STELIS. 
263 
over the post-scutellum and metathorax, mucronated 
laterally; metathorax abruptly truncated; wings with 
two submarginal cells, and a third very slightly com¬ 
menced, the two subequal, the second being the largest 
and receiving the first submarginal cell near its com¬ 
mencement and the second at the inosculation of the 
terminal transverso-cubital nervure; legs short, mode¬ 
rately stout, the tibiae very slightly setose externally; 
claws short, bifid, the internal tooth near the external. 
Abdomen oblong, truncated at its base, very convex above 
and flat beneath, deflexed towards its extremity, and the 
terminal segment almost rounded, being very slightly 
produced in the centre and margined. 
The male scarcely differs, excepting in the usual male 
characteristics, and by the apical segment being obso- 
letely tridentate. 
NATIVE SPECIES. 
1 . aterrima, Panzer, £ $ . 4-44 lines. 
punctulatissima, Kirby, 
2. phwoptera, Kirby, $ $ . 4-4J lines. (Plate XT. 
hg- 3 $ ? .) 
3. octomaculata, Smith, £ ? . 3 lines. 
GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 
The name of this genus may be derived from cr-reiVt?, 
a sort of parasitical plant, perhaps mistletoe, if we could 
be sure that Panzer imposed it after being aware of the 
parasitical nature of these bees. It is true his book (the 
‘ Revision ’) was published in 1805, and Kirby, who 
first intimated a suspicion of such cuckoo-like habits in 
some of the bees, published his in 1802; therefore it 
might have been given in allusion to that peculiarity of 
