551 



Notes on the Hawaiian Bees of the Genus Megachile 

 (Hymenoptera). 



P.V p. H. TIMBERLAKE. 



The discovery of a fifth species of Megachile on Oahii 

 bring's up the question of the endemicity of these bees. Dr. 

 Perkins in the Introduction to the Fauna Hawaiiensis (Vol. I, 

 part 6, p. Ixxxiii, 1913) considers that the three species then 

 known were probably all introduced, two of these, Megachile 

 pahnarnui Perkins, and M. schauinslandi Alfken, being in fact 

 at that time recent immigrants. A httle later as recorded in 

 a footnote on p. Ixxiii, he states that paUnarinn was known to 

 him from California and schauinslandi from China. Meade- 

 Waldo (Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. (8). 10. p. 464, 1912) also 

 records a male Megachile from Dehra Dun, India, which had 

 been determined previously by Dr. Perkins as schauinslandi.'^ 



Megachile diligens Smith, and tiniherlakei Cockerell, have 

 never been taken elsewhere, but this surely is no proof of their 

 endemicity and they will probably be identified from other parts 

 of the world sooner or later. 



* Since the above statement was written, a note by Dr. Cockerell has 

 been seen (Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. (9), 2, p. 388, 1918), in which the 

 synonymy of M. schauinslandi with M. umhripennis Smith is mentioned, 

 based on a determination by Friese in which Cockerell concurs. M. um- 

 hripennis was described from the northern part of India and has been 

 recorded from Nepal, Sikkim and Tenasserim. It is said to have a nar- 

 row, fulvous marginal fringe on the second and third tergites of the 

 abdomen, usually much obliterated, especially on the third segment; and 

 a short, white marginal fringe on the sides of the fourth and fifth 

 tergites. Local specimens of sclianinsJaiuli have a short, jale fulvous, 

 marginal fringe on the sides of the second tergite; sim'lar, but white, 

 fringes on the third and fourth tergites, and a complete narrow, white 

 fringe across the apical margin of the fifth tergite. As Hawaiian speci- 

 mens show no variation in these characters, I am disposed to accord the 

 difference considerable weight, although they may finally prove to be 

 only sub-specific. It seems probable that our species was introduce<l from 

 China rather than from India, and until it can be shown that there is 

 intergradation in the above characters it would be better to consider 

 schauinslandi distinct. 



Proc. Haw. Ent. Soc, IV, No. 3, September, 1921. 



