Chapter 18

††With three submarginal cells to the wings.Genus 11.Anthophora,Latreille.(Plate VI.fig. 3, and Plate VII. fig. 1.)Apis**d, 2a, Kirby.

††With three submarginal cells to the wings.

Genus 11.Anthophora,Latreille.

(Plate VI.fig. 3, and Plate VII. fig. 1.)

Apis**d, 2a, Kirby.

Gen. Char.:Headtransverse, nearly as wide as the thorax;vertexdepressed;ocelliplaced in a curved line upon its posterior margin;antennæshort, subclavate, basal joint of flagellum globose, its second joint longer than the scape, very slender, the rest of the joints subequal;faceflattish;clypeusprotuberant;labrumquadrate, convex;mandiblesdistinctly bidentate and obtuse;cibarial apparatusvery long;tonguevery long, transversely striated, and with a small knob at the extremity;paraglossæabout one-third the length of the tongue, acuminate;labial palpislender, more than half the length of the tongue, membranous, the basal joint as long again as the remainder, the second joint very slender and very acute; the two terminal joints very short and subclavate, inserted before the extremity of the second joint;labiumshort, one-fourth the length of the tongue, its inosculation concave;maxillæhastate, not so long as the tongue;maxillary palpione-third the length of the maxillæ, six-jointed, the basal joint very robust, the rest filiform, the second the longest,and all the rest decreasing in length and substance.Thoraxoval, densely pubescent, which conceals its divisions;metathoraxtruncated;wingswith three submarginal cells, closed, the second receives the first recurrent nervure in its centre, and the third, which bulges externally, receives the second at its extremity;legssetose, the exterior of the posteriortibiæandplantæmoderately so, and the interior of the latter also densely setose; the second joint of the posteriortarsiinserted beneath and within the termination of their plantæ; the claw-joint longer than the two preceding;clawsbifid, the inner tooth distant from the external.Abdomenovate, subpubescent, the fifth segment densely fimbriated and the terminal segment with an emarginate appendage.

In theMALESthe antennæ are very similar, but the mandibles are more acutely bidentate, and with the exception of the form of the legs, the general aspect is like the female; the legs, although setose, are less conspicuously so, the intermediate tarsi in the first section of the genus being longer than the rest of the entire leg, and are fringed externally with very long hair, or it is restricted to the plantæ of that leg and then it is short and very rigid; the entire limb stretched out extends beyond the widest expansion of the superior wings. TheABDOMENis also less retuse than in the female, at its basal segment.

In the second division of this genus, of whichAnthophora furcatamay be considered to be the type, the general habit is precisely the same, but the insects are not so pubescent, and there is a greater similarity between the sexes. The intermediate legs also, although long in the male, are not so extremely long as they are in the first section.

NATIVE SPECIES.§Males with elongate tufted intermediate tarsi, and differing from female in colour.

NATIVE SPECIES.

§Males with elongate tufted intermediate tarsi, and differing from female in colour.

1.retusa, Linnæus, ♂ ♀. 6 lines. (Plate VI.fig. 3 ♂ ♀.)Haworthana, Kirby.Haworthana, Curtis, viii. 357.2.acervorum, Fabricius, ♂ ♀. 6-8 lines.retusa, Kirby.

1.retusa, Linnæus, ♂ ♀. 6 lines. (Plate VI.fig. 3 ♂ ♀.)

Haworthana, Kirby.

Haworthana, Curtis, viii. 357.

2.acervorum, Fabricius, ♂ ♀. 6-8 lines.

retusa, Kirby.

§§Males without elongate tufted intermediate tarsi, concolorous with their females.

3.furcata, Panzer, ♂ ♀. 5-6 lines. (Plate VII.fig. 1 ♂ ♀.)furcata, Kirby.4.quadrimaculata, Panzer, ♂ ♀. 4-5 lines.vulpina, Kirby.subglobosa, Kirby.

3.furcata, Panzer, ♂ ♀. 5-6 lines. (Plate VII.fig. 1 ♂ ♀.)

furcata, Kirby.

4.quadrimaculata, Panzer, ♂ ♀. 4-5 lines.

vulpina, Kirby.

subglobosa, Kirby.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS.

The nameἄνθος,φὼρ φωρὸς,flower-rifler, would be as suitable for any other genus of bees, and therefore may be classed with those names which have no explicit signification.

