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Melitta americana (Smith, 1853)
Cilissa americana Smith, 1853; Melitta americaniformis Viereck, 1909

Life   Insecta   Hymenoptera   Apoidea   Melittidae   Melitta
Subgenus: Cilissa



Melitta americana, female, face
Smithsonian Institution, Entomology Department · 9
Melitta americana, female, face

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Melitta americana, female, side
Smithsonian Institution, Entomology Department · 9
Melitta americana, female, side
Melitta americana, female, top
Smithsonian Institution, Entomology Department · 9
Melitta americana, female, top

Melitta americana, female, wing
Smithsonian Institution, Entomology Department · 9
Melitta americana, female, wing
Melitta americana FEM CFP comp
© Copyright Laurence Packer 2014 · 7
Melitta americana FEM CFP comp

Melitta americana MALE CFP comp
© Copyright Laurence Packer 2014 · 7
Melitta americana MALE CFP comp
Melitta americana, American Melitta
© Copyright John Ascher, 2006-2014 · 6
Melitta americana, American Melitta

Melitta americana
© Copyright Micheal Veit 2010 · 6
Melitta americana
Melitta americana, f on Vaccinium --
Michael Veit · 6
Melitta americana, f on Vaccinium --

Melitta americana, f on Vaccinium --
Michael Veit · 6
Melitta americana, f on Vaccinium --
Melitta americana, f on Vaccinium --
Michael Veit · 6
Melitta americana, f on Vaccinium --

Melitta americana, M, Back, North Carolina, Moore County-Recovered
© Copyright source/photographer · 5
Melitta americana, M, Back, North Carolina, Moore County-Recovered
Melitta americana, M, Face, North Carolina, Moore County
© Copyright source/photographer · 5
Melitta americana, M, Face, North Carolina, Moore County

Melitta americana, M, Side, North Carolina, Moore County
© Copyright source/photographer · 5
Melitta americana, M, Side, North Carolina, Moore County
Melitta americana, F, Face, North Carolina, Moore County
© Copyright source/photographer · 5
Melitta americana, F, Face, North Carolina, Moore County

Melitta americana, F, Side, North Carolina, Moore County
© Copyright source/photographer · 5
Melitta americana, F, Side, North Carolina, Moore County
Melitta americana, M, Back, North Carolina, Moore County-Recovered
© Copyright source/photographer · 5
Melitta americana, M, Back, North Carolina, Moore County-Recovered

Melitta americana, M, Face, North Carolina, Moore County
© Copyright source/photographer · 5
Melitta americana, M, Face, North Carolina, Moore County
Melitta americana, M, Side, North Carolina, Moore County
© Copyright source/photographer · 5
Melitta americana, M, Side, North Carolina, Moore County

Melitta americana, m, ga, baker, back
© Copyright source/photographer · 5
Melitta americana, m, ga, baker, back

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Identification
Reprinted with permission from: Mitchell, T.B. 1960 Bees of the Eastern United States. North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station Technical Bulletin No. 141.


FEMALE-Length 12 mm.; length of face slightly greater than distance between eyes; eyes subparallel; length of malar space about half width of mandibles at base; antennae piceous, median segments about as broad as long, basal segment slightly longer, 2nd segment about half as long; lateral ocelli slightly
nearer margin of vertex than to eyes; cheeks subequal to eyes in width; median area of clypeus rather flat, sparsely, shallowly and rather obscurely punctate, surface dull; mandibles reaching slightly beyond midline of face, with an obscure, inner, subapical tooth; pubescence
of head rather thin, pale ochraceous, becoming somewhat whitish on cheeks, that on
thorax deeper ochraceous, scutum with a broad patch of fuscous; punctures of scutum quite
shallow, rather close anteriorly but becoming quite sparse in center of disc posteriorly; scutellum
largely impunctate anteriorly, with a few rather close, coarse and shallow punctures
posteriorly; pleura dull, densely tessellate, with numerous shallow but rather close punctures;
posterior face of propodeum dull, tessellate, shallowly punctate, becoming somewhat shining
laterally, dorsal triangle irregularly and rather finely striate, lateral faces largely bare,
posterior and upper faces long pubescent, forming a somewhat obscure propodeal corbicula;
wings subhyaline, veins and stigma testaceous; tegulae brownish-piceous; legs piceous,
rather copiously covered with ochraceous pubescence, hind tibia1 scopa rather short and
thin, hairs entirely simple; spurs yellowish; basal abdominal tergum somewhat shining,
punctures very fine but quite sparse, becoming somewhat closer at extreme sides, punctures
of the following segments closer but more minute, hardly visible; apical margins of terga
2-4 with rather narrow, nearly entire, white fasciae, margin slightly yellowish beneath;
discal pubescence of segments 1-3 very short, erect, entirely pale, that on 4 blackish and
slightly longer, that on 5 considerably longer, with a blackish apical fimbria; tergum 6
with a conspicuous pygidial area fringed with dense, fuscous pubescence.

MALE-Length 10 mm.; face slightly longer than distance between eyes; eyes subparallel;

malar space very short, barely evident; antennae piceous, median segments about twice

as long as broad, basal segment of flagellum somewhat shorter, more blackish; lateral ocelli

slightly nearer margin of vertex than to eyes; cheeks slightly narrower than eyes; clypeus

densely pubescent, surface beneath pubescence very finely and rather closely punctate above,

becoming shining and impunctate toward apical margin; mandibles rather slender, reaching

slightly beyond midline of face, distinctly bidentate apically; pubescence of entire head

and thorax pale ochraceous above, becoming somewhat more whitish on thorax below and

to a lesser degree on cheeks; scutum rather dull, punctures close but quite shallow, those

on scutellum becoming crowded and obscure posteriorly; pleura dull, densely tessellate, very

shallowly and rather closely punctate; lateral faces of propodeum somewhat shining along

anterior margin, becoming dull posteriorly, posterior face dull, densely tessellate and obscurely

punctate, dorsal triangle very finely granular and dull; wings faintly brownish,

veins and stigma testaceous tegulae yellowish-hyaline; legs blackish basally, becoming

more testaceous on the apical tarsal segments, pubescence entirely pale; spurs pale yellow;

abdominal terga somewhat shining between the close and rather indistinct punctures, these

rather coarse and quite close on basal tergum, becoming more minute and obscure on the more apical segments; apical margins of terga with thin, subentire, white, apical fasciae, margins whitish-hyaline beneath: discal pubescence short, entirely pale on segments 1-3, somewhat longer on 1, dark on segments 4-6, becoming slightly more elongate on the more apical segments; gonostyli of genital armature with

a lateral angle, tips entire.

Names
Scientific source:
Geographic distribution
Maine to Georgia and Mississippi; April to July.

Natural history
FLOWER RECORDS-Polycodium and Rubus.

Hosts · map
FamilyScientific name @ source (records)
Ericaceae  Vaccinium macrocarpon @ I_JSA (1)

Vaccinium sp @ BBSL (5)

Vaccinium stamineum @ AMNH_BEE (2)

Vaccinium @ AMNH_BEE (17)

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Updated: 2024-10-06 11:04:27 gmt
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