum, these all broad laterally, but narrowing medi- 

 ally, and failing dorsally on 2 and 3 ; tegulae shining black ; wings 

 strongly dusky, nervures and stigma black ; legs black, except claw- 

 joints, which are reddish ; hair of" legs white, faintly yellowish on 

 inner side of tarsi, brush at end of hind basitarsus dark fusco-ferru- 

 ginous ; spurs ferruginous ; hind spur long, its apical half simple, the 

 basal half with a row of minute nodules ; apical region of abdomen 

 with scattered coarse black bristles, the rima not distinguished by 

 any colour. Hair at sides of face silvery ; antennge entirely black ; 

 face rather narrow ; clypeus produced, with an irregular sculpture ; 

 front dull and granular ; mesothorax with very little hair, dull, with 

 scattered punctures ; scutellum more shining, and quite closely punc- 

 tured, the punctures of various sizes ; area of metathorax with strong 

 longitudinal wavy plications, its margin well-defined and sharp ; 

 abdomen moderately shining. Post-scutellum with greyish-white 

 tomentum. 



Hah. Benguella hinterland, West Africa, January 3rd, 1908 

 (F. Creighton Wellman). Taken, with numerous other bees 

 {Antkophora ccerulea, Friese, A. convolvuli, CklL, &c.), from a 

 small patch of flowering Compositse, species of Othonua and Gei- 

 geria. This has a general resemblance to several European 

 species ; they are separable by the following table : — 



Area of metathorax with a fine grooving or 



lineolation ; face very broad . . . maculakis, Smith. 

 Area of metathorax plicate or ridged . . 1. 



1. Mesothorax very shiny, smooth, with sparse 



punctures ...... morhillostis, Kriechb. 



Mesothorax not thus shiny and smooth . 2. 



2. Hair on post-scutellum long and fuscous ; 



wings clear leucozonius (Schrank). 



Hair on post-scutellum short and greyish 

 white ; wings darkened .... creightoni, Ckll. 



