Vol. xxiii] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS 457 
Oligotropic Bees (Hym.). 
By CuHartes Rosertson, Carlinville, Illinois. 
In an article in the Popular Science Monthly, Aug. 1912, 
pp. 197-203, Mr. John H. Lovell says: “When a female bee in 
gathering pollen for brood-rearing visits but one kind of flower 
it is termed a monotropic bee, or if only a few allied species 
an oligotropic bee; but if it visits many flowers it is called a 
polytropic bee. These terms were first proposed by Dr. 
Loew, and signify adapted to one, few or many flowers.” 
This statement is correct, if one understands that Loew never 
used these terms in the sense here indicated. Loew’s terms 
were not originated to apply to bees with reference to their 
pollen-collecting habits. They were not applied particularly 
to bees which collect pollen, but were also used with reference 
to inquiline and male bees. And pollen-collecting habits were 
not considered by Loew in determining the application of the 
terms. Indeed in this article Lovell does not always use them 
in that sense, for he includes species of Epeolus among oligo- 
tropic bees. Epeolus is a genus of inquilines. 
Referring to Halictoides novae-angliae, he says: “Apparent- 
ly in this region it never visits any other flower—it is a mono- 
tropic bee.”” On page 202 he says: “Dr. Graenicher writes ine 
that the pickerel-weed bee (Halictoides novae-angliae) is found 
in Wisconsin; but the pickerel-weed does not flourish in the 
same locality, and so this bee is compelled to visit the blossoms 
of other plants.’ And, therefore, if “visit” means “visit for 
pollen,” H. novae-angliae is not a monotropic bee. 
Regarding Halictus nelumbonis and Nymphaea advena, he 
says, “This bee in this locality is never found on any other 
flower, but elsewhere is met with on other species of the 
water-lily family, or Nymphaeaceae.”’ If the readers of the 
Science Monthly understand “is met with’ to mean “collects 
pollen of,” this will do, but, otherwise, this is an error, for the 
bee has been recorded as a nectar visitor of Eriocaulon gnapha- 
lodes, Utricularia inflata, Berlandiera subacaulis, and Verbena 
urticifolia (Am. Nat. 36:599, 1902). 
