apis (2)

[Lat. apis or apes, gen it. apis = a bee.] 1. Entom .: The typical genus of the family Apidæ, and the Hymenopterous tribe An tho phil a. The workers have the first articulation of the posterior tarsi in a long square: it is moreover furnished at its internal face with silky down, divided into transverse bands. The A. mellific a , from Lat. mellific us , a. = honey-making ( mel = honey, and facio make), is the Hive-bee. [BEE.] IMG:content-0611.jpg:[graphic] to 2. Astron.: A small constellation in the Southern Hemisphere, first named by Halley. It is called also Musca, literally the Fly, but in this case rendered "the Bee." [MUSCA.]