66 APID^i. 



wings dark brown, with violet iridescence. The face with black 

 pubescence ; the mandibles stout, and with two acute teeth at their 

 apex. The metathorax with white pubescence; the tarsi with 

 ferruginous pubescence beneath ; the abdomen is also clothed with 

 the same beneath. 



Hab. Murray Island, Torres Strait. 



15. Megachile similis. 



Female. Length 5 lines. — Black, the pollen-brush beneath bright 

 ferruginous. Head, thorax above, and the scutellum finely and 

 closely punctured ; the face with black pubescence ; the anterior 

 margin of the clypeus truncate. Wings fusco-hyaline, their apical 

 margins fuscous, the nervures black ; the pubescence on the legs 

 beneath as well as on the cheeks inclining to hoary, on the legs 

 above it is black. The abdomen shining and very finely punctured. 



Hab. Aneiteum, New Hebrides. 



This species closely resembles Megachile pictelventris from Aus- 

 tralia, but the pubescence on the face is of a different colour, and 

 the anterior margin of the clypeus is not emarginate. 



16. Megachile albomarginata. 



Female. Length 6-6 J lines. — Black, the thorax with white pubescent 

 spots, and the apical margins of the segments of the abdomen with 

 narrow white pubescent fasciae. The face with white pubescence, 

 on the clypeus and vertex it is black ; the cheeks bearded with 

 white pubescence. The prothorax, the sides beneath, the legs be- 

 neath, an ovate spot behind the tegulee, and two spots at the base 

 of the scutellum with white pubescence; wings fusco-hyaline, 

 palest towards their base, the nervures black. The abdomen with 

 bright rufo-fulvous pubescence, except that on the two apical seg- 

 ments, which is black. 



Hab. New Caledonia. 



17. Megachile scutellata. 



Female. Length 5 lines. — Black, shining, and closely punctured, the 

 abdomen most finely so ; the scutellum produced into an angle 

 posteriorly, but not very acutely so. The face with white pubes- 

 cence and with thin fuscous on the vertex ; the clypeus naked, its 

 anterior margin truncate ; the pubescence on the metathorax, on 

 the sides and beneath, pale ; on the tarsi it is rufo-fuscous above 

 and bright rufo-fulvous beneath ; wings slightly fuscous, with a 

 darker cloud in the marginal cell, the nervures rufo-fuscous. The 

 margins of the segments of the abdomen slightly depressed, and 

 having laterally pale marginal fasci&e ; towards the apex of the 

 abdomen the fasci&e are only slightly interrupted, in very recent 



