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| Links | Extracted from 2017 “Bees of Maryland: A Field Guide” http://bio2.elmira.edu/fieldbio/beesofmarylandbookversion1.pdf Very rare large bee specialist on the large flowered Man-of-the-Earth (aka Bigroot
Morningglory) (Ipomoea pandurata). Flies only at dawn and perhaps at dusk and
unlikely to ever be seen away from the blooms of this plant.
Field Marks: ♀♂Clypeus, rim, shape distinct to this species; rim with wide central
rectangular projecting lobe and one large triangular tooth to either side. Abdomen
with broad frosted bands of short silvery/white hairs transecting the segments with
some brown/tan hairs towards the basal segments; black integument visible between
the bands. Restricted to foraging early in the morning/evening on Man-of-the-Earth,
but be aware that Peponapis and Bombus also forage on these plants at those times.
♀Hind tibia, pollen carrying hairs, dark and relatively sparse and short compared to
similar genera. ♂Antennae relatively short, not extending to base of wings when
swept backwards. Clypeus, yellow restricted to lower half.
Flight Season: Summer.
Size Relative to Honey Bee: 1.5X.
Position of Wings Feeding on Flowers: Probably held across back.
Location of Pollen Carrying Hairs: Hind tibia and basitarsus.
Similar Genera: Peponapis - Common, slightly smaller, but very similar in general
coloration and aspect, also out early in the morning, but mostly on squash/pumpkin,
but does visit Man-of-the-Earth too. Clypeus, rim, normal, straight no lobes/teeth.
♀Hind leg pollen hairs orange/tan. ♂Clypeus, yellow restricted to a central, smudgy
roughly circular area. Xenoglossa - Rare, only a few records. Looks similar to
Peponapis. Visits squash relatives. Has noticeable yellow marks on the base of the
mandible. ♂Clypeus, all yellow except for a short section of black near the top of
the segment.
Nest: Likely in the ground.
Flowers: Native Ipomoea.
- Hosts
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Overview | |
The following material taken with permission from: Mitchell, T.B. 1962. Bees of the Eastern United States, Volume II. North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station. Tech. Bul. No.152, 557 p.
The undulate, more or less trilobate clypeal margin will distinguish the single species in this genus from any of the other Anthophoridae. The mandibles are angulate on the outer margin toward the base in the female, while in the male there is a distinct, submedian tooth on the outer surface. The marginal cell is elongate, and the 2nd submarginal is much shorter than either the 1st or the 3rd. The scopal hairs on the hind tibiae and basitarsi are simple or very obscurely short plumose. In the female the basal segment of the flagellum is slightly shorter than the scape, about equal to segments 2 and 3 combined. In the male, segments 1 and 2 are about equally elongate and very slender, the following segments gradually decreasing in length to the apex.
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 12.5-14.5 mm., breadth of abdomen 5-6.5 mm.,; black, the apical half of mandibles testaceous; legs blackish, apical tarsal segments somewhat more piceous, spurs brownish; tegulae yellowish-hyaline; wings sub-hyaline, veins brownish to piceous; cheeks much narrower than eyes; clypeus quite strongly protuberant, its median length somewhat less than half the distance between eyes below, its apical margin produced medially and laterally, slightly overhanging base of labrum (fig. 75); mandibles with a slight median angle on outer margin slightly basad of mid point; basal segment of flagellum slightly longer than segments 2 and 3 combined; tibial spurs slightly curved at tips; clypeus closely punctate, rather coarsely so above, becoming quite finely and densely so toward apical margin; labrum nearly twice as broad as median length, with a slight median emargination beneath the dense apical pubescence, punctures quite coarse, close and deep; supraclypeal area somewhat shining, punctures rather fine, slightly separated, lateral surfaces of face below level of antennae finely and quite closely punctate, becoming more minutely but still quite closely punctate above on each side, more coarsely so medially; cheeks very finely and rather closely punctate beneath rather copious pubescence; punctures in central area of scutum deep, distinct and rather coarse, quite close but not crowded, becoming finer and densely crowded peripherally; scutellum rather dull, minutely and very densely punctate; pleura rather dull, punctures shallow but rather coarse and close; posterior