Insects. 691 



Genus. — Megachile, Latreille, St. Fargeau. 

 Anthophora, Fabricius. Trachusas, Jurine. Apis, Linnaeus, Kirby. 



Sp. 1. Megachile Willughbiella, Latreille. 

 Apis Willughbiella, Kirby's Mon. The Willow-Bee, Ray's Letters. 



Female. — Length 6 — 7 lines. Black. Head as wide as the thorax, 

 the face clothed with a dark brown pubescence, the vertex with black 

 hair, the cheeks with pale yellow hair, the maxillae large and promi- 

 nent, quadridentate, the first and second teeth acute, the others obtuse. 

 The thorax is clothed with pale yellow hairs, darker on the disk. The 

 wings have their apical margins clouded. The anterior femora are 

 fringed with pale yellow hairs, and all the tarsi are ferruginous be- 

 neath. Abdomen short, broad at the base, somewhat heart-shaped, 

 the three basal segments have a scattered pale fulvous pubescence ; 

 the extreme lateral margins of the second, third and fourth, and the 

 fifth segment entirely, fasciated with pale hairs, nearly white ; beneath 

 clothed at the base with fulvous, and at the apex with black hairs. 



Male. — Length 5 — 6 lines. Black. Face densely clothed with 

 bright yellow, the vertex with pale ferruginous hair. The antennae 

 have the apical segment compressed, and when viewed in front broad- 

 er than the rest. The cheeks and under side of the thorax clothed 

 with an ashy pubescence ; above with yellow ferruginous hair. The 

 anterior coxae are armed with an obtuse tooth, which has a minute 

 acute spine at the apex. The femora are yellow, with three black 

 stripes in front. The tibiae are black above, yellow at their extreme 

 apex. Tarsi palmated, the first joint is as broad as the tibia, all the 

 joints fringed with white silvery hairs. Abdomen oblong-quadrate, 

 thinly covered above with pale ferruginous hairs, the sixth segment 

 emarginate, the emargination minutely dentate, the ventral segment 

 tri dentate. 



The male of this species, being the only one having the anterior 

 tarsus dilated with which Mr. Kirby was acquainted, he has made an 

 observation which might lead to some little confusion, namely, that 

 " this sex exhibits a peculiarity, which none of those which are relat- 

 ed to it in the form of the anterior tarsus, possesses. The last joint 

 of the antennae is larger than any of the rest, which gives them some 

 resemblance to those of a Papilio." The male of Mr. Kirby 's mariti- 

 ma, and also of circumcincta, both have palmated anterior tarsi, and 

 both have the last joint of the antennae compressed, as in M. Willugh- 

 biella. This species, as far as I have observed, always nidificates in 

 wood ; it is abundant, and is found all over the country. 



