^f) [February, 



THE SYNONYMY OF ANDRENA WILKELLA K., AND ITS ALLIES, WITH 

 NOTES ON HABITS, AS CONFIRMING SPECIFIC DISTINCTIONS. 



BY E. C. L. PEEKI^^S, D.Sc, M.A., F.E.S. 



Having been asked recently by an American Hymenopterist to 

 supply him with specimens of Andrena wilkella, A. convexiuscula^ 

 and A. xaiitliura, which have beeen " determined through comparison 

 with the tj^pes," since " one of the above species " a^^pears to occur 

 in New England, I have here attempted to give what I believe to be 

 the correct s3monymy of our three closel}'' allied species of the wilhella 

 group. From the examination that I have made of Kirby's and of 

 F. Smith's collection I consider the three names cited by my corre- 

 spondent to belong to a single species only, A. loilhella K. As the 

 types of the three species were described in this country, I am not 

 here concerned to deal w^ith the synonymy of continental authors. 



Those who adhere strictly to the law of priorit}^ even to the 

 adoption of a name scarcely mentioned during a hundred or more 

 years, and practically unknown to working entomologists, rather than 

 continue the use of one of those which is well known to all, and 

 has under it the copious hterature of a century, will, I believe, be 

 correct in using the specific name placed at the head of each list of 

 s^^ionyms. 



Akdeena otatuljl Kirby. 



Melitta ovatula Kirby, Mon. Ap. Angl. ii, p. 149, no. 89, S • 



(iSr.B.) By an oversight Kirby describes his specimens as $ {cf. 

 the case of M. spinigera, op. cit. p. 123) and the name is 

 omitted in his Index. 

 Melitta fuscata Kirby, op. cit. p. 167, no. 107, $ . 

 Melitta afzeliella Kirb}^, op. cit. p. 169, no. 108, 5 . 

 Andrena f us cat a Smith, Cat. Brit. IlA^m. {Apidae) 1855, p. 100, $ . 

 Andrena afzeliella Smith, op. cit. p. 101, $ ; the 6 described was 

 probably a ivilkella K. 



(N.B.) M. contigua K. is wrongly given as a synonym, being 

 (S fulvicrus K. 

 Andrena f us cat a Smith, Cat. Brit. Hym. (Apidae) 1876, p. 70, $ . 

 Andrena afzeliella Smith, op), cit. p. 71, partim. In my opinion both 

 sexes wei'e partly described from wilkella K. In Smith's series of 

 A. afzeliella the $ $ with "pale fulvous " anal fimbria are clearly 

 wilkella. 

 Andrena afzeliella and var, fuscata E. Saunders, Tr. Ent. Soc. Lond. 

 1882, p. 281. The description of the $ at least was made from 



