j6o southern CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



BOMBOMELECTA, Patton. 

 Bombomelecta edwardsii (Cresson). 



Los Angeles, one male (Davidson). Previously known from 

 Ocean View. When sunlight is allowed to fall on the abdomen 

 from in front, the surface presents a strong purple lustre. 

 CEN IRIS, Fabrtcms. 

 Centris hoffmanseggiae, subsp. nov. davidsoni. 



Male ; length about 15 mm. ; black ; face very narrow, the 

 eyes large and prominent, pale oehreous when dry; ocelli large, 

 distance between the lateral ocelli and the eyes less than the 

 diameter of an ocellus ; clypeus, a narrow supraclypeal stripe, 

 and labrum cream-color; clypeus shining and sparsely pimct- 

 ured: mandibles with a cream-colored stripe on the upper 

 margin; pubescence of occiput, mesothorax and scutellum pale 

 oehreous ; of cheeks, pleura and metathorax white and strongly 

 plumose ; scutellum prominent, shining, with strong pimctures 

 well separated; tegulae testaceous: wings rather milky, nerv- 

 ures bro^^Ti; legs black, the spurs and small joints of tarsi 

 ferruginous; hair of legs white, slightly orchraceous on tibiae 

 in front, very dark brown on inner side of basal joint of hind 

 tarsi ; abdomen rather densely covered with erect greyish- white 

 hair; apex produced and rounded: ventral segments with the 

 hind margins whitish. I\Iandibles tridentate. The type of 

 hoffmaiiseggfiae, ^^'hen the abdomen is viewed laterally, shows 

 short dark fuscous hair on the fourth and fifth segments; 

 davidsoni shows larger and entirely light hair on these seg- 

 ments, and is a larger insect. 



Banning, Cal., one (Dr. Davidson). 



Dr. Davidson's collections are bringing out the fact that in 

 the bees, as in several other groups, species are represented 

 in many instances by an inland form, of the arid parts of 

 Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, etc.. and a closely allied but 

 distinct California form. In the absence of collections from 

 many intermediate localities, it is impossible to say in each 

 case whether these really intergrade ; but when they are very 

 closely allied, I treat them as geographical races of a single 

 species for the present. Such a course, while subject to re- 

 vision, at all events serves to indicate the obvious relationships. 

 Centris cockerelli, Fox. 



I give a new description, as the existing one is rather too 

 short. 



Female; length about 12 mm.: black, shining; clypeus (ex- 

 cept lateral and superior margins) and labrum reddish in the 

 California specimens, but evidently changed from orange by 

 cyanide : eyes, when dry, gray : vertex about ocelli very shiny, 



