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Melissodes subillatus LaBerge, 1961
Melissodes (Eumelissodes) subillata LaBerge, 1961

Life   Insecta   Hymenoptera   Apoidea   Apidae   Melissodes
Subgenus: Eumelissodes

Melissodes subillatus, M, side
Lawrence Packer - York University, Canada · 9
Melissodes subillatus, M, side

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    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 9.5-12 mm., breadth of abdomen 3.5-4.5 mm.; black, the mandibles with a yellowish apical maculation, flagellum reddish-piceous beneath; apical tarsal segments becoming brownish-testaceous, spurs pale yellow; tegulae dark; wings subhyaline, veins brownish to piceous; cheeks considerably narrower than eyes; clypeus very slightly protuberant its median length about half the distance between eyes below; eyes very slightly convergent below; segment 2 of flagellum about half the length of basal segment; punctures of clypeus close and rather coarse laterally, slightly separated medially, becoming densely crowded and fine along apical margin, close and somewhat finer on labrum; supraclypeal area rather sparsely punctate, face laterally with fine and rather close punctures below level of antennae, surface above shining, punctures very minute and quite sparse between eyes and ocelli, but median punctures below ocelli relatively coarse and close; vertex finely and densely punctate behind ocelli; cheeks somewhat shining, punctures minute and slightly separated, becoming somewhat coarser posteriorly; scutum shining between rather coarse and deep punctures, these well separated posteriorly, becoming somewhat finer and quite close laterally and anteriorly, those on scutellum about equally coarse, only slightly separated; pleura with deep and rather coarse punctures, these slightly separated in median area of lateral surface, becoming much finer and closer posteriorly above mid coxae; posterior face of propodeum dull and tessellate, punctures shallow, rather sparse and irregular, dorsal area dull, becoming rather coarsely reticulate along upper margin, lateral faces dull, punctures very shallow and vague but quite close; disc of basal abdominal tergum rather dull, punctures shallow and vague, well separated across basal area, somewhat finer and closer at extreme sides where they nearly reach apical margin, the broad median apical area entirely impunctate; basal areas of terga 2 and 3 very minutely punctate, sparsely so on 2, apical impressed areas entirely impunctate; tergum 4 minutely and much more closely punctate across base; pygidium elongate-triangular, its median length considerably greater than basal width, narrowly rounded at apex; vertex with much erect fuscous or blackish pubescence, fringed posteriorly with long white hairs, head otherwise whitish pubescent; scutum and scutellum largely short, fuscous pubescent, scutum with only a few pale hairs along anterior margin, and tubercles with intermixed fuscous hairs among the pale, the pleura and propodeum entirely whitish pubescent; legs largely pale pubescent, but fore and mid tibiae with a small apical patch of brownish appressed pubescence, and basitarsi with some dark hairs beneath; hind tibial scopa whitish, hairs rather densely plumose; basal abdominal tergum rather narrowly pale pubescent laterally and basally, disc with some short, suberect, blackish pubescence visible toward the sides; discs of terga 2-4 with short, suberect, blackish pubescence, more elongate and erect on 4, the apical impressed areas with only suberect hairs visible toward sides, tergum 2 with a rather broad basal, whitish fascia and a narrow, submedian, somewhat oblique fascia, fringing the impressed apical area and rather widely interrupted medially; apical areas of terga 2 and 3 also fringed with a narrow whitish fascia, entire or narrowly interrupted, that on 4 quite broad laterally, more or less separated from rim of tergum medially; terga 5 and 6 largely dark pubescent, with a few elongate, pale hairs laterally.

