59.57.99(88)
Article XX.—BEES FROM BRITISH GUIANA
By T. D. A. Cockerell.
In connection with the work of the Tropical Research Station of the New York Zoological Society, conducted by Mr. William Beebe, collections of insects, including bees, were made. The present report deals with a series of bees from the Bartica District, and Mr. John Tee Van, in forwarding them, states that "almost all of these bees were procured about a clump of several species of nightshades (Solanum), which were flowering in thinned-out jungle." I give an artificial key, which will enable one who is not a specialist in bees to separate readily each species from the rest. It will, of course, remain necessary to compare any species with a fuller account to make sure that it is not some form unrepresented in the present collection. The types of the new species and varieties from British Guiana are deposited in The American Museum of Natural History. Species marked P. are from the Penal Settlement; those marked K. occur at Kalacoon.
| The body, or some part of it, brilliant green No part of the body brilliant green | 1. 11. | |
| 1. | Thorax dark, with more or less purple tints, not bright green Thorax bright or clear green, at least in part | 2. 4. |
| 2. | Small bee, less than 10 mm. long Large, robust bees, greatly exceeding 10 mm. | Augochlora callichlorura, new species. 3. |
| 3. | Abdomen with the first two segments dark; tongue not extending to end of abdomen Abdomen all bright green, with brassy tints; tongue extending backward far beyond tip of abdomen | Eufriesia pulchra (Smith). Euglossa brullei Lepeletier. |
| 4. | Hind margins of abdominal segments broadly black. Hind margins of abdominal segments green Hind margins of abdominal segments red or whitish; very robust bees | Augochlora nigromarginata (Spinola).—P. 5. 10. |
| 5. | Small bee, less than 10 mm. long, the clypeus with a transverse apical ivory-colored band Larger, very robust bees | Ceratina læta Spinola. 6. |
| 6. | Tongue extending beyond abdomen posteriorly Tongue not extending beyond abdomen | 7. 8. |
| 7. | Scutellum with a patch of black tomentum Scutellum without a patch of black tomentum | Euglossa ignita Smith; female. Euglossa ignita Smith; male. |
| 8. | Robust bees, about 10 mm. long or a little over; scutellum with, a patch of black tomentum Much larger bees, a little over 20 mm. long | Euglossa cordata (Linnæus).—P. 9. |
| 9. | Scutellum with an obtuse median keel; posterior angles of scutellum rounded Scutellum depressed in middle, without any keel; posterior angles of scutellum rather prominent | Exærele smaragdina (Guérin). Exærele dentata (Linné). |
| 10. | Scutellum with a patch of light fulvous tomentum; scape red. Scutellum with a patch of black tomentum; scape dark, with a pale yellow mark Scutellum without a patch of tomentum; scape pale yellow in front. | Euglossa decorata ruficauda, new variety; female—K. Euglossa singularis Mocsáry.—P. Euglossa decorata ruficauda, new variety; male. |
| 11. | Very large bees, anterior wing at least 23 mm. long; integument partly or wholly ferruginous Anterior wing less than 20 mm. long | 12. 13. |
| 12. | Abdomen with broad black bands. Abdomen without black bands | Xylocopa frontalis nitens (Lepeletier); male[A]—P. Xylocopa fimbriala (Fabricius). |
| 13. | Wasp-like bee, with fusiform abdomen, reddish wings and red legs; three complete submarginal cells, first recurrent nervure meeting second transversocubital Otherwise formed, the abdomen broad at base | Rhathymus beebei, new species 14. |
| 14. | Surface of eyes with fine short hair; first abdominal segment red, the others black; female abdomen sharply pointed. Eyes not hairy; female abdomen not sharply pointed | Cælioxys ardescens Cockerell. (Hym. 6 and 138.) 15. |
| 15. | Anterior wings with three complete submarginal cells Anterior wings with submarginal cells incomplete or wanting; stingless social bees | 16. 29. |
| 16. | Small bee, about 8 mm. long; wings beyond middle milky-white, the extreme apex dusky Larger bees; the wings not thus colored | Tetrapedia lacteipennis Vachal.—P. 17. |
| 17. | Abdomen clear ferruginous; large robust bees Abdomen not ferruginous; or only partly so | 18. 19. |
| 18. | Hind legs with black hair Hind legs with pale hair | Centris personata Smith; male.—P. Centris personata Smith; female.—P. |
| 19. | Integument with at least some bluish, purplish or greenish tints; abdomen not banded; form very robust Integument not at all metallic (very slightly in Eulæma nigrita, variety) | 20. 21. |
| 20. | Larger; anterior wing at least 17 mm. long; head and thorax with black hair; fourth and fifth abdominal segments purple Much smaller; cheeks densely covered with white hair; clypeus black in female, yellow in male | Eulæma nigrita Lepeletier. Xylocopa barbata (Fabricius). |
| 21. | Thorax and abdomen hairy; hair of thorax yellow, with a transverse black band, of abdomen black, with a transverse yellow band. Not thus colored | Bombus incarum Franklin. 22. |
| 22. | Clypeus with two longitudinal keels Clypeus with a single, median longitudinal keel, sharp and extending its whole length; black bee, with black hair. Clypeus without any distinct keels | 23. Eulæma nigrita Lepeletier, variety; female.[B] 25. |
| 23. | Scutellum with two large yellow marks. Scutellum with the integument all dark | Epicharis maculata barticana, new variety.—K. 24. |
| 24. | Second abdominal segment with a yellow mark on each side. Abdomen with the integument all black | Epicharis affinis Smith.—P. Epicharis rustica (Olivier).—P. |
| 25. | Less than 12 mm. long; wings not deep fuliginous Over 18 mm. long; wings deep fuliginous | 26. 27. |
| 26. | Hair bands of abdomen broad; male with long antennæ and yellow clypeus. Hair bands of abdomen linear; integument of clypeus black. | Florilegus barticanus, new species. Melitoma fulvifrons (Smith). |
| 27. | Hair of mesothorax and scutellum dark brown; apical part of abdomen with integument red Hair of mesothorax and scutellum red | Centris fusciventris Mocsáry.—P. 28. |
| 28. | Face with yellow markings; anterior wing about 14 mm. long. Face without yellow markings; anterior wing about 20 mm. long. | Centris lineolata Lepeletier. Centris atriventris Mocsáry.—P. |
| 29. | Robust bees, not less than 9 mm. long Small, fly-like bees, not nearly 9 mm. long | 30. 32. |
| 30. | Thorax with ferruginous hair; integument of scutellum yellow. Thorax with dorsal hair not ferruginous | Melipona fasciata barticensis Cockerell, ined.—P. 31. |
| 31. | Abdomen more or less reddish, at least the first segment dorsally pale red. Abdomen black, with narrow yellowish-white tegumentary bands; a tuft of dark red hair before each tegula. | Melipona intermixta Cockerell, ined.—P. Melipona interrupta (Latreille).—K. |
| 32. | Legs mainly red; clypeus yellow Legs and clypeus black | Trigona longipes Smith.—K. Trigona sp. (specimens imperfect).—P. |
[A] The female of X. nitens is black, with dark wings. It was not in the material sent. The female of X. fimbriala is also black.
[B] A little purple can be seen at sides of abdomen, but it is easily overlooked.
NOTES AND DESCRIPTIONS
Melipona interrupta (Latreille).—In the specimen sent, the bands on second and following segments are notched above in middle, with only an obscure linear interruption.