The two divisions which our native species of this genus form, might very consistently constitute two genera, differing so much as they do both in habit and habits. In the first section the males totally differ from their females, the latter being black and the pubescence of their partners fulvous, and whose intermediate legs are so much longer, and are decorated besides with tufts of hair upon their plantæ, neither peculiarity being found in those of the second section, which conformmore regularly to the ordinary type of structure. The first section also nidificate gregariously, forming enormous colonies which consist of many hundreds; whereas the second are solitary nidificators, and at most half-a-dozen may be found within as many square yards of territory, and one species, theA. furcata, diverges considerably from the ordinary habits of the genus, and closely approaches those of the foreign genusXylocopa, but its structure necessarily retains it within the boundaries of the genus. All these insects exhibit the peculiar characteristic of theScopulipedes, in the insertion of the second joint of the posterior tarsi at the very bottom of their plantæ, conjunctively with the polliniferous scopa, placed externally upon their tibiæ and plantæ, in which characteristics the AndrenoidMacropisremarkably resembles them, and which I have noticed in my remarks upon that genus.

The first section burrows in banks, where their colonies are extremely numerous. In the tunnels which they form they construct several elliptical cells which they line with a delicate membrane of a white colour, formed by a secretion or saliva derived from the digestion of either the pollen or the honey which they consume. Each cell when formed is stored as usual, and the egg deposited, and then it is closed. There is but little variation in these processes among all the solitary bees, excepting in the case of the artisan bees and the more elaborate processes ofColletes, in which, however, the casing is merely thicker, arising from several layers of the coating membrane. The perfect insects make their appearance during the spring and summer months, their successive maturity being the result of the previous summer and autumn deposit ofeggs. They pass the winter and spring in the larva state, and undergo their transformations into pupa and imago with but slight interval, and only shortly before the appearance of the perfect insect. When first presenting themselves they are certainly very handsome insects, and if carefully killed preserve their beauty for many years in the cabinet. I have found the retusa, Linn., (Kirby’sHaworthana,) in enormous profusion at Hampstead Heath, indeed, so numerous were they, that late in the afternoon, upon approaching the colony, they, in returning home, would strike as forcibly against me as is often done byMelolontha vulgarisorGeotrupes stercorarius. In equal abundance I have found theA. acervorumat Charlton, where I have experienced a similar battery. This is the insect which Gilbert White, in his letters from Selborne, describes as having found in numbers at Mount Caburn, near Lewes, a spot I have often visited in my schoolboy days. This section is subject to the parasitism of the genusMelecta, whose incursions are very repugnant to them, and which they exhibit in very fierce pugnacity, for if they catch the intruder in her invasion they will draw her forth and deliver battle with great fury. I have seen both the combatants rolling in the dust, the combat and escape made perhaps easier to theMelectaby the load theAnthophorawas bearing home. Upon the larva also of this bee it is said that the larva of the Heteromerous genusMeloëis nurtured; this I have never been able to verify, but I believe the fact is fully confirmed. This beetle is closely allied to theCantharides, or blister-beetles, and it itself exudes a very acrimonious yellow liquid when touched or irritated. Two of theChalcididæalso infest their larvæ, which they destroy; one istheMelittobia, named thus from its preying upon bees; it, like the majority of its tribe, is exceedingly minute, and of a shining dark green metallic colour. It is peculiar from having its lateral eyes simple, and in possessing besides three ocelli. The other genus isMonodontomeris, an equally small insect, which, although living upon the larva ofAnthophora, is equally preyed upon by that of theMelittobia. The universal scourge,Forficula, is a great devastator of these colonies, where, of course, it revels in its destructive propensities.

The insects of the second division I have never been able to track to their burrows, but have always caught them either on the wing or on flowers, especially upon those of the common Mallow, and I have found both species all round London. They are said also to frequent the Dead Nettle (Lamium purpureum). TheA. quadrimaculataburrows in banks, and its processes are scarcely different from those of the preceding species, only its habits are solitary. In flight it is exceedingly rapid, and thus much resemblesSaropoda. But theA. furcatabores into putrescent wood, in which it forms a longitudinal pipe subdivided into nine or ten oval divisions, separated from each other by agglutinated scrapings of the same material, very much masticated, the closing of each forming a sharp sort of cornice; each of these cells is about half an inch in length, and three-tenths of an inch in diameter, the separations between them being about a line thick. These pipes or cylinders run parallel to the sides of the wood thus bored, an angle being made both at its commencement and its termination, and thus the latter permits the ready escape of the developed imago nearest that extremity, which being the first deposited, that cell being the first constructed, itnecessarily becomes the first transmuted, and thus has not to wait for the egress of all above it.

All these insects are usually accompanied by their partners in their flight, and their amorous intercourse takes place upon the wing.

Genus 12.Saropoda,Latreille.(Plate VII.fig. 2 ♂♀.)Apis**d, 2, a, Kirby.

Genus 12.Saropoda,Latreille.

(Plate VII.fig. 2 ♂♀.)

Apis**d, 2, a, Kirby.

