28 



in Australia. Several have been described as belonging to tbe 

 genus Prosopis, in spite of the fact that the most superficial 

 examination shows that these insects have an acute lanceolate 

 tongue. Hitherto no connecting link betAveen the blunt-tong-ued 

 and acute-tongued bees has been recorded, but in Palaeorhiza 

 we have a form, which, except for the structure of the tongue, 

 would be assigned to the section of Obtusilingues. It will there- 

 fore be obvious that this section and the Acutilingues can no 

 longer be maintained as of great importance, since Palaeorhiza 

 must always be associated with Prosopis, as the male genital 

 characters, and all other ones, save the lingual, clearly show. 

 It may be advisable, however, to consider the genus as repre- 

 senting a family distinguished from Prosopidae by lingual 

 characters only. In this connection, however, it is only proper 

 to add that the Australian genus Meroglossa, associated by 

 Smith with the blunt-tongiied bees, without remark, has an 

 acute tongue, being so figured and described by that author. 

 Ashmead also includes Meroglossa in his tables, as being blunt- 

 tongued, without any remark whatsoever. In these Australian 

 genera we therefore have a distinct lead from the blunt to the 

 acute-tongued section of the bees. 



The other genus here described by me as Pachyprosopis l'^ 

 another of the series of remarkable blunt-tongued bees, in which 

 Australia is enormously rich. Few, I think, seeing it alive 

 would take it for a bee, since it superficially has rather the 

 appearance of a large-headed Crabronid or Pemphredonid. 



In the wasps I have described a new genus Macro calynwna, 

 which appears to me very remarkable. This species is extant 

 in the British Museum with the name Discoelius smithianus, 

 Sauss. attached. I have not been able *-o find any description 

 of the species in de Saussure's writings. 



Another genus Ischnocoelia is represented, by several species 

 apparently, in the British Museum, but they have not been 

 described. The Montezumia is not only interesting from the 

 fact that the genus is unrecorded from Australia, but more 

 so from the great Acarid chamber in the propodeum of both 

 sexes, a new situation for such a structure, the chamber found 

 in the bee genus Koptortliosoma and that of a Mexican wasp, 

 Odynerus, being abdominal. 



