Extracted from 2017 “Bees of Maryland: A Field Guide” http://bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdfLarge, regularly occurring, but uncommon spring bees. Usually found in higher quality field/meadow environments.
Field Marks: ♀♂Clypeus protruding like a great mound from the face, viewed from side it protrudes the same distance as the width of the eye. Moderate sized, flat, bare, triangular or oblong plate (pygidial plate) on the very last abdominal segment (often hard to see or retracted). ♀Hind legs with long, bushy pollen carrying hairs. ♂Clypeus entirely yellow/off-white. Antennae extremely long, arcing well past the base of the wings. Flight, very fast, zipping blurrily between flowers, looking for females, where they hesitate slightly before going to the next flower.
Flight Season: Spring through June.
Size Relative to Honey Bee: 1–1.5X.
Position of Wings Feeding on Flowers: Along sides or crossed on back.
Location of Pollen Carrying Hairs: Hind tibia and basitarsus
Similar Genera: Habropoda and Anthophora - Clypeus also protruding. ♀Chubbier, more Bombus-like. Hind legs, hair on basitarsus clearly shorter than on tibia. ♂Face, area between clypeus and eye with at least some white/yellow integument (all black in Eucera). Other Eucerini - Clypeus flatter (Long-horned Bee Group) and/or out later in the year, with minor overlap with other Long-horned Bees in the month of June.
Nest: Ground nester.
Flowers: Nectars from a variety of flowers.
- Hosts
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- Bayerisches Landesamt für Umweltschutz
- www9.plala.or.jp
- St. Goarshausen/Rhein