INSECT FAUNA RAINBOW. 93 



Obs. This was the most representative species of the series 

 collected, fifteen specimens having been obtained. In some of 

 the members there is a slight difference in colouration, some 

 being brownish-grey, but this is doubtless a sexual distinction. 

 The chief interest attaching to this genus, however, is the fact 

 that it is confined solely to the Pacific Islands. The following are 

 the localities from which representatives have hitherto been 

 obtained : New Hebrides, New Guinea, Fiji, Tahiti, Vanikoro, 

 and Nukuhiva. 



Mr. Woodford, in his paper on " The Gilbert Islands,"* gives 

 the following list of species as obtained by him in that group : 

 Amarygmus, sp., Pantopoeus guisens, Coccinella transversalis, C, 

 arcuata, Necrobia nifipes, Tribolium ferrugineurn, Dermesles, sp., 

 Carpophilus, sp., Silvanus, sp., Carcinops (?) sp., Trogosita mauri- 

 tanica, Alphitobius piceus, A. diapariuus, Sitophilus, sp., Adelocera 

 modesta, Monocrepidius, sp., Nacerdes, sp. (2), and a genus allied 

 to Tribolium (?) sp. 



HYMENOPTERA. 



Only two species of Hymenoptera were obtained one a bee, 

 Megackile, sp., the other being a few workers of a species of ant 

 Pheidole sexspinosa (Mayr). According to Mr. Woodford, " A 

 leaf-cutting-bee of the genus Megachile was very common on all 

 the [Gilbert] islands, making its nest under the thatch of the 

 houses, and using portions of the leaves of Morinda citrifolia for 

 the construction of its cells. "f My colleague, Mr. Hedley, 

 informs me that Morinda citrifolia is common on the Island of 

 Funafuti, but he did not notice that it was attacked by the leaf- 

 cutting bees as reported by Mr. Woodford in the Gilberts. 

 Nevertheless the leaves of Pandanus odoratissimus, a plant that 

 is also common in the Gilberts, had the appearance of portions 

 having been cut out of them apparently by some leaf-cutting 

 insect. 



FAMILY 

 Genus MEGACHILE, Latr. 

 Megachile hedleyi, sp. nov. 



(Plate i., fig. 5.) 

 Long. 11 mm., lat. 4 mm. 



Expanse of anterior wings Long. 7 mm., lat. 3 linn. 

 posterior wings 5 ,,2 



* Geogr. Journ., vi., 4, 1895, p. 348. 



4- I ..,- ,-.'/ IL Q f Q 



f Loc. cit., p. 348. 