Gen. Char.:Headtransverse, as wide as the thorax, very pubescent;ocelliplaced in a triangle, the anterior one low towards the face;vertexslightly concave;antennæshort, filiform, basal joint of flagellum globose, the second joint subclavate and the longest, the rest short and equal;faceflattish, short;clypeusforming an obtuse triangle, slightly convex;labrumquadrate, with the angles rounded;mandiblesobtusely bidentate;cibarial apparatuslong;tonguevery long and slender, but gradually expanding towards half its length and then as gradually tapering to the extremity and terminating in a small knob, its sides throughout being fimbriated with short delicate down;paraglossæone-third its length, membranous, very delicate, and tapering to a point;labial palpislender, membranous, the joints conterminous, the basal joint more than half the length of the tongue, the remainder short, the second the longest of these three, and all tapering to the pointed apical one;labiumscarcely one-third as long as the tongue, rather broad, bifid at its inosculation;maxillænearly as long as the tongue, gradually diminishing from its basal sinus to a point at its extremity;maxillary palpifour-jointed,about one-third the length of the maxillæ, the basal joint short, robust, the second tapering from its base to the third joint, which is rather shorter and subclavate, the terminal joint slender.Thoraxvery pubescent, rendering its divisions inconspicuous;scutellumandpost-scutellumlunulate and convex;metathoraxtruncated;wingsas inAnthophora, with three marginal cells closed, the second forming a truncated triangle, and receiving the first recurrent nervure near its centre, the third bulging outwardly and receiving the second recurrent nervure at its extremity;legsvery setose, especially the posterior tibiæ externally, and their plantæ both externally and internally, but the setæ are longer on the exterior of the joint, the second joint of these tarsi inserted beneath, and before the termination of their plantæ, the terminal joint longer than the two preceding;clawsbifid, the inner tooth distant from the apex.Abdomensubovate, very convex, truncated at its base, where it is densely pubescent, the fifth segment fimbriated with stiff setæ, and the terminal segment having a central triangular plate with rigid setæ at its sides.

TheMALEscarcely differs, excepting in the characteristic sexual disparities of slightly longer antennæ, and considerably longer intermediate tarsi, whose apical joint is very clavate.

NATIVE SPECIES.

1.bimaculata, Panzer. ♂ ♀. 4-5 lines. (Plate VII.fig. 2 ♂ ♀.)bimaculata, Kirby.rotundata, Kirby.

1.bimaculata, Panzer. ♂ ♀. 4-5 lines. (Plate VII.fig. 2 ♂ ♀.)

bimaculata, Kirby.

rotundata, Kirby.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS.

The name of this genus is as applicable to the subsectionas to the genus itself,σάρος,brush,ποûς ποδὸς,a foot, in allusion to their polliniferous posterior legs.

We have but one species, but it is very characteristic; for, although retaining several of the features of the second division ofAnthophora(in the colouring of the face it participates with the males of both divisions), yet has it still a marked physiognomy of its own; it retains the normal colouring of bees generally, but its strongest distinction from that division ofAnthophorais the shortness of the antennæ in the female, as in the length of the intermediate legs of the male it would seem to form a link between the two divisions, could a distinct genus stand in such a position, and would almost import the necessity of elevating that division to generic rank, as hinted at in the observations underAnthophora. In the large development of its claws it seems to point to an economy somewhat differing from that second division, but nobody appears to have traced it to its nidus. I have often captured it at Battersea upon the Mallow, together withA. quadrimaculata, but the singular velocity of its flight might indicate a very distant domicile,—in a few minutes it could traverse miles. The electrical vivacity and rich opaline tint of its eyes has been often observed, but this, unfortunately, fades with death; yet so marked is it that it has called forth the distinct observation of a Panzer and a Kirby. Besides the Mallow it has been observed to frequent the Heaths, and were its habits better known would be found, I have no doubt, to visit many other flowers, for Curtis took it in the Isle of Wight sleeping in the great Knapweed,Centaurea scabiosa. I have never caught it laden.

I have hazarded the conjecture in a different part of this work that the music of the bees might be attunedto a musical scale by associating the different species in the due gradation of their varying tones. Here we have one of the most musical of the tribe,—not a monotonous dull sleepy hum, but a finecontralto, the very Patti amongst the bees. But it is rapidity of motion which in them intensifies the note they chant, and the velocity of the flight of this insect is something remarkable. They dart about with almost the rapidity of a flash of lightning, and this swiftness of approach and retreat modulates their accents.

Under the head “Macropis” I have pointed to some strong resemblances between this genus and that.

Genus 13.Ceratina,Latreille.(Plate VII.fig. 3 ♂ ♀.)Apis**d2, a, Kirby.

Genus 13.Ceratina,Latreille.

(Plate VII.fig. 3 ♂ ♀.)

Apis**d2, a, Kirby.

