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Stelis louisae Cockerell, 1911
Stelis floridana Graenicher, 1928; Stelis (Protostelis) costalis floridana Graenicher, 1928; Dolichostelis louisae (Cockerell, 1911)

Life   Insecta   Hymenoptera   Apoidea   Megachilidae   Stelis
Subgenus: Dolichostelis

Stelis louisae, face
Smithsonian Institution, Entomology Department · 9
Stelis louisae, face

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Stelis louisae, side
Smithsonian Institution, Entomology Department · 9
Stelis louisae, side
Stelis louisae, top
Smithsonian Institution, Entomology Department · 9
Stelis louisae, top

Stelis louisae, wing
Smithsonian Institution, Entomology Department · 9
Stelis louisae, wing
Stelis louisae, face
Smithsonian Institution, Entomology Department · 9
Stelis louisae, face

Stelis louisae, side
Smithsonian Institution, Entomology Department · 9
Stelis louisae, side
Stelis louisae, top
Smithsonian Institution, Entomology Department · 9
Stelis louisae, top

Stelis louisae, wing
Smithsonian Institution, Entomology Department · 9
Stelis louisae, wing
Stelis louisae, male, mesepisturnum
Deana M. Crumbling · 9
Stelis louisae, male, mesepisturnum

Stelis louisae MALE CFP comp
© Copyright Laurence Packer 2014 · 7
Stelis louisae MALE CFP comp
Stelis louisae, F, back, Prince Georges County, MD
© Copyright source/photographer · 5
Stelis louisae, F, back, Prince Georges County, MD

Stelis louisae, F, face, Prince Georges County, MD
© Copyright source/photographer · 5
Stelis louisae, F, face, Prince Georges County, MD
Stelis louisae, F, side, Prince Georges County, MD
© Copyright source/photographer · 5
Stelis louisae, F, side, Prince Georges County, MD

Stelis louisae, M, Back, MD, Dorchester County
© Copyright source/photographer · 5
Stelis louisae, M, Back, MD, Dorchester County
Stelis louisae, M, Face, MD, Dorchester County
© Copyright source/photographer · 5
Stelis louisae, M, Face, MD, Dorchester County
Overview
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 mm.; black, with yellow maculations on head, thorax and abdomen; face with lateral yellow maculae along inner orbits from clypeus nearly to top of eye, with some intrusion on each side of clypeus, and vertex with a pair of transverse, yellow maculae along posterior margin; scutum narrowly yellow on each lateral margin, this extending more broadly along anterior margin, median portion black; axillae yellow, and posterior border of scutellum broadly yellow, median area black; mesopleura with a large, yellow blotch above, metapleura with a small yellow spot; abdominal tergum 1 with a continuous, broad, transverse, yellow band, this somewhat ferruginous on anterior and posterior borders, tergum 2 with widely separated, lateral, yellow spots, 3 and 4 with transverse bands, these more or less interrupted on each side anteriorly, 5 with a rather short, transverse, yellow band medially, 6 entirely black; face somewhat longer than distance between eyes above; eyes slightly convergent below; lateral ocelli large, somewhat nearer eyes than to each other; clypeus rather flat, apical margin nearly straight; labrum with a low, basal protuberance; mandibles entirely black, 3-dentate, median tooth slightly nearer apex than to inner angle; cheeks very slightly narrower than eyes; tegulae brownish-testaceous, becoming more yellowish anteriorly; wings subhyaline, becoming lightly infuscated in region of marginal and submarginal cells, veins brownish; legs piceous to black basally, femora becoming testaceous apically, tibiae testaceous, each with a narrow yellow stripe on outer face near base, tarsi and spurs entirely testaceous; front and mid tibiae terminating apically with a distinct, rather slender, anterior spine which is quite elongate, and a shorter, posterior spine, hind tibiae with but a single anterior spine; pubescence uniformly very short, thin, entirely pale, hardly visible above, somewhat more dense near upper margin of lateral faces of propodeum; carina of prothoracic tubercles elongated, extending along anterior margin of scutum; punctures uniformly very coarse and deep, close in large part, but distinctly although not widely separated on scutum and scutellum, somewhat more widely separated on the more basal abdominal terga where they are not quite so coarse, becoming very close on tergum 6 which is coarsely rugose posteriorly; abdominal sterna smooth and shining, punctures somewhat finer and quite sparse, but sternum 6 deeply, closely and quite uniformly punctate.

MALE—Length 8 mm.; black, with yellow maculations on head, thorax and abdomen; clypeus yellow in large part, apical margin black; lateral, yellow, facial maculae broad, extending from clypeus to top of eye, ending abruptly above, and vertex with a transverse, yellow maculation along posterior border; scutum narrowly yellow laterally, this extending broadly onto anterior margin, the median portion of which is black; axillae entirely yellow and scutellum broadly yellow posteriorly, median area black; mesopleura with a large, yellow blotch above, and metapleura with a smaller yellow spot; legs black basally, femora becoming testaceous apically, tibiae yellow toward base and on outer margin, becoming more testaceous apically, tarsi entirely testaceous, spurs pale yellow; basal abdominal tergum with a broad, continuous, transverse, yellow band, tergum 2 with widely separated, lateral, yellow spots, 3 and 4 with rather narrow, transverse, yellow bands which are strongly narrowed toward sides and connected with somewhat larger lateral spots, 5 with a rather short, median, transverse, subapical spot, 6 and 7 entirely black; face considerably longer than distance between eyes above; eyes somewhat convergent below; lateral ocelli quite large, nearer margin of vertex than to eyes; clypeus broadly convex, apical margin straight; labrum very slightly protuberant at base; mandibles entirely black, 3-dentate, median tooth very low, located nearer apical tooth than to inner angle; cheeks much narrower than eyes; carina of prothoracic tubercles extended along anterior margin of scutum; tegulae quite expansive, somewhat brownish-testaceous, becoming yellowish anteriorly and laterally; wings subhyaline basally, becoming rather strongly infuscated in region of marginal and submarginal cells, veins more piceous; tibiae spinose at tip, front and mid pair with a more elongate, anterior spine and a short, posterior spine, hind tibiae lacking the posterior spine; pubescence uniformly very short, thin and inconspicuous, entirely pale; punctures very coarse, deep and distinct, rather close in general, more distinctly separated between ocelli and antennae, on scutum posteriorly, and on scutellum, rather fine on clypeus, those on the abdominal terga somewhat more widely separated medially, becoming close laterally, and very close on the more apical plates; basal abdominal sternum somewhat elevated medially, sternum 2 quite expansive, broadly rounded, margin elevated, covering sternum 3 in large part, apical margin of 3 broadly membranous and deeply incised medially; sterna 4 and 8 retracted, apical margin of 4 with a pair of robust, erect spines medially, a fringe of elongate hairs on each side, form of the remaining plates as shown (fig. 13); gonostyli broadly and angulately dilated apically, as shown.

DISTRIBUTION—Kentucky and Virginia, south to Texas and Florida, March to September.

FLOWER RECORDS—Bidens, Ceanothus, Erigeron, Helianthus, flex, Melilotus, Polygonum, Psoralea, Pycnanthemum, Rhus, Senecio, Silphium and Solidago.
Nest parasite of Megachile campanuelae and perhaps other members of that subgenus.

Names
Scientific source:

Supported by

Hosts · map
FamilyScientific name @ source (records)
Asteraceae  Helianthus divaricatus @ AMNH_BEE (1)

Helianthus sp @ BBSL__ERR (1)

Helianthus @ CUIC_ENT (1)
Fabaceae  Baptisia tