Records of Bees. 



327 



perliaps related to Si/napis (it certainly is not a typical Apis), 

 but it is so imperfectly preserved and described that its 

 affinities are doubtful. . „ 



The Meliponine bees, now so abundant in the tropics ot 

 both hemispheres, are only known in the fossil state by a 

 single species, Meliponorytes succini, Tosi, from bicijiau 

 amber (Middle Miocene), In this insect the first submargmal 

 cell is complete and well-defined, but the others are absent. 



The general scheme of relationships will be about thus : 



Modern. 



Bomhus. Psithyrus. 



Melipona. Trigona. 



MlOfKNK. 



C('li/2)fapis 



Moliponorytes, 



OijIgocene Chedcobombus. 

 Protob ombus. 



Sophrobombus 



Eocene (no fossils known) 



Althouoh Bomhus and Psithyrus are thus derived from 

 Calyptnpis in the diao-ram, this must not be taken too literally, 

 as meaning that they are of American origin. Calyptapis 

 very probably occurred in both hemisplieres, as Bombus does 

 to-day, or was represented in Europe and Asia by allied 

 genera, from which Bombus might equally well be derived *. 



* It would even be possible to use Calyptapis as an argument in favour 

 of the Old- World origin of Bombus. It is recognized that nearly all 



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