Gen. Char.:Headtransverse, convex, glabrous;ocelliplaced in a triangle on the vertex, which is, as well as the face, convex;antennæshort, subclavate, each inserted in a separate deep cavity in the centre of the face, the first joint of the flagellum globose, the second the longest of all and slender at its base, but all gradually enlarging to the extremity;clypeusvery gibbous;labrumquadrate, convex;cibarial apparatuslong;tonguelong and tapering, and with a minute knob at its extremity;paraglossæobsolete;labial palpithree-fourths as long as the tongue, the two first joints membranous and diminishing in width, the second joint rather shorter than the basal one and acute at its extremity, and externally before its termination the two very short terminal ones are inserted;labiumhalf the length of the tongue,with a lozenge-shaped inosculation;maxillæas long as the tongue, broad at the base, whence it abruptly acuminates to the slender apex;maxillary palpisix-jointed, filiform, the three first joints subequal, the three terminal gradually decreasing in length.Thoraxoval, glabrous;prothoraxinconspicuous;mesothoraxwith a central basal groove, thebossesconspicuous and shining;scutellumandpost-scutellumlunulate;metathoraxsubtruncate;wingswith three submarginal cells and a fourth slightly commenced, the second in the form of a truncated triangle, the third considerably larger than the second, and each receiving a recurrent nervure just beyond the centre;legsplumose but not densely so, the hair very long within the posterior tibiæ, but denser and shorter on its exterior; theposterior plantæalso plumose, and all the joints of the posterior tarsi conterminous;clawsbifid.Abdomenglabrous, subclavate, very convex above and flat beneath, subtruncate at the base, and the basal segments slightly constricted.

TheMALEscarcely differs, excepting in theclypeusbeing less gibbous, thelegsnot plumose, and the sixth segment of theabdomencarinated in the centre towards its extremity, and impending over the seventh, which is transversely gibbous, then depressed, and with an obtuse process at its extremity.

NATIVE SPECIES.

1.cærulea, Villers, ♂ ♀. 2-3 lines. (Plate VII.fig. 3 ♂ ♀.)cyanea, Kirby.2.albilabris, Fabricius, ♂ ♀. 2½ lines.

1.cærulea, Villers, ♂ ♀. 2-3 lines. (Plate VII.fig. 3 ♂ ♀.)

cyanea, Kirby.

2.albilabris, Fabricius, ♂ ♀. 2½ lines.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS.

This genus is named from the presence of a littlehorn between its antennæ,κερατίνη,a horn. Some foreign entomologists, especially Latreille and Le Pelletier de St. Fargeau, have considered it to be parasitical, but that it is not so we have the authority of the Marquis Spinola, of Genoa, confirmed by the testimony of Mr. Thwaites, a very accurate observer, in the vicinity of Bristol, where the insect is not at all uncommon, although extremely rare in most other parts, and consequently usually a desideratum to cabinets, from its great beauty both of form and colour, notwithstanding that it is so very small in size. It has also been found in other localities, as at Birchwood, where the late Mr. Bambridge used to take it, and as near London as Charlton, at both which places I have no doubt it might frequently be found were it carefully looked for, but the practised entomological eye is often wanting to detect an insect unless it be conspicuously present. Its usual nidus is a bramble or briar stick, from which it excavates the pith, and this it has been frequently observed doing, and both sexes have been repeatedly bred from such sticks. We have no notice of any peculiarity in its mode of forming its cells, which may resemble that of such wood-boring genera asChelostomaandHeriades, although its structure would intimate a closer affinity to the habits of the exotic genusXylocopa; nor is there extant any account of the process or time occupied in the development of its young. Spinola’s notion, from not seeing the sufficiency of the hair upon the posterior tibiæ for the purpose, assumed that the pollen was conveyed home on the forehead and between the antennæ, he having caught an insect with some pollen accidentally incrusted there in the insect’s honey-seeking excursion. The hair upon these legs is very sparse, it is true, but then itis very long, and the quantity of pollen required for the nurture of the larva is evidently small, from its having been observed that the store upon which the egg is deposited is semi-liquid, thus preponderating in the admixture of honey.

That it has not been caught laden with pollen upon its legs has no weight against the fact of its non-parasitism, for it is not always that the excursions of bees are made for the purpose of collecting pollen. Honey is as necessary to their economy—and in this case perhaps more so—as pollen, and the only way to determine the fact of its carrying pollen, corroboratively, would be when knowing that one of these bees has visited a bramble stick—its presumptive nidus,—to watch the stick very patiently for the insect’s return from every journey until it came back laden; the presence of pollen upon its legs would surely be indicated by the difference of its colour from the ordinary dark hue of the little labourer.

We have already noticed bees with metallic hues among theHalicti, and there are slight indications of it in some of theAndrenæ, for instance, in theA. cinereaand theA. nigro-ænea, etc., but in none hitherto so absolutely is it exhibited as in this genus. The prevalent colour of the bees, that is to say, the ground colour of the integument, and not the fleeting one of the pubescence, is black or brown, but here we have a positive metallic tinge, which we shall again come across in many shades and hues in the genusOsmia.

