1928 Insects. 



to attend this species, namely, all the specimens are Stylopized : I 

 have not yet seen a specimen of either sex which was not so infested. 

 I mentioned the circumstance to Mr. Dale, and he informed me that 

 such had been his own observation. I have two males, out of each 

 of which a male Stylops has escaped. I have males of other species 

 out of which the parasite has emerged ; and as yet I never captured 

 a male bee containing a female Stylops. The male is now first 

 described. 



Sp. 67. Andrena xanthura. 

 Melitia xanthura, Kirby. 



Female. — (Length 5 — 6 lines). Black; the face clothed with very 

 short pale pubescence ; the apex of the antennae beneath piceous. 

 Thorax clothed above with a short fulvous pubescence, palest at the 

 sides of the metathorax ; the tegulae rufo-piceous ; the wings slightly 

 fuscous, clouded faintly at their apical margins ; the floccus nearly 

 white or pale fulvous ; the scopa fulvous ; the posterior tibiae and 

 tarsi, the intermediate tarsij and the apical joints of the anterior, 

 rufo- testaceous. Abdomen oblong-ovate, slightly depressed ; the 

 second, third and fourth segments have a white marginal fringe, the 

 two first interrupted ; the apical fimbria fulvous ; beneath, the seg- 

 ments are ciliated with long fulvous hair. 



Male. — (Length 3J — 5 lines). Black; the face clothed with a red- 

 dish-brown pubescence ; the antennae nearly as long as the head and 

 thorax ; the pubescence on the disk of the thorax is of a reddish- 

 brown, palest at the sides ; the pubescence on the legs is of the same 

 colour, but still paler ; the wings are iridescent, and slightly clouded 

 at their margins. Abdomen ovate, convex ; the margins of the seg- 

 ments, excepting the basal, have a narrow pale marginal fringe ; be- 

 neath they are piceous, and are ciliated with pale hair ; the apex of 

 the abdomen is fulvous. In fine specimens similar to the one described 

 the basal segment is pubescent at the sides, and its margin has a slight 

 lateral fringe. 



The specimens described were captured in coitu, are highly coloured 

 and recently developed : the pubescence of both sexes is frequently 

 much paler, particularly that of the male, on which it is often found 

 quite white : the male also varies considerably in size. I consider 

 Mr. Kirby's Melitta ovatula and M. contigua to be varieties of the 

 male. This is one of the most abundant species of the genus, and 

 appears to be generally distributed. I have always observed it to 



