22 
Psyche 
[February 
RECENT WORK BY GABRITSCHEVSKY ON THE IN- 
HERITANCE OF COLOR VARIETIES IN VOLUCELLA 
BOM BY LANS. 1 
By Clyde E. Keeler. 
The large syrphid flies of the genus Volucella have long been 
in taxonomic confusion due to their great variation in Color. 
In Europe there are several forms which closely resemble certain 
species of bumble-bees and as the flies are parasitic in the nests 
of these bees, the color varieties have taken on considerable sig- 
nificance on account of their apparent mimetic resemblance to 
the specific bees on which they are parasitic. 
Recently Gabritschevsky 2 has reported on a number of 
crosses between three varieties and has shown that they bear a 
Mendelian relation to one another something like that found by 
De Meijere 3 to exist between the forms of polymorphic Papilio 
memnon in Java. 
While I do not share the belief that a Mendelian analysis 
eliminates the problems of mimicry and protective resemblance, 
by causing them to disappear, I do maintain that proof of such 
an hereditary status sheds much light in the proper direction of 
a solution and suggests a possible mode of attack upon allied 
problems in these fields. 
As early as 1901 a mating pair of Volucella bombylans var. 
bombylans and Volucella bombylans var. plumata was reported by 
Verrall. 4 It is quite probable that there is free interbreeding 
between these as well as other color varieties of this species. 
Gabritschevsky has worked with a very difficult material 
and has obtained results of great merit. However, he has hardly 
Contribution from the Entomological Laboratory of the Bussey Insti- 
tution, Harvard University, no. 259. 
2 Gabritschevsky, E. Farbenpolymorphismus und Vererbung mimetischer 
Varietaten der Fliege Volucella bombylans und auderer “hummelahnlicher” 
Zweifliigler. Zeitschr. f. indukt. Abstamm. u. Vererbungslehre, Vo. 32, 1924, 
pp. 321-353. 
3 Meijere, J. C. H. de, Uber Jacobsons Ziichtungsversuche beziiglich des 
Polymorphismus von Papilio memnon L. $ und uber die Vererbung sekunda- 
rer Geschlechtsmerkmale. Zeitschr. f. indukt. Abstamm. u. Vererbungslehre, 
4 Verrall, British Flies, Vo. 8, p. 485. London, 1901. 
