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Hoplitis simplex (Cresson, 1864)
Heriades simplex Cresson, 1864; Robertsonella simplex (Cresson, 1864); Robertsonella gleasoni Titus, 1904; Robertsonella crataegina Cockerell, 1909; Robertsonella simplex crataegina Cockerell, 1909; Hoplitis (Robertsonella) gleasoni (Titus, 1904)

Life   Insecta   Hymenoptera   Apoidea   Megachilidae   Hoplitis
Subgenus: Robertsonella

Hoplitis simplex, F, back, Prince Georges County, MD
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Hoplitis simplex, F, back, Prince Georges County, MD

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Hoplitis simplex, F, face, Prince Georges County, MD
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Hoplitis simplex, F, face, Prince Georges County, MD
Hoplitis simplex, F, Back, OH, Washington County
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Hoplitis simplex, F, Back, OH, Washington County

Hoplitis simplex, F, Face, OH, Washington County
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Hoplitis simplex, F, Face, OH, Washington County
Hoplitis simplex, F, Side, OH, Washington County
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Hoplitis simplex, F, Side, OH, Washington County

Hoplitis simplex, m, back, Charles Co, MD
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Hoplitis simplex, m, back, Charles Co, MD
Hoplitis simplex, m, face, Charles Co, MD
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Hoplitis simplex, m, face, Charles Co, MD

Hoplitis simplex, m, side, Charles Co, MD
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Hoplitis simplex, m, side, Charles Co, MD
Hoplitis simplex, female, clypeus t
© USDA Bee Biology and Systematics Laboratory, Logan Utah · 1
Hoplitis simplex, female, clypeus t

Hoplitis simplex, female, mandible t
© USDA Bee Biology and Systematics Laboratory, Logan Utah · 1
Hoplitis simplex, female, mandible t
Hoplitis simplex, male, antenna t
© USDA Bee Biology and Systematics Laboratory, Logan Utah · 1
Hoplitis simplex, male, antenna t

Hoplitis simplex, male, clypeus t
© USDA Bee Biology and Systematics Laboratory, Logan Utah · 1
Hoplitis simplex, male, clypeus t
Hoplitis simplex, male, top
© Mary Paul · 1
Hoplitis simplex, male, top

Hoplitis simplex, male, side
© Mary Paul · 1
Hoplitis simplex, male, side
Hoplitis simplex, male, face
© Mary Paul · 1
Hoplitis simplex, male, face
Overview
Reprinted with permission from: Mitchell, T.B. 1962 Bees of the Eastern United States. North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station Technical Bulletin No. 152.


FEMALE�Length 6.5-8 mm.; entirely black; face slightly longer than distance between eyes above; eyes very slightly convergent below; lateral ocelli subequally distant from eyes and each other, slightly nearer margin of vertex; clypeus very slightly convex, apical margin somewhat produced, practically straight, mandibles only slightly broadened apically, distinctly tn-dentate, median tooth only slightly nearer apex than to inner angle; cheeks slightly broader than eyes; wings subhyaline basally, becoming faintly infuscated apically, stigma brownish-piceous, veins more brownish-testaceous; tegulae shining, piceous, with punctures hardly evident; legs entirely black, spurs pale yellow; pubescence entirely pale, rather short and thin, but quite copious around antennae, on face below, and over much of thorax, the dorsal pubescence elongate but very thin; abdominal terga 1-4 with narrow, whitish, apical fasciae, these widely interrupted medially on 1 and 2, usually entire on 3 and 4, 5 not fasciate, discal pubescence exceedingly short and inconspicuous, hardly visible on the more basal terga, but becoming quite dense and subappressed on tergum 6, apical margin of 6 very slightly reflexed and shelf-like; scopa entirely yellowish-white; punctures quite deep and distinct, rather coarse and close and somewhat finer on most of face, including vertex, becoming densely crowded on clypeus, close and fine on cheeks, but lower surface shining and impunctate, the two areas separated by a row of long, curled, whitish hairs directed toward the hypostome; scutum and scutellum shining between deep and distinct but quite close punctures, these almost crowded on pleura, the propodeum dull and tessellate, punctures very shallow and indefinite; abdominal terga shining, punctures fine and slightly separated on basal tergum, well separated medially on 2 and 3, uniformly close and fine on 4-6.


