236 Transactions of the South African Philosophical Society. 



meso- thorax closely and strongly punctured; metanotal area stoutly, 

 irregularly striated round the edges, the centre less strongly than 

 the base and apex. Abdomen closely and rather strongly punc- 

 tured ; the edges of the segments pale ; the last broadly rounded. 



Head as wide as the mesonotum, the temples obliquely narrowed ; 

 the malar space large, as long as the antennal scape, striated ; eyes 

 parallel, not converging above or below. The second cubital cellule 

 in front is fully one-fourth longer than the third ; the second recur- 

 rent nervure is roundly curved outwardly below ; the cubitus ends 

 shortly beyond the third transverse cubital nervure. 



Unfortunately my dissection of the trophi of this species has not 

 proved a success, and I am not quite certain if the tongue be broad 

 or pointed, but on the whole it agrees better with Colletes than with 

 Andrena to which it has a great resemblance. The first joint of the 

 labial palpi is thicker than the others ; it is as long as the fourth, 

 the middle two being shorter. 



Gen. HALICTUS, Latr. 

 Halictus robertianus, sp. nov. 



Black ; densely covered with white pubescence, the apex of the 

 clypeus (the yellow in the centre triangularly projecting into the 

 black upper part), the lower part of the antennal scape, the apex of 

 the femora (the anterior more broadly than the others), the tibiae 

 and tarsi, pale yellow, the tibiae on the outer side marked broadly 

 with fuscous ; the wings clear hyaline, the nervures and stigma pale 

 testaceous ; metanotal area closely, irregularly, longitudinally 

 striated, the striae twisted and intermixed with some thinner trans- 

 verse ones. $ . 



Length 5 mm. 



Cape Colony. Pearston. 



Face and upper part of clypeus closely, minutely, distinctly 

 punctured ; the yellow apex of the clypeus smooth ; front and vertex 

 less distinctly punctured. Basal two-thirds of mandibles pale 

 yellow, the apex piceous. Thorax closely, uniformly, minutely 

 punctured ; there is a smooth, narrow, impressed line on the basal 

 half of the mesonotum in the centre. Tegulae testaceous. Second 

 and third cubital cellules in front almost equal in length. 



Allied to H. albidus, Lep. 



Halictus rubricaudis, sp. nov. 

 Black, the apical half of the last abdominal segment and the rima 

 rufous ; the head, thorax, and ventral surface of abdomen densely 



