298 N atal Bees 
ANTHIDIINAE. 
The classification of the Anthidiine bees is a matter of some 
difficulty, owing to the uncertainty whether the presence of certain 
characters always indicates real attnity, or may. be due to quite 
independent evolution. Friese, when describing the sub-genus 
Pachyanthidiwm (1905), included ten species, of diverse appearance. 
The first of them, A bicolor Lepeletier, may be designated as the 
type. It is a thick set bee, with black thorax and entirely red 
abdomen ; the second recurrent nervure goes beyond the end of the 
second submarginal cell, and the feet are without pulvilli. The 
scutellum has a sharp projecting edge, without any emargination. 
Hypanthidium, Ckll (1904), was based on South American species 
with the appearance and venation of Dianthidiwm, but without 
pulvilli. It is widely distributed in the Neotropical region, and I 
have described one H. salemanse) from India. Some of the South 
African species appear to fall in Hypanthidium, but may not be 
genetically connected with the Neotropical ones. They are perhaps 
more related to Pachyanthidiwm, though very unlike the type of that 
group. Dianthidiwm has a pulvillus on each foot, in the manner of 
the Osmiines, and constructs its nest with resin. It is an ancient 
type, well differentiated in the Miocene rocks of Colorado, and no 
doubt Hypanthidium and Pachyanthid um may be considered 
derivatives from it. All the Anthidiines discussed helow have the 
second recurrent nervure going beyond the end of the second sub- 
marginal cell. ’ 
DIANTHIDIUM, Cockerell. 
DIANTHIDIUM MELANOCEPHALUM, sp. nov. 
2. Length about 66 mm.; black, with no yellow markings 
except on the abdomen, where they consist of a spot on each extreme 
side of first and second segments, a pair of very small transversely 
elongated spots subdorsally on third, two large transverse subdorsal 
marks on fourth, a broad narrowly interrupted band on fifth, and 
whole disc of sixth except at sides. Head and thorax densely and 
coarsely punctured, with very short thin dull white hair ; facial 
quadrangle much broader than long ; mandibles and antenne black ; 
tegule large, black, well punctured; wings strongly dusky ; 
scutellum projecting, shard-edged, shallowly emarginate; ventral 
eee <a tne - 
