Species account taken from: "A Revision of the Genus Ashmeadiella (Hymen., Megachilidae) Author(s): Charles D. Michener Source: American Midland Naturalist,Vol. 22, No. 1 (Jul., 1939), pp. 1-84"
Ashmeadiella rhodognatha Cockerell, 1925, Proc. Calif. Acad. Sci., (4) 12: 557, $ ; Cockerell, 1935, Pan-Pac. Ent., 11.48.
This is a short, robust, black species with much white pubescence.
Female: Head much broader than long; face, especially laterally, covered with white pubescence; inner margins of eyes nearly parallel; clypeus rather finely and closely punctate, its margin broadly rounded, slightly turned out- ward, and rather broadly crenulated; apex of labrum subtruncate; mandibles usually largely red, quadridentate (rarely tridentate because of reduction of third tooth), apical tooth long, next tooth longer than inner two, which are small and often inconspicuous; cheeks narrower than eyes, seen from side; anterior ocellus posterior to midpoint between antennal bases and posterior edge of vertex; distance between posterior ocelli about equal to distance to nearest eye margin and to posterior edge of vertex; occipital carina complete and evident from above; vertex a little more coarsely punctate than clypeus, punctures approximate; flagellum reddish beneath. Scutum more sparsely punctate than vertex, margined with white pubescence, band broadest on anterior side; tegulae reddish testaceous; hind tibial spurs with inner margin with few, inconspicuous, small teeth, outer margin with five large teeth; outer spurs with four rather large, slender teeth on inner margin and three lower, oblique teeth on outer margin. Abdomen with punctures quite fine and rather sparse on discs of basal tergites, but as coarse as those of clypeus on sides; posterior margins of tergites reddish with broad bands of white pubescence; scopa white. Length 5 to 6 1/2 mm.
Male: Coloration and pubescence except on face similar to that of female; face much broader than long, densely covered with white pubescence; inner margins of eyes converging toward clypeus except for lower parts which diverge; clypeus short, margin crenulate, a sublateral emargination on each side deeper than any of the others; apex of labrum broadly rounded; man- dibles with apical tooth very long; cheeks considerably narrower than eyes, seen from side; inner margin of inner hind tibial spurs nearly entire, outer with five somewhat oblique teeth; outer spurs with three teeth on each margin; lateral teeth of sixth tergite variable, sometimes short and broadly rounded, at other times longer and narrowly rounded apically; median teeth longer than basal width, concavity between them longer than a semicircle. Length 5 to nearly 6 mm.
This species occurs in the deserts of California and Lower California. CALIFORNIA: Cathedral City. Riverside County, April 10, 1936, on Parosela schotlli and Cercidium Iorre_anum (C.D.Michener); Lone Pine, Inyo County, June 15, 1937, on Parosela polpadenia (C.D.Michener, E.C.VanDyke); Furnice Creek, Death Valley, Inyo County, April 14, 1938, on Pluzchea sericea (B.E.White); four miles east of Edom, September 17, 1937, on Dalea schotfii; Box Canyon, March 31 and Ap-il 13, 1934, on Cercidium lorreVamum; Painted Canyon, April 18, 1925, same flower;- near Oasis, April 19, 1925, same flower; five and one-half miles north west of Indio, April 9, 1936, on Prosopis glandulosa (all P.H.Timberlake). Type: Female; San Jose Island, Gulf of California, in California Academy of Science
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