46 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Feb., '07 



A New Bee of the Genus Crocisa. 

 By T. D. A. Cockerell. 



Grocisa beatissima n. sp. 



9 . Length about 11 mm. ; black with blue markings. Superficially 

 similar to C. cceruleifrons Kirby {quartince Gribodo), but differing as 

 follows : markings of thorax and abdomen turquoise-blue, bright but not 

 shining ; hair of face white with a faint bluish tint ; ocelli larger ; scutel- 

 lum (which is without spots) with the hind margin broad W-shaped, not 

 , — < — ,-shaped ; blue mark on each side of first abdominal segment like a 

 large L placed sideways ; the end of its foot with a large cuneiform ap- 

 pendage directed mesad, the point where the black invades the blue 

 laterally being broadly rounded ; hind tibiae with the basal two-fifths 

 bluish-white ; basal joint of tarsi white outside. 



Hab. — Adelaide, Australia, June, 1897. Received from the 

 British Museum ; collector unknown to me. 



The Australian species of Crocisa with blue or bluish spots 

 may be separated as follows : 



At least some of the abdominal segments 4-spotted 1. 



None of the abdominal segments 4-spotted, the lateral marks being un- 

 divided 2, 



1. Margin of scutellum , — ■ — >-like lamprosoma Boisduval. 



Margin of scutellum W-like turneri Friese. 



2. First abdominal segment covered with blue pile, except a narrow in- 



ferior margin novae hollandiae Lepel. 



First abdominal segment with an entire basal blue band ; margin of 



scutellum W-like ; blue markings shining . . . nitidula Fabr. 

 Abdominal bands all interrupted in the middle 3. 



3. Blue markings shiny ; margin of scutellum - — ' — v-like 4. 



Blue markings not shiny ; margin of scutellum W-like 5. 



4. Hair on middle of occiput black with white on each side ; apex of male 



abdomen more narrowly truncate . caeruleifrons W. F. Kirby. 



Occiput with a complete conspicuous fringe of white hair ; apex of 



male abdomen more broadly truncate : size smaller, not over 



9 mm darwini Ckll. 



5. Large, about 15 mm. ; markings of abdomen pale blue . . tincta Ckll. 

 Smaller, about n mm. ; markings of abdomen bright blue. 



beatissima Ckll. 



C. nov<e-holla?idicE Lep. was placed by F. Smith, in 1854, as 

 a synonym of lamprosoma, and this has been uncritically fol- 

 lowed by later anthors. It may also be remarked that C. 

 emarginata Lep. (type locality Port Pralin, New Ireland) is 

 a species with shining blue markings, and appears to have 

 been wrongly interpreted by Bingham and Friese. 