A second species of the genus was brought from Devonshire by Dr. Leach, and is in the collection of the British Museum, but no other specimens of the same species have since been found.

The only flower which it has been noticed that they frequent is the Viper’s Bugloss (Echium vulgare).

Subsection 2.Nudipedes(naked-legged cuckoo-bees).a.With three submarginal cells to the wings.Genus 14.Nomada,Fabricius.(PlatesVIII.,IX.,X.)

Subsection 2.Nudipedes(naked-legged cuckoo-bees).

a.With three submarginal cells to the wings.

Genus 14.Nomada,Fabricius.

(PlatesVIII.,IX.,X.)

Gen. Char.:Headtransverse;ocelliin a triangle on the vertex;antennæfiliform, scarcely geniculated, the scape short, the basal joint of the flagellum subglobose, the second joint clavate, the remainder subequal;faceflat, or slightly concave, carinated longitudinally in the centre between the insertion of the antennæ;clypeussubtriangular, convex, deflected at the lateral angles;labrumsubcircular, very gibbous and protuberant;mandiblesacute or subbidentate;tonguelong, acute;paraglossæabout one-fourth its length, acute;labial palpitwo-thirds the length of the tongue, the two basal joints membranous, the basal one as long as the rest united, and tapering to its extremity, the second joint less than half the length of the first, and not wider at its base than the apex of the first joint, and tapering like that to its end, where it is acute, the third joint short, subclavate, and the terminal one-half the length of the preceding, very slender and linear;labiumabout one-half the length of the tongue, and at its inosculation produced obtusely in the centre;maxillæsubhastate, about the length of the tongue;maxillary palpisix-jointed, the basal joint short, robust, subclavate, the second the longest, and with the rest tapering in substance and diminishing in length to the extremity, theterminal joint being very little shorter than the preceding.Thoraxovate;prothoraxinconspicuous, or distinct and angulated laterally;mesothoraxglabrous, deeply punctulated; itsbossesconspicuous and prominent;scutellumdivided into two very prominent tubercles;post-scutellumlinear, convex;metathoraxwith a triangular space at its base, and declining to the insertion of the abdomen;wingswith three submarginal cells, and a fourth very slightly commenced, the first as long as the two following, and each of which receives a recurrent nervure about its centre;legssubspinose externally on the tibiæ, and not polliniferous;clawsof tarsi small and not bifid.Abdomenoval, glabrous, shining; terminal segment triangular, with its sides ridged.

TheMALEscarcely differs, excepting in sometimes being more profusely adorned with colour, but this is not always the case, the female being often the most ornate. There are very slight differences in the antennæ in the sexes, which may be readily associated together.

NATIVE SPECIES.§With filiform antennæ.

NATIVE SPECIES.

§With filiform antennæ.

1.sexfasciata, Panzer, ♂ ♀. 5-6 lines. (Plate VIII.fig. 3 ♂ ♀.)Schæfferella, Kirby.connexa, Kirby.2.Goodemana, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4-5 lines. (Plate VIII.fig. 1 ♂ ♀.)? succincta, Panzer.3.alternata, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4-5 lines.Marshamella, Kirby.4.Lathburiana, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4-5½ lines. (Plate VIII.fig. 2 ♂ ♀.)5.varia, Panzer, ♂ ♀. 4-4½ lines.varia, Kirby.fucata, Kirby.6.ruficornis, Linnæus, ♂ ♀.ruficornis, Kirby.leucophthalma, Kirby.flava, Kirby.7.lateralis, Panzer, ♂ ♀. 4-4½ lines. (Plate X.fig. 3 ♂ ♀.)8.ochrostoma, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4-4½ lines. Hillana, Kirby.9.signata, Jurine, ♂ ♀. 4-5 lines. (Plate IX.fig. 1 ♂ ♀.)10.borealis, Zetterstedt, ♂ ♀. 3½-5 lines.11.lineola, Panzer, ♂ ♀. 4-6 lines.cornigera, Kirby.subcornuta, Kirby.Capreæ, Kirby.sexcincta, Kirby.12.xanthosticta, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 2-2¾ lines.13.flavoguttata, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 2-3 lines. (Plate IX.fig. 3 ♂ ♀.)14.furva, Panzer, ♂ ♀. 2-2½ lines.rufocincta, Kirby.Sheppardana, Kirby.Dalii, Curtis.15.Germanica, Panzer, ♂ ♀. 4 lines.ferruginata, Kirby.16.Fabriciana, Linnæus, ♂ ♀. 3½-5 lines. (Plate IX.fig. 2 ♂ ♀.)Fabriciella, Kirby.quadrinotata, Kirby.17.armata, Schaeffer, ♂ ♀. 5-5½ lines.Kirbii, Stephens.

1.sexfasciata, Panzer, ♂ ♀. 5-6 lines. (Plate VIII.fig. 3 ♂ ♀.)