MALE�Length 6 mm.; entirely black; face considerably longer than distance between eyes above; eyes very slightly convergent below; antennal scape slender and rather short, not much if any exceeding diameter of flagellum, pedicel completely exposed, flagellar segments slender and simple, considerably longer than broad; lateral ocelli subequally distant from eyes and each other, somewhat nearer margin of vertex; clypeus slightly convex, apical margin slightly produced, nearly straight, disc covered with relatively elongate, more or less erect, whitish pubescence; labrum shining, rather flat and unmodified, median length somewhat less than basal width; mandibles bi-dentate; cheeks subequal in width to eyes; wings subhyaline, veins and stigma brownish-testaceous; tegulae shining, brownish-testaceous, with minute, scattered punctures; legs entirely black, spurs pale yellow; tergum 7 exposed apically, margin rather broadly rounded, with a slight, subapical impression; sterna 1-5 exposed, apical margin of 2 somewhat outcurved, the disc rather expansive, 3-5 more nearly straight apically, 6-8 retracted, form as shown (fig. 25); genital armature as shown; pubescence entirely pale, rather thin in general, somewhat more copious over head and thorax, rather dense over lower half of face and on cheeks below, abdominal terga 1-5 only vaguely white fasciate apically, and then only at sides; punctures rather fine but deep and distinct over most of head and thorax, densely crowded over most of face, quite close on vertex and cheeks, becoming somewhat more shallow on cheeks below, lower surface shining and more minutely punctate and more densely pubescent; scutum and scutellum shining, punctures slightly separated in center of discs, otherwise rather close, quite close over most of pleura, becoming rather sparse on a limited area just beneath wing base; lateral faces of propodeum dull and tessellate, without distinct punctures, posterior face also quite dull, relatively impunctate, without a distinct striate area beneath metanotum; abdominal terga 1-5 shining, punctures very fine and well separated medially, becoming somewhat closer on the more apical terga, rather close at sides even on basal tergum, 6 rather closely but irregularly punctate.


DISTRIBUTION�Texas to Connecticut, March to May.
FLOWER RECORDS�Phacelia and Salix.

Extracted from J.L. Neff. 2009. J. Hym. Res. 18: 151-166.

Distribution.—USA: Arkansas (Washington); Connecticut (Hartford); Illinois (Jackson ); Kansas (LaBette); Missouri (Dent, Jefferson, Shannon); New Jersey (Camden); North Carolina (Wake); Oklahoma (Atoka, Kiowa); South Carolina (Anderson); Texas (Bastrop, Bee, Bexar, Blanco, Burleson, Goliad, Gonzalez, Grimes, Guadalupe, Karnes, Lamar, Lee, Limestone, Travis, Washington, Williamson); Virginia (Fairfax).

Males of Hoplitis gleasoni and H. simplex (sensu Mitchell 1962) are easily separated by the characters in the key of Mitchell (1962). Males of Hoplitis gleasoni (sensu Mitchell 1962) occur from Connecticut and New Jersey to central Texas while males of H. simplex (sensu Mitchell 1962) are known from Indiana and North Carolina to central Tamaulipas (Fig. 1). As noted by Mitchell (1962), the female type of H. simplex, and females from the type series of H. gleasoni are not distinguishable so it is not obvious why the new male described by Mitchell was assigned to H. simplex. As the female type of Hoplitis simplex (Cresson) is from Connecticut but the nearest male of H. simplex (sensu Mitchell 1962) occurs some 1300 km away while a male of H. gleasoni (sensu Mitchell 1962 is known from Connecticut (Fig. 1) , it seems clear that the sexes were misassociated in Mitchell (1962). Thus, the original judgment of Michener (1938), that H. gleasoni is a junior synonym of H. simplex, is correct and H. simplex sensu Mitchell needs a new name that is provided below.

Males of Hoplitis simplex are easily distinguished from other Robertsonella, and all other North American osmiines, by the long mandibular fringe and the short, dense, appressed pubescence obscuring the clypeal surface. Females of H. simplex can be distinguished from H. micheneri by the characters listed above and in the key. Although females of H. simplex are, on average, slightly larger and more coarsely punctate than those of H. nemophilae, their size ranges overlap greatly, and, as the coarseness of the punctation varies with size, that character does as well.

Hoplitis simplex appears to be an oligolege of the Boraginaceae: Hydrophylloideae. The vast majority of floral records for females are for various Nemophila and Phacelia species. The only plants from which I have observed H. simplex females collecting pollen are Nemophila phacelioides Nutt., N. sayersensis Simpson et al., Phacelia congesta Hook. and P. strictiflora (Engelm. & Gray) Gray in Texas (all Boraginaceae: Hydrophylloideae). Unfortunately, there are very few floral records for specimens from the northern part of its range. Hoplitis simplex is a vernal bee, active from mid March and April (in Texas) to late May (in Connecticut). A number of simplex-like females have been collected in Maryland in early June, but as no males were associated with these specimens, it is not clear if they are H. simplex or H. nemophilae. The nest biology of H. simplex is described below.


Names
Scientific source:

Supported by

Hosts · map
FamilyScientific name @ source (records)
Boraginaceae  Phacelia glabra @ UCRC_ENT (1)
Brassicaceae  Lesquerella filiformis @ AMNH_BEE (2)
Rosaceae  Rubus sp @ BBSL (1)

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Updated: 2024-03-19 09:31:43 gmt
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