Vol. xxii] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS 211 



New Records of Bees : Sphecodes and Prosopis 

 (Hym.). 



By John H. Lovell, Waldoboro, Maine. 

 Sphecodes persimilis Lov. & Ckll. 



9 . — Hampton, N. H., Sept. 12, 1909, S. A. Shaw. The 

 specimen is a little smaller than the type, but otherwise is 

 characteristic. The type is an unusually large bee for this 

 genus, as it is nearly ten millimeters in length. 



Sphecodes ranunculi Robt. 



$ . — Hampton, N. H., June 25, igo8, S. A. Shaw; also both 

 sexes from Elkhart, Ind., R. J. Weith. When a bee is mono- 

 tropic or oligotropic, the use of the generic name of the flower, 

 which it visits, as a specific name for the insect is, at least, 

 descriptive and may ofifset the objection to a noun in the geni- 

 tive ; but when the bee is polytropic such names are misnomers 

 and should be avoided. 



Sphecodes confertus Say. 



9 . — Hampton, N. H., May 10 and 30, S. A. Shaw. Speci- 

 mens of both sexes have been collected by R. J. \\^eith at Elk- 

 hart, Ind. 



Say states that this species was collected in Indiana. While 

 his description is very brief and indefinite, he mentions twice 

 that the punctures are "dense" and twice that they are "close 

 set," a degree of punctation which applies to the mesothoracic 

 disc of 6". falcifer Patton much better than to that of S. arven- 

 sis of the same author. In the latter species the punctures are 

 rather small and far apart, and the whole disc is smoother and 

 more shining. 5". confertus appears to be identical, therefore, 

 with 5". falcifer. The Indiana specimen before me. referred to 

 S. confertus Say, has the disc of the mesothorax very densely 

 and closely punctured so that it is nearly opaque. The female 

 of S. falcifer Patton, according to the description, has the 

 mandibles "unarmed" and the "labrum deeply emarginate." 

 The Indiana specimen has simple mandibles and the long 



