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 11-12 mm.; bluish- green, with black legs; face considerably longer than distance between eyes above; eyes slightly convergent below; lateral ocelli sub- equally distant from eyes and margin of vertex, slightly nearer each other; clypeus convex, considerably produced apically, broad apical margin nearly straight, narrowly shining and substriate; median length of labrum subequal to basal width; mandibles obscurely 4-dentate (fig. 32); cheeks much broader than eyes; wings subhyaline basally, becoming lightly infuscated along apical margin and in marginal cell, 2nd recurrent vein reaching 2nd submarginal cell considerably nearer apex than 1st does to base; front basitarsi somewhat dilated and flattened, upper surface slightly concave, beset with long curled hairs, tarsi otherwise simple and unmodified, mid and hind spurs piceous; pubescence of head and thorax largely pale, becoming more or less fuscous toward apical margin of clypeus, quite copious and elongate in general, especially over face and around wing bases; scopa black; basal abdominal tergum entirely whitish pubescent, hairs rather copious and elongate, discs of the following terga with more or less erect, but short and rather thin pubescence which becomes more or less fuscous on 4 and 5, 6 largely covered with a rather thin, subappressed, pale tomentum which does not hide surface; punctures quite deep and distinct in general, close but distinct on vertex and cheeks, becoming finer and crowded at sides of face below antennae, clypeus more shallowly rugoso-punctate; punctures close, deep and quite coarse on scutum laterally and anteriorly, becoming rather widely separated near center and toward posterior margin, deep, distinct and quite close over most of scutellum, becoming densely crowded and obscure around posterior margin; pleura rather dull, punctures somewhat more shallow, subcontiguous; propodeum somewhat shining but minutely roughened laterally, posterior face with shallow but rather close and more distinct punctures, dorsal area smooth, becoming narrowly, finely and obscurely substriate along upper margin; abdominal terga shining, punctures fine and distinctly separated medially on 1-4, these becoming more closely punctate toward extreme sides, punctures of 5 more irregular but rather close across entire disc, 6 densely, finely uniformly punctate, apical margins of 2-5 shallowly depressed, invaded by scattered and rather sparse, fine punctures, leaving the narrow, apical rims shining and impunctate.
MALE — Length 10-12 mm.; head and thorax dark olive green, abdomen more bluish- green; face considerably longer than distance between eyes above; eyes slightly convergent below; lateral ocelli subequally distant from eyes, margin of vertex, and each other; each antennal segment slightly dilated apically, resulting in a moniliform appearance; clypeus convex, considerably produced apically, median area of margin nearly straight, narrowly polished and impunctate; median length of labrum subequal to basal width; mandibles obscurely bi-dentate; cheeks slightly broader than eyes; wings subhyaline basally, becoming faintly infuscated apically, 2nd recurrent vein reaching 2nd submarginal cell much nearer apex than 1st does to base; front tarsal segments slender and simple, mid basitarsi quite short, 2nd fully half its length, hind basitarsi slender basally, becoming quite gradually and broadly dilated apically, 2nd segment about equal in length to that on the 2nd pair of legs, mid and hind spurs piceous; pubescence entirely whitish, quite copious and elongate over most of head and thorax, rather elongate on basal abdominal tergum, discs of terga 2-5 with suberect, short and thin, pale pubescence, that on 6 more scattered and elongate; punctures quite deep and distinct, rather fine and close in general, close but not crowded on vertex and cheeks, becoming crowded below ocelli, clypeus finely and very densely punctate; punctures deep and distinct but rather fine and close over most of scutum, slightly separated only in center, scutellum shining, punctures deeper and more distinct, close but not crowded, but becoming densely crowded and obscure around posterior margin; pleura rather dull, punctures quite deep, distinct, close and rather fine, lateral faces of propodeum somewhat shining and obscurely lineolate, posterior face more roughened, punctures very vague and obscure but rather close, dorsal area somewhat smooth and shining, becoming very finely and obscurely substriate along upper margin; abdominal terga shining, more finely punctate, punctures quite close but distinct on terga 1-5, these not much closer at extreme sides, apical margins somewhat depressed, invaded to only a slight degree by very fine and rather sparse punctures, rims becoming smooth and impunctate; punctures of tergum 6 scattered, rather sparse and irregular, apical margin with a shallow median emargination and a slight indentation at each extreme side; tergum 6 narrowly produced apically, with a deep, rounded, median emargination; sternum 2 broadly outcurved apically, covering sternum 3 in large part and base of 4, apical margin of 3 with a very broad, deep, triangular, median emargination which is occupied medially by a dense fringe of elongate, convergent setae (fig. 28); sternum 4 rather broadly produced apically, the median area nearly straight and occupied by rather numerous, elongate, dark setae, 5-8 entirely retracted, 6 with a broad, median, rounded apical lobe, 7 and 8 largely membraneous; genital armature as shown (fig. 35).
DISTRIBUTION — British Columbia to Nova Scotia, south to Arizona and North Carolina, April to August.
FLOWER RECORDS — Althaea, Barbarea, Pentstemon, Rubus, Vicict and Viola. This is recorded by Robertson (1929) on Oxalis and Ranunculus.
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