BRITISH HTMENOPTEEA AKTHOPHILA. 423 



This genus forms a curious transition between the Andrenidae 

 and Apidse ; it has many of the characteristics of the latter 

 division, such as the long tongue, the acute paraglossse, and the 

 long basal joint of the labial palpi ; on the other hand, however, 

 it has the joints of the labial palpi subcylindrica],like the Andre- 

 nidae, without any tendency to the flat or concave sheath-like 

 form of the Apidse, and its species are also parasitic on the Andre- 

 nidse (with the exception of A^. xexfasciata, which frequents the 

 burrows of Eucera). These last two characteristics seem to me to 

 outweigh the others ; and notwithstanding the exhaustive remarks 

 of M. J. Perez on this subject (' Contrib. a la Eauue des Apiaires 

 de France,' p. 152 et seq.), where he considers Nomada as allied 

 to Megacliile, I should feel inclined to treat it as a very 

 abnormal genus of the Andrenidae. 



EpEOLTJS, Latr. Rist. Nat. iii. p. 375. (PI. VII. figs. 7, 8.) 



Labrum transverse, its widest portion a little before the base, 

 its sides thence converging towards the apical margin, which is 

 slightly sinuate and bears a small tooth in the centi-e of the 

 sinuation. Sclerites of the hypopharynx narrow and straight. 

 Scales at the membranous base of the maxillae represented by 

 two little dark chitinous sclerites, which hardly project beyond 

 the membrane. Maxillae with their blades rounded at the apex, 

 which bears round its edge a few extremely short hairs, very 

 convex above and concave below, their inner edge slightly curved 

 and rather narrowly membranous ; palpi with one joint ; under 

 margin of the blades of the maxilke produced so as nearly to 

 ensheath the lingua &c. when closed. Paraglossae wide and 

 parallel-sided at the base, shaped something like razor-blades, 

 their cutting-edge inwards ; their outer margins thickened and 

 produced at the apes into a long, slightly curved filiform process, 

 extending to about the apex of the 1st joint of the labial palpi. 

 Lingua very long, clothed with rather long hairs : meutum 

 beneath five times at least as long as wide, subparallel-sided ; 

 labial palpi with the 1st and 2nd joints sheath-like, 1st once and 

 a third as long as the 2nd, apex of the 2nd with a fringe of long 

 hairs, 3rd and 4th joints cylindrical, 4th shorter than the 3rd ; 

 submentum elongate, widened at the apex; lora rather elongate, 

 strongly developed ; cardines thick and curved. 



