2 ANDRENIDiE. 



Division I. SOLITAEI^E. 



Fam. 1. ANDRENIDiE. 



This family is divided into two subfamilies, OUusilingues and 

 Acutilingues of "Westwood. The first two genera only belong to the 

 first division, in which the tongue resembles that of a wasp, being 

 obtuse at the apex and more or less emarginate. The species 

 belonging to the second division have the tongue lanceolate, acute 

 at the apex. 



Subfam. I. OBTUSILINGUES, Westw. 

 Genus 1. COLLETES, Latr. 



Apis (pt), Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 953 (1766). 



Andrena (pt.), Fair. Fnt. Syst. 307 (1793). 



Megilla (pt.), Fabr. Syst. Piez. 328 (1804). 



Melitta (pt.), Kirby, Mon. Apum Angl. i. 130 (1802). 



Colletes, Latr. Hist. Nat. des Crust, et Ins. iii. 372 (1802). 



Evodia, Fanz. Krit. Reds. 207 (1806). 



Head subtriangular, ocelli in a slight curve on the vertex : antennce 

 geniculated, filiform ; tongue obtuse and slightly emarginate at the 

 apex ; the paraglossce more than half the length of the tongue ; the 

 labial palpi 4-jointed, nearly equal and subclavate ; the maxillary 

 palpi 6-jointed and subequal ; wings with one marginal and three 

 submarginal cells. 



The economy of the species that compose the present genus has 

 been frequently quoted from Eeaumur's interesting account, who 

 observed them constructing their burrows in the interstices of stone 

 walls that were filled with some soft kind of mortar. In this 

 country they usually burrow into hard sand-banks. Colletes daviesana 

 sometimes forms extensive colonies in such situations. Their bur- 

 rows are from 8 to 10 inches in length ; they line them at the end 

 where the cells are constructed with layers of a colourless, delicate, 

 semitransparent membrane that somewhat resembles gold-beater's 

 skin. The cells are usually from five to eight in number; they 

 are thimble-shaped, but rather more oblong. The insect having 

 stored up a sufficient supply of pollen and honey to feed a single 

 larva, then deposits an egg thereon, and closes the cell with similar 

 membrane to that with which she lines the end of the tube. The 

 other cells are similarly constructed. There is little doubt that the 

 same bee constructs more than one of these tunnels, as no trace of 

 lateral ones are ever observed running out of the main one, as is the 

 case in many other species of solitary bees belonging to the genera 

 Halictus and Andrena. 



Colletes is subject to the attack of parasites ; one, Miltogramma 



