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Extracted from: LaBerge, W. E., 1961. A Revision of the Bees of the Genus Melissodes in North and Central America. Part III (Hymenoptera, Apidae). The University of Kansas Science Bulletin, Vol. 43. 1-107.
This strikingly marked bee is closely related to Melissodes lustra
from which it differs in both sexes primarily by its larger size. The
females of glenwoodensis can be distinguished further by the dark
reddish brown hairs on the inner surfaces of the hind basitarsi and
tibiae. The males are distinguished from those of lustra by the lack
of the longitudinal, dorsolateral depression on flagellar segment
four and by usually having dark brown hairs on terga 6 and 7.
Female. Measurements and ratios: N, 20; length, 11-14 mm.:
width, 4-5 mm.; wing length, M = 4.23 0.171 mm.; hooks in
hamulus, M = 14.15 0.233; flagellar segment 1/segment 2, M =
2.04 0.022.
Male. Measurements and ratios: N, 20; length, 10-15 mm.;
width, 3.5-4.5 mm.; wing length, M = 3.98 0.277 mm.; hooks in
hamulus, M — 13.25 0.176; flagellar segment 2/segment 1, M =
3.78 0.085
Structure and color: Integument black except distitarsi, apical
half of mandible and lower surface of flagellar segments 3 to 10
rufescent, eyes gray to greenish gray and basitibial spurs red to
yellow. Sculpturing and structure as in composita except as fol-
lows: clypeus with surface dulled by fine shagreening; supraclypeal
area dulled by dense reticular shagreening; flattened area of vertex
posteromesad of apex of compound eye with small punctures sep-
arated by one to two puncture widths, surface dulled by fine sha-
greening; galeae above dulled by reticular shagreening at least in
apical half; maxillary palpal ratio about 2.0:2.0:1.5:1.0, with last
segment sometimes slightly shorter; mesoscutum with large round
punctures anteriorly and laterally, punctures just mesad and just
laterad of parapsidal lines separated by one puncture width or less,
surface with fine tessellation at least anteriorly, posteromedian area
impunctate or with scattered punctures separated mostly by two or
more puncture widths; scutellar punctures small, separated by one-
half to two puncture widths; mesepisternal punctures shallow,
round, separated by half a puncture width or less, surface dulled by
tessellation; metasomal tergum 1 with crowded punctures in basal
third or less, with scattered, minute punctures in middle third,
apical area impunctate, surface reticulotransversely shagreened,
shiny apically; tergum 2 with basal zone punctures minute, round,
crowded, with interband zone punctures mostly minute, extremely
sparse, with apical area impunctate, surface shiny, reticulotrans-
verse shagreening extremely fine; tergum 3 similar to tergum 2 but
interband zone punctures minute, round, separated by one to two puncture widths, surface shiny (especially apical area); pygidial
plate V-shaped with rounded apex.
Hair: Palest specimens with head white except a few brown hairs
on vertex; darkest with abundant dark brown hairs on vertex and
surrounding hairs ochraceous. Thorax of palest white below to pale
ochraceous above; darkest pale ochraceous below to ochraceous
above and mesepisternum with anterior surface dark ochraceous to
brown. Metasomal tergum 1 with basal area and at extreme sides
with white to pale ochraceous hairs; tergum 2 with basal pubes-
cense white, with distal pubescent band restricted to narrow, lat-
eral, oblique, white fasciae each equaling slightly more than apubes-
cent median area in width and laterally separated from apical
margin by at least length of fascia at that point; tergum 3 with basal
tomentum dark brown, distal pubescent band white, separated from
apical margin across entire tergum, interband zone with scattered
pubescence brown to white (brown nearer base); tergum 4 with
apical pubescent band white, uninterrupted medially, basal and
interband zones as in tergum 3; terga 5 and 6 dark brown to black
except lateral tufts of long white or ochraceous hairs (sometimes
absent on tergum 6); sternal hairs dark brown, with or without
white laterally. Legs of palest specimens pale ochraceous except
as follows: scopal hairs pale yellow; basitibial plates pale brown;
inner surfaces of basitarsi and fore and hind tibiae dark brown to
dark reddish brown; coxae, trochanters and at least proximal part
of inner surfaces of femora brown. Darkest with legs similar but
with more abundant brown hairs on femora, trochanters and coxae
and scopal hairs bright yellow except brown at apex of basitarsi.
Distribution. M. glenwoodensis ranges from southern California
north to Washington, east to North Dakota and southeast to Colo-
rado, New Mexico and Utah (Fig. 8). It has been collected from June 29 to November 4 but mainly during August and September.
Flower Records. Aster sp., Chrysothamnus sp., C. nauseosus
consimilis, C. v. viscidiflorus, Cirsium sp., Grindelia sp., G. squar-
rosa, Helianthus sp., H. petiolaris, Isocoma vernonioides, Solidago
sp., S. trinervata.
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