Schæfferella, Kirby.

connexa, Kirby.

2.Goodemana, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4-5 lines. (Plate VIII.fig. 1 ♂ ♀.)

? succincta, Panzer.

3.alternata, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4-5 lines.

Marshamella, Kirby.

4.Lathburiana, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4-5½ lines. (Plate VIII.fig. 2 ♂ ♀.)

5.varia, Panzer, ♂ ♀. 4-4½ lines.

varia, Kirby.

fucata, Kirby.

6.ruficornis, Linnæus, ♂ ♀.

ruficornis, Kirby.

leucophthalma, Kirby.

flava, Kirby.

7.lateralis, Panzer, ♂ ♀. 4-4½ lines. (Plate X.fig. 3 ♂ ♀.)

8.ochrostoma, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4-4½ lines. Hillana, Kirby.

9.signata, Jurine, ♂ ♀. 4-5 lines. (Plate IX.fig. 1 ♂ ♀.)

10.borealis, Zetterstedt, ♂ ♀. 3½-5 lines.

11.lineola, Panzer, ♂ ♀. 4-6 lines.

cornigera, Kirby.

subcornuta, Kirby.

Capreæ, Kirby.

sexcincta, Kirby.

12.xanthosticta, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 2-2¾ lines.

13.flavoguttata, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 2-3 lines. (Plate IX.fig. 3 ♂ ♀.)

14.furva, Panzer, ♂ ♀. 2-2½ lines.

rufocincta, Kirby.

Sheppardana, Kirby.

Dalii, Curtis.

15.Germanica, Panzer, ♂ ♀. 4 lines.

ferruginata, Kirby.

16.Fabriciana, Linnæus, ♂ ♀. 3½-5 lines. (Plate IX.fig. 2 ♂ ♀.)

Fabriciella, Kirby.

quadrinotata, Kirby.

17.armata, Schaeffer, ♂ ♀. 5-5½ lines.

Kirbii, Stephens.

§§With subclavate antennæ.

18.Jacobeæ, Panzer, ♂ ♀. 4-4½ lines. (Plate X.fig. 1 ♂ ♀.)Jacobeæ, Kirby.flavopicta, Kirby.19.Solidaginis, Panzer, ♂ ♀. 3½-4 lines. (Plate X.fig. 2 ♂ ♀.)picta, Kirby.rufopicta, Kirby.20.Roberjeotiana, Panzer, ♂ ♀. 3 lines.

18.Jacobeæ, Panzer, ♂ ♀. 4-4½ lines. (Plate X.fig. 1 ♂ ♀.)

Jacobeæ, Kirby.

flavopicta, Kirby.

19.Solidaginis, Panzer, ♂ ♀. 3½-4 lines. (Plate X.fig. 2 ♂ ♀.)

picta, Kirby.

rufopicta, Kirby.

20.Roberjeotiana, Panzer, ♂ ♀. 3 lines.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS.

This genus was named by Fabricius from theNomades, a pastoral Scythian tribe, in allusion to the assumed wandering habits of the insects, and it is the fact indeed that they are usually found leisurely hovering about hedge-rows, or the banks enclosing fields, or about the metropolis or nidus of any bee upon which they are parasitical. They are the gayest of all our bees, their colours being red or yellow intermixed with black, in bands or spots; they are also very elegant in form, which is after the type of that of the most normalAndrenidæ, and to which they have a further affinity by the silence of their flight, and by their parasitism upon many of the species of that subfamily. From their very general resemblance to wasps in colour they are often mistaken for wasps, and are popularly called wasp-bees, although they have none of the virulence of that vindictive tribe, for although all the females are armed with stings, they are not prompt in their use, or if roused to defence the puncture is but slight. In additionto their prettiness of colour and elegance of form, they have a further attraction in the agreeable odours they emit, sometimes of a balmy or balsamical, and sometimes of a mixed character, and often as sweet as thepot-pourri, and occasionally pleasantly pungent. A fine string of specimens of the several species is a great ornament to a collection, but to secure this in its perfection some care is required in the mode of killing them. Their colours are best permanently retained by suffocating them with sulphur, which fixes the reds and yellows in all their natural and living purity. My method was in my collecting excursions to convey with me a large store of pill-boxes of various sizes, and as I captured insects in my green gauze bag-net, I transferred them separately to these boxes. When home again I lifted the lids slightly on one side and placed as many as would readily go beneath a tumbler, and then fumigated them with the sulphur. This is a better plan than killing them with crushed laurel-leaves, for it leaves the limbs much longer flexible for the purposes of setting, whereas the laurel has a tendency to make them rigid, and this rigidity is extremely difficult to relax, whereas the setting of those killed with sulphur, if they are kept in a cool place, may be deferred for a few days, until leisure intervene to permit it, and even then if they become stiffened they are readily relaxed for the purpose.