face of propodeum quite smooth, dorsal area rather shallowly rugoso-punctate on each side, lateral faces shallowly and rather closely punctate, becoming minutely and densely so anteriorly and below; abdominal terga dull, punctures rather shallow but very close throughout, only the extremely narrow rims impunctate; pygidium subtriangular, apex narrowly rounded; pubescence of head and thorax copious, rather elongate, somewhat whitish on face and cheeks below, more yellowish above, pale ochraceous to whitish on thorax below, becoming fulvous above; legs pale pubescent basally, but tibiae and tarsi more or less fuscous or blackish pubescent, hind tibial scopa fuscous; basal abdominal tergum with some rather copious but rather short pale pubescence across base and the narrow lateral margins, surface otherwise nearly bare; tergum 2 with a pale pruinose band across base, which broadens out to completely cover the lateral margins, disc otherwise largely bare; discs of terga 3 and 4 largely covered with pale, appressed, whitish or greyish tomentum, with a few more elongate, erect hairs toward lateral margins; tergum 5 similarly pale pruinose across base, apical half densely covered with elongate brownish hairs, forming a quite dense fimbria; tergum 6 with dense, brownish or fuscous pubescence on each side of pygidium.
MALE—Length 13-14.5 mm., breadth of abdomen 5-5.5 mm.; black, the apical half of clypeus pale yellow, but margin fuscous and basal half blackish; labrum largely pale yellow, only the extreme lateral margins dark; mandibles yellow basally, apex more narrowly testaceous; antennal flagella brownish-testaceous beneath, piceous above; legs largely blackish or piceous, spurs brownish-testaceous, with tips slightly curved; tegulae yellowish-hyaline; wings subhyaline, veins testaceous to piceous; cheeks slightly narrower than eyes; clypeus quite strongly protuberant, its median length slightly less than half the distance between eyes, apical margin produced medially and laterally, overhanging the margin of lab rum (fig. 75) ; eyes subparallel; niandib1es with a conspicuous median angle on outer margin, with a rounded subapical elevation on inner margin, the apex slightly incised; segments 1 and 2 of flagellum subequal in length; clypeus somewhat shining, the punctures rather coarse, slightly separated medially, quite close on each side, labrum broadly rounded apically, punctures quite close and rather coarse, its median length somewhat more than half the breadth; facial punctures quite close and deep below antennae, becoming more minute but very close above on each side, somewhat coarser medially; cheeks with fine and close punctures throughout, somewhat coarser toward posterior margin; scutum with a median area of distinctly separated punctures, otherwise very densely and finely punctate throughout; scutellum narrowly shining medially, with very fine, and slightly separated punctures, but otherwise densely and minutely punctuate and dull; pleura rather dull, punctures somewhat coarser but close and rather vague; posterior face of propodeum smooth but rather dull, dorsal area becoming rather shallowly rugoso-punctate on each side, lateral areas dull, finely and rather closely punctate; abdominal terga closely punctate throughout, the more basal punctures on the basal tergum somewhat more obscure and definitely separated, punctures rather coarse on tergum 2, but becoming progressively finer on the more apical terga, only the very narrow rims impunctate; pubescence copious and rather elongate on head and thorax, pale, ochraceous to whitish on face and cheeks below, more yellowish above and on thorax laterally, becoming densely fulvous above; legs with largely pale pubescence, somewhat more brownish on basitarsi beneath; basal abdominal tergum rather densely pale ochraceous pubescent across base and on lateral margins, otherwise with only extremely short, barely evident pubescence; tergum 2 pale pruinose across base, this broadened laterally to occupy the entire surface, median area largely bare; terga 3-6 rather thinly covered with whitish, appressed tomentum that is rather thin, with no erect hairs in evidence; median length of pygidial plate about equal to the basal width, margins carinate, rather strongly converging apically, apex rather broadly rounded or subtruncate; sterna 7 and 8 and genital armature as shown (fig. 76).
DISTRIBUTION—Illinois to North Carolina and Georgia, June and July.
FLOWER RECORD—Ipomoea.
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Updated: 2024-04-25 20:36:03 gmt
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