    MALE—Length 9.5-12 mm., breadth of abdomen 3-4 mm.; black, the clypeus entirely bright yellow, labrum often with a median, basal, yellow maculation, and mandibles with a subapical, more testaceous maculation; flagellum brownish-testaceous beneath, piceous above; apical tarsal segments becoming brownish-testaceous, spurs pale yellowish; tegulae piceous; wings subhyaline, veins testaceous to brownish; abdominal terga often becoming yellowish along apical rims; cheeks slightly narrower than eyes; clypeus only very slightly protuberant, its median length about half the distance between eyes below; eyes rather strongly convergent below; shorter side of basal segment of flagellum slightly longer than pedicel, segment 2 four or five times the length of segment 1; clypeus quite deeply and rather coarsely punctate, the punctures only very slightly separated, obscure on the yellow surface, those on labrum somewhat finer but deeper, more distinct and quite close; supraclypeal area very finely and sparsely punctate, lateral areas of face below level of antennae finely and quite closely punctate, surface above shining, punctures between eyes and ocelli very minute and sparse, more coarse and distinct medially, below ocelli; vertex very finely and densely punctate behind ocelli, punctures somewhat more distinct laterally; cheeks rather smooth, somewhat shining, punctures exceedingly minute and vague, scutum shining, punctures deep and rather coarse, quite sparse over posterior half, becoming finer and closer laterally and anteriorly, scutellum somewhat more finely punctate, the punctures well separated throughout;, pleura quite coarsely, deeply and closely punctate throughout, the punctures distinctly but not widely separated; posterior face of propodeum dull and tessellate, punctures rather shallow and sparse, dorsal area rather coarsely reticulate along upper margin, lateral faces quite closely but rather finely punctate posteriorly, the punctures becoming obsolescent anteriorly and below; basal abdominal tergum with rather fine, well separated, shallow punctures across basal half of disc, becoming finer and closer at extreme sides where they nearly reach apical margin, the broad, median, apical area nearly impunctate; basal areas of terga 2-5 very finely punctate, the punctures rather sparse on 2 and 3, closer on 4, and quite close on 5, apical impressed areas largely impunctate; tergum 5 with a short, somewhat obtuse angle on each extreme side, and tergum 6 with a corresponding, triangular, apical spine; vertex with considerable erect fuscous pubescence between tops of eyes, but fringed posteriorly with whitish pubescence, head otherwise with quite copious, elongate, whitish pubescence; scutum and scutellum covered in large part with elongate, fuscous hairs, the anterior third or fourth of scutum with erect pale pubescence, pleura, propodeum and legs entirely whitish pubescent; basal abdominal tergum largely whitish pubescent, quite elongate and copious basally, disc with some suberect, inconspicuous, dark pubescence on each side; discs of terga 2-5 with short, suberect, fuscous or blackish pubescence across the basal areas, impressed apical areas with some similar but shorter and more decumbent pubescence; tergum 2 with a rather broad, basal, white fascia and a medially interrupted fascia fringing the apical impressed area; terga 3 and 4 with narrow, entire, whitish fasciae bordering the impressed area, 5 with a somewhat less conspicuous whitish fascia, 6 entirely dark pubescent; median length of pygidial plate somewhat greater than basal width, margins carinate, nearly parallel, but rather abruptly constricted toward the broadly truncate apex, sterna 7 and 8 and genital armature resembling those in agilis (fig. 84).

    DISTRIBUTION—Quebec to Saskatchewan in Canada, south to North Carolina and Illinois, June to September.

    FLOWER RECORDS — Species of the following plant genera are listed by LaBerge (1961): Aster, Chrysanthemum, Cirsium, Cirsium, Coreopsis, Echinacea, Epilobium, Eupatorium, Gaillardia, Helianthus, Hieracium, Lactuca, Petalostemum, Platycodon, Psoralea, Ratibida, Rudbeckia, Solidago, Sonchs, Teucrium and Vernonia.

  • Hosts
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Melissodes subillatus, f, back, velum, Dorchester Co, MD
© Copyright source/photographer · 6
Melissodes subillatus, f, back, velum, Dorchester Co, MD
Melissodes subillatus, f, face, velum, Dorchester Co, MD
© Copyright source/photographer · 6
Melissodes subillatus, f, face, velum, Dorchester Co, MD

Melissodes subillatus, f, side, velum, Dorchester Co, MD
© Copyright source/photographer · 6
Melissodes subillatus, f, side, velum, Dorchester Co, MD
Melissodes subillatus, female t4 smooth edge closeup
© Copyright source/photographer · 5
Melissodes subillatus, female t4 smooth edge closeup

Melissodes subillatus, female, innner side scopa
David Biddinger · 5
Melissodes subillatus, female, innner side scopa

Hosts · map
FamilyScientific name @ source (records)
Asteraceae  Cirsium arvense @ MLSB__N16- (1)

Ratibida columnifera @ B_AW (2)

Ratibida pinnata @ MLSB__N16- (2)

Rudbeckia hirta @ MLSB__N16- (2); B_AW (7)

Solidago @ UCREM (1)

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Updated: 2024-03-28 19:31:20 gmt
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