A division might very consistently be established in the genus by the separation of those which have subclavate antennæ, and the segments of whose abdomen are slightly constricted; these also are more essentially midsummer insects, and usually frequent the Ragwort. This is the only genus of parasites amongst the truebees whose parasitism is directed exclusively upwards in the scientific arrangement; the parasitism of all the rest of the genera ofNudipedesbears upon the genera below them in the series. Some of the species of theNomadæattack more than one species or one genus, but the majority are strictly limited to but one genus and one species. The genera obnoxious to this annoyance areAndrena,Halictus,Panurgus, andEucera; the latter two have but one of these enemies each, theNomada Fabricianainfesting thePanurgus Banksianus, and theN. sexfasciatafrequenting theEucera longicornis. UnderPanurgusI have alluded to the relative abundance of the parasite at the metropolis of its sitos. As far as known, the other species are thus distributed. Those frequenting several indifferently are theNomada alternata,Lathburiana,succincta, andruficornis, which are found to infestAndrena Trimmerana,tibialis,Afzeliella, andfulva, without displaying any choice; whereas others confine themselves to one sitos exclusively: thusNomada ochrostomalimits itself toAndrena labialis;N. GermanicatoA. fulvescens;N. lateralistoA. longipes;N. baccatatoA. argentata;N. borealistoA. Clarkella;N. FabricianatoPanurgus Banksianus; andN. sexfasciatatoEucera longicornis. Observation has not yet fully determined whither each species ofNomadaconveys its parasitism; several infest theHalicti, especially the smaller species; the association of these it is difficult to determine; I have usually found several of the smallHalictiburrowing together in the vertical surface of an enclosure bank, and several of the smallNomadahovering cautiously opposite, now alighting and entering a burrow, then retreating backwards and winging off. I lost patience in endeavouring to combine thespecies by the aid of blades of grass or slight straws thrust into the aperture, but the crumbling nature of the soil frustrated my wishes, and I abandoned the attempt. This field of observation is widely open to the exertions of observing naturalists, and the novelty of their discoveries would well reward the toil of the undertaking, for it would not be long before they gathered fruit.

Genus 15.Melecta,Latreille.(Plate XI.fig. 1 ♂ ♀.)Apis**a, Kirby.

Genus 15.Melecta,Latreille.

(Plate XI.fig. 1 ♂ ♀.)

Apis**a, Kirby.

Gen. Char.:Headtransverse, scarcely so wide as the thorax;ocelliin a triangle on the vertex;antennæfiliform, rather robust, and but slightly geniculated, the scape not longer than the two following joints, the second joint of the flagellum the longest and clavate, the rest short, nearly equal, and the terminal one laterally compressed at its extremity;faceflat, very pubescent;clypeusshort transverse, lunulate, convex;labrumirregularly gibbous, obovate;mandiblesstrongly bidentate;tonguelong, slightly expanding towards the middle and thence tapering to the extremity, and with a central line;paraglossæscarcely half the length of the tongue, almost setiform, but robust at the base;labial palpimore than half the length of the tongue, the two first joints membranous and very slender, the first longer than the rest united, the second about half the length of the first, and terminating acutely, the third not more than one-fourth the length of the second, and inserted laterally before its termination, the fourth about as longas the third, and, like it, subclavate, both being more robust than the second;labiumnot half the length of the tongue, and acutely triangular at its inosculation;maxillæsubhastate, not quite so long as the tongue;maxillary palpifive-jointed, about one-third the length of the maxillæ, the basal joint clavate, short, and robust; the second elongate, subclavate, the remainder gradually but slightly diminishing in substance and length, the terminal not so long as the basal joint.Thoraxvery retuse, and its divisions scarcely distinguishable;scutellumbidentate;metathoraxabruptly truncated;wingswith three closed submarginal cells, the second the smallest, irregularly triangular, and receiving the first recurrent nervure just beyond its centre, the third submarginal considerably larger than the second, sublunulate, but angulated externally and receiving the second recurrent nervure about its centre; thelegsrobust and spinulose, especially the tibiæ externally (where they are very convex) and the femora beneath; theclawsshort, strong and bifid. TheAbdomenconical, truncated, and retuse at its base, the apical segment with a central triangular plate ridged laterally, and fimbriated at its sides with strong setæ.

TheMALEscarcely differs in personal appearance, excepting that its antennæ are more robust and its ornamental pubescence is more profuse, its posterior tibiæ very robust and almost triangular, and the terminal segment of its abdomen slightly emarginate and concave at its extremity.

NATIVE SPECIES.

1. punctata, Fabricius, ♂ ♀. 6 lines. (Plate XI.fig. 1 ♂ ♀.)? Atropos, Newman.? Lachesis, Newman.2.armata, Panzer, ♂ ♀. 6-7 lines.punctata, Kirby.? Tisiphone, Newman.? Alecto, Newman.? Clotho, Newman.? Megæra, Newman.

