Abstract
MY letter in NATURE, vol. viii. p. 201, was incomplete so far as the names of the Brazilian insects alluded to are concerned, but I am now enabled accurately to name both the supposed milk-cow and the supposed milker. With regard to the former, Mr. Rogenhofer, of Vienna, has had the kindness to compare my specimens of Membracis with the collection in the museum of that metropolis, and informs me that my Membracis belongs to the genus Potnia of Stäl (Umbonia of Fairmaìre), the species most probably being indicator Fairm. As to the Trigona species referred to in the above letter, I have in the meantime received numerous good specimens, not only a number of workers, but also some males, and even one queen. Mr. Frederick Smith has been good enough to compare my specimens with the collection in the British Museum, and has found that they belong to an undescribed species. Having worked through the literature on Trigona and Melipona as completely as possible, and after perusing the descriptions of about one hundred species, not having found a single one of which all three kinds of individuals are known, I think it will be welcome to the readers of this journal who are interested in entomology, if I do not restrict myself to merely mentioning the name and diagnostics of my new Trigona species, but give a description of its workers, male and queen, adding a brief account of its peculiar habits and economy from my brother's (Fritz Müller) observations.
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MÜLLER, H. Larvæ of Membracis Serving as Milk-Cattle to a Brazilian Species of Bee . Nature 10, 31–32 (1874). https://doi.org/10.1038/010031a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/010031a0