( 165 ) X. Synopsis of British Hymenoptera. Diploptera and Anthophila ; jj«?'^ /. to end of Andrenidae. By Edwaed Saunders, F.L.S. [Kead May 3rd, 1882.] Plates VII.— XI. The Diploptera and Anthophila follow in natural order after the Heterogi/na and Fossores, of which I gave a synopsis of the British species in the volume of our ' Transactions ' for 1880 (pp. 201—304). I have endea-voured as much as possible to pursue the same method with regard to the analytical tables and descriptions in the Synopsis which I have now to lay before the Society, so that the two together may form a complete descriptive History of our British Aculeate Hymenoptera. In the genera Halictus and Andrena I have had to describe the species at some length, as they are often so closely allied one to another that detailed descriptions are almost a necessity, and for the same reason the analytical tables in such cases are proportionately un-satisfactory. I have, however, done my best to make them as clear as possible ; and I feel sure that any one who knows the difficulty of distinguishing between some of the closely-allied species will not be surprised if in some instances he has to refer to the detailed descrip-tions, as well as to the tables, in order to name his insect satisfactorily. Figures of the ^ genitalia (armature) have been given of all the species possible in the genera, Colletes, Pro-sopis, Halictus, &c. In Andrena, however, the characters presented by these organs are not nearly so strongly pronounced as in the allied genera, and I have therefore not thought it worth while to figure them, except in such instances where there is some striking divergence from the ordinary type. The number of species in the Diploptera exceeds by three that given by Mr. F. Smith in his 1871 Catalogue, published by this Society ; whereas the Anthophila, to the TRANS. ENT. SOC. 1882. — PART II. (jULY.)
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