64 z. bouCek 



affinis dubiosa from Mexico), so that the pronotum bears only the narrow 

 premarginal line. 



The northern dark specimens usually retain the yellow colour of the markings 

 (except in one male from Stockton, Manitoba and one female from Mt Sainte 

 Marie, Quebec in which they are whitish), but also many southern specimens, 

 mainly from lower altitudes, are yellow-marked, the latter usually very extensively 

 yellow. The latter specimens were sometimes identified as 'var. poeyi' , but the 

 true L. poeyi Guerin-Meneville is a different Cuban species. These predominantly 

 yellow specimens usually have the pubescence on the face golden instead of 

 white, but because of intermediate forms, this is not regarded of much importance. 



In the darker forms coming mainly from the higher mountainous altitudes of 

 the south-west of the U.S.A. and of Mexico the yellow colour usually is replaced 

 by whitish. The white appears sometimes first on the legs, but many specimens 

 show gradual weakening of yellow to creamy white. Often partly yellow 

 specimens occur together with the white ones. 



All the above specimens show a weak to moderate infumation of the wings but 

 in general the eastern specimens have darker infuscation. 



A more conspicuous and to some extent still puzzling trend in variation may be 

 observed on the specimens from the south-east of the U.S.A., mainly from Florida. 

 Already in some specimens from Falls Church, Virginia (near Washington, D.C.) 

 and from California (Newman, Whitewater Canyon, Riverside) and Arizona 

 (Phoenix) the yellow colour turns more or less to orange and in the Virginian 

 ones the wings are darker than usual. In all these places the orange form occurs 

 together with the normal yellow-marked form, but in all specimens from Florida 

 the markings are almost uniformly orange-red (rather pale orange only in one 

 female from Homosassa, Citrus County) and the wings are conspicuously infuscate, 

 reminding one much of L. slossonae Weld and L. robertsoni Crawford, not 

 mentioning some similar forms in the Aculeates. Morphologically I cannot find 

 anything that could help in solving the problem, whether to regard this Floridan 

 form a variety of L. affinis or as a subspecies. Having seen the mentioned 

 specimens which I regard as intermediate, I am not quite sure about the allopatric 

 character of this var. floridana Cresson, as it was described. Having no evidence 

 to the contrary I am inclined to accept the view of some of my American colleagues 

 who regard floridana as a subspecies of L. affinis Say. 



I have similar reasons for regarding also the Mexican form with rather reduced 

 pale markings and more densely punctured hind femur and coxa as subspecies 

 dubiosa Cresson. In this case, however, there is still less evidence as the material 

 is very scarce. Perhaps somebody, who will have access to a stiU richer material 

 from the relevant regions, will check and correct my conclusions. 



Key to the subspecies of L. affinis 



a Hind femur (and coxa) externally densely punctured, interspaces mostly narrower 

 than punctures (Text-fig. 63) ; pale yellow markings much reduced, on pronotum 

 usually only narrow premarginal line present, sometimes anterior cross-line indica- 

 ted in the middle; Mexico, Salvador . . . affinis dubiosa Cresson (p. 67) 



