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Extracted from: Timberlake P.H., (1969). A Contribution to the Systematics of North America Species of Synhalonia (Hymenoptera, Apoidea). University of California Publications in Entomology Volume 57
S. hurdi is a very distinctive bee of the West Coast, ranging from Washington to California. The male has two strong carinae on the sixth sternite, convergent toward the base and enclosing a smooth, shining basin. The female has the scopal hair of hind legs more or less brownish and hair on inner side of basitarsi black. The mesoscutum in both sexes is almost opaque, with shallow punctures.
Male.—Black; small joints of tarsi ferruginous. Mark on clypeus and sometimes small spot at base of labrum pale yellow; clypeal mark widely separated from margin of eyes, leaving lateral margins of clypeus broadly and basal margin usually narrowly black. Teg-ulae amber-brown, fuscous toward base. Wings dusky hyaline, nervures dark ferruginous, subcosta black. Pubescence of head and thorax long, erect, abundant, but not dense enough to conceal surface, and ochreous varying to whitish. Hair of tergites 1 and 2 similar in color, very long on 1 and moderately short on 2, with a few black hairs across apical margin of 2. Hair of tergites 3 to 6 black, mostly nearly as long as hair on tergite 2, with apical white band on tergites 5 and 6, or sometimes hair on these tergites mainly whitish, intermixed with black. Hair on each side of tergite 7 brown or black. Hair of venter fuscous or black, with patch of long white hair on each side of sternite 2, but partly on reflexed ventral part of the tergite.
Head much broader than long; inner orbits somewhat divergent above. Vertex moderately im¬pressed on each side; lateral ocelli their distance apart from nearest eye and nearly their di¬ameter from occipital margin. Proboscis moderately long; galeae tapering to acute apex, slightly dullish and with very sparse, short, fine hairs. Antennae reaching apex of tergite 1, slender, moderately compressed and crenulate; joint 3 as long as on scape and about three-fourths as long as joint 4. Middle tibiae and tarsi normal; hind basitarsi distinctly widened at apex and armed on anterior margin at apex with a curved bristle (or sometimes with two bristles). Clypeus with close, shallow punctures. Mesonotum opaque, obscurely punctured. Frons closely and more strongly punctured than mesonotum. Abdomen dullish, closely and minutely punctured; apical margin of tergites narrowly impunctate. Sternite 6 with median shining basin between strong ridges, which converge toward base but remain widely separated at base, and with impression on lateral margins toward base; ridges well elevated as seen from side, sharply declivous on outer side, and extended obliquely mesad apically; disk well rounded on apical margin, and bare except for very short, fine hair at base. Sternites 7 and 8 as figured. Parameral lobes of genital armature rather short and thick, strongly bowed as seen from side, moderately widened at base, and thickened at apex, which is curved inward and downward; outer face of basal half of lobes with short erect blackish hair. Length 10-13 mm, anterior wing 8.5-9.5 mm.
Female.—Black; tibial spurs testaceous; tarsal claws ferruginous. Tegulae dark amber at apex, suffused with piceous on basal half. Wings dusky hyaline, nervures dark ferruginous, sub-costa and metacarpus black. Pubescence of head and thorax cinereous or whitish, or sometimes ochreous on dorsal parts, moderately long and dense, but not concealing surface. Hair of tergite 1 moderately long and erect, colored like that of thorax. Tergite 2 with arcuate white band and band of black hair across base usually evident, and generally widened at outer ends. Hair of tergites 3 and 4 black, with apical white band, but that on tergite 3 thinner and sometimes evanescent or absent except on each side. Hair of tergite 5 black, its apical band chocolate brown, white on each side, and hair of tergite 6 also chocolate brown. Hair of venter mostly or entirely black. Hair of legs light on femora but mostly brown or fuscous on tibiae and basitarsi; scopal hair of hind legs varying from pale brown to fuscous, and hair on inner side of hind basitarsi black.
Head broader than long; inner orbits of eyes parallel. Vertex slightly impressed on each side; lateral ocelli about their distance apart from nearest eye and somewhat more than their diameter from occipital margin. Proboscis as in male, with sparse minute hairs on galeae. Second submar-ginal cell moderately longer than wide, and receiving recurrent nervure one-fifth to one-fourth of its length from apex. Pygidial plate apparently about as long as wide at base and strongly nar¬rowed to rounded apex. Clypeus closely and subrugosely punctured, with a longitudinal ridge more or less evident on basal half; sometimes the punctures become finer and the surface smoother and duller across apical border. Punctures of frons close and distinct. Mesonotum dull, more or less opaque, punctures dense and shallow on anterior part of scutum and more separated on posterior middle of disk. Apical depression of tergite 1 broadly impunctate and hairless, and that of tergite 2 similar except that it becomes punctured and thinly hairy on outer third on each side. Apical depression of tergite 3 narrowly bare and impunctate. Scopal hair of hind legs shorter than usual. Length 12-15 mm, anterior wing 8.5-9 mm.
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