1. punctata, Fabricius, ♂ ♀. 6 lines. (Plate XI.fig. 1 ♂ ♀.)

? Atropos, Newman.

? Lachesis, Newman.

2.armata, Panzer, ♂ ♀. 6-7 lines.

punctata, Kirby.

? Tisiphone, Newman.

? Alecto, Newman.

? Clotho, Newman.

? Megæra, Newman.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS.

Named fromμέλι,honey,λέγω,I collect; which is scarcely the case, for the parasites, although they may indulge in the luxury of honey as epicures, or resort to it as a repast, cannot be said to collect it, for it is only the labouring bees that truly collect it for the purpose of storing.

These insects are extremely handsome, their ground-colour being intensely black, brightly shining on the abdomen, upon the segments of which it is laterally ornamented with silvery pubescent tufts and spots; the black legs are also variously ringed with similar silver down. The great variation these spots and markings undergo—from what cause we know not—has induced several entomologists to consider them as distinct species. But the strongest varieties so rarely recur with identical ornaments, and as almost all can be closely connected together in a regular series by interlacing differences impossible to divide, it would be certainly incorrect, without stronger characteristics, to raise such fugitive variations to specific rank. Whether the curious spines of the scutellum which they possess furnish a more certain character is doubtful, for we find all such processes equally liable to variation in size andform. What can be the uses of these spines? They can hardly be for defence, although an entomologist has said that a male which he held endeavoured to pinch by that means. We find similar processes in the same situation inCœlioxys, equally a parasitical genus; but the former genus infests theScopulipedesand the latter theDasygasters, whose economies are so very different, and thus it can hardly be supposed to have reference to habits. InEpeolusandStelisthe same part is mucronated, a tendency to which we see in theNomadæwith subclavate antennæ. UnderAnthophoraI have given an account of the pugnacious spirit of these insects in their contests with the sitos, and it is necessary to be cautious in handling them, as they sting very severely. Our two native species are parasitical upon the two species of the first division ofAnthophora,—those which are gregarious. The circumstance ofMelectabeing often caught with many of the extremely young larvæ ofMeloëupon it seems to confirm the fact of this coleopterous insect preying uponAnthophora, as it may be thus assumed to prey simultaneously upon the larva ofMelecta. I have never captured these insects upon flowers, nor can I trace what flowers they frequent, although Latreille tells us, in the name he has imposed, that they are honey collectors; but Curtis reports that he has found the genus upon the common furze or whin (Ulex Europæus).

Genus 16.Epeolus,Latreille.(Plate XI.fig. 2 ♂ ♀.)Apis**b, Kirby.

Genus 16.Epeolus,Latreille.

(Plate XI.fig. 2 ♂ ♀.)

Apis**b, Kirby.

Gen. Char.:Bodyglabrous.Headtransverse, vertexconvex;ocelliplaced in a triangle on its summit;antennæshort, linear, the joints of the flagellum subequal;faceflat, carinated longitudinally in its centre between the insertion of the antennæ;clypeustransverse, lunulate, convex, margined anteriorly;labrumtransversely ovate, with a small process in the centre in front;mandiblesbidentate, the internal tooth minute, the external robust and broad;tonguerather long, more than twice the length of the labium, tapering to its extremity;paraglossæshort, about one-fourth the length of the tongue, broad at the base, and acuminate towards the apex;labial palpimore than half the length of the tongue, the basal joint longer than the three following, membranous, and gradually decreasing to the second, which is one-third the length of the first, and acute at its apex, where the third subclavate joint is articulated, the terminal joint considerably shorter than the third;labiumnot more than one-third the length of the tongue, and trifid at its inosculation, the central division being hastate;maxillæsubhastate, more than one-half the length of the tongue;maxillary palpiconsisting of one robust short conical joint inserted in a deep circular receptacle.Thoraxsubglobose;prothoraxconspicuous, with its lateral angles slightly prominent;mesothoraxwith its bosses prominent;wing-scales large;scutellumtransverse, gibbous, margined posteriorly, slightly mucronated laterally, slightly depressed in the centre, and impending over thepost-scutellum, which is inapparent;metathoraxabruptly truncated;wingswith three submarginal cells, and a fourth feebly commenced, the first as long as the two following, the second subtriangular, and receiving the first recurrent nervure about its centre, and the third lunulate, and receiving thesecond recurrent nervure also about the centre;legsshort, stout, thetibiæslightly spinulose externally;clawsvery small, short, robust and simple.Abdomenobtusely conical, truncated at the base, its terminal segment triangular, and the lateral margins slightly reflected.

TheMALEscarcely differs, excepting in the usual male characteristics, and that the apical segment of the abdomen is rounded and margined.

Back to Index Next