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 8-9 mm., breadth of abdomen 3-4 mm.; black, mandibles with a subapical, yellowish maculation; segments of flagellum beyond the 2nd brownish below, piceous above; apical tarsal segments brownish-testaceous, spurs pale yellow; tegulae brownish-testaceous; wings subhyaline, veins testaceous to brownish; cheeks much narrower than eyes; clypeus very slightly protuberant, its median length somewhat less than half distance between eyes below; eyes slightly convergent below; shorter side of segment 2 of flagellum very slightly more than half the length of segment 1; punctures of clypeus close, coarse and deep, narrowly fine and densely crowded toward apical margin, those on labrum considerably finer, very close medially, slightly separated laterally; supraclypeal area impunctate medially, lateral areas of face below antennae quite deeply and finely punctate, punctures slightly separated, face above antennae smooth and shining, with fine, sparse punctures medially, lateral areas practically impunctate; vertex finely and very closely punctate behind ocelli, cheeks somewhat shining, minutely and obscurely punctate; scutum and scutellum somewhat shining between deep and rather coarse punctures, these quite sparse over posterior half of scutum medially, becoming finer and closer anteriorly and along the narrow lateral margins, those on scutellum well separated but hardly sparse; broad lateral area of mesopleura dull and tessellate, punctures hardly evident but becoming somewhat more distinct above, anteriorly and below; posterior face of propodeum dull, the punctures shallow, rather sparse, dorsal area narrow, becoming rather vaguely rugose or reticulate on each extreme side, lateral faces dull and tessellate, punctures fine, rather shallow, and vague; disc of basal abdominal tergum rather coarsely punctate, punctures rather shallow and sparse medially, becoming closer and more distinct laterally where they nearly reach apical margin, the broad median apical area entirely impunctate; terga 2 and 3 quite deeply and distinctly punctate across basal half, apical impressed area with only exceedingly minute, scattered punctures, 3 somewhat more finely and closely punctate than 2; tergum 4 very finely and closely punctate across base, apical margin obscured by tomentum; pygidium elongate-triangular, apex narrowly rounded; vertex with a transverse row of erect and elongate fuscous or blackish hairs, pubescence of head otherwise whitish; scutum and scutellum largely covered with rather copious and erect, blackish pubescence, only the narrow anterior margin pale pubescent, thorax otherwise pale ochraceous to whitish pubescent; legs largely pale pubescent, the fore and mid tibiae with some fuscous pubescence on outer face apically, and basitarsi with some fuscous hairs beneath and anteriorly; scopa pale yellowish, hairs densely plumose; abdominal tergum 1 with rather short pale pubescence anteriorly and laterally, the disc with some short, obscure, subappressed, dark pubescence toward each side, otherwise largely bare; tergum 2 with a basal whitish fascia and a submedian fascia separated by a band of short, thin, suberect, dark pubescence, apical margin largely bare; tergum 3 with a rather broad, subapical whitish fascia, the basal and apical areas with short, sub- erect, dark pubescence; tergum 4 with a broad, completely apical, whitish tomentose fascia, basal area dark pubescent; and terga 5 and 6 entirely dark pubescent.
MALE—Length 8-8.5 mm., breadth of abdomen 3-3.5 mm.; black, the mandibles somewhat reddened medially, clypeus bright yellow; antennal flagellum brownish-testaceous beneath toward base, apical segments more piceous, and more piceous above; apical tarsal segments becoming brownish-testaceous, spars pale yellow; tegulae dull testaceous; wings subhyaline, veins yellowish to testaceous; apical margins of abdominal terga broadly yellowish-hyaline; cheeks much narrower than eyes; clypeus only very slightly protuberant, its median length somewhat greater than half the distance between eyes below; eyes rather strongly convergent below; basal segment of flagellum extremely short, no longer than pedicel, segment 2 about four times the combined length of segment 1 and pedicel; punctures of clypeus rather fine, close laterally, but rather widely separated along mid-line, labrum with a narrow median impunctate line, punctures on each side fine and close, but becoming sparse laterally; supraclypeal area shining, with only a few scattered punctures, lateral areas of face on each side very finely and quite closely punctate, upper part of face shining, practically impunctate laterally, but with fine scattered punctures below ocelli; vertex very finely and closely punctate behind ocelli, punctures somewhat more sparse laterally, cheeks shining, punctures minute and obscure except posteriorly; scutum shining between quite coarse and deep punctures, these sparse on posterior half medially, becoming close and somewhat finer laterally and anteriorly, the scutellum with somewhat finer, well separated punctures, but these not sparse; pleura somewhat shining between the rather coarse, shallow punctures, these well separated on the broad lateral area, becoming somewhat closer anteriorly and below; posterior face of propodeum somewhat shining, punctures rather shallow, irregularly scattered and sparse, dorsal area irregularly roughened on each side, lateral faces rather dull, the more posterior punctures rather coarse and close, becoming minute and obscure anteriorly and below; basal abdominal tergum quite deeply and distinctly punctate, the punctures somewhat separated medially, becoming quite close and somewhat finer laterally, and becoming minute toward the rather narrowly impunctate apical margin; terga 2-5 with fine, distinct punctures across basal areas, these well separated on 2, slightly so on 3, and very close on 4 and 5, apical impressed areas invaded only slightly by very minute scattered punctures; tergum 5 with a distinct apical angle on each extreme side, and tergum 6 with a corresponding triangular spine; pubescence copious and entirely pale ochraceous to whitish on head, thorax and legs; basal abdominal tergum largely pale pubescent, copious anteriorly, but with some short sub- erect dark pubescence across apical half; tergum 2 with a rather thin, basal, whitish fascia, the apical impressed area bordered by a narrow fascia, the area between, as well a the apical impressed area, with short erect dark pubescence; tergum 3.5 with narrow whitish fasciae bordering the impressed area, basal areas with rather short but suberect, largely pale pubescence; pygidial plate very slightly longer than its basal width, lateral margins strongly carinate, only very slightly convergent apically, abruptly constricted toward the rather broadly subtruncate apex; sterna 7 and 8 and genital armature similar to those in agilis (fig. 84).
DISTRIBUTION — Maryland to Mississippi, west to Kansas and Nebraska, June to October.
FLOWER RECORDS—Asclepias, Koellia and Verbena, and the following composites:
Aster, Boltonia, Chrysopsis, Eupatorium, Grindelia, Helenium and Solidago. According to LaBerge (1961) there seems to be some preference for Solidago as a source of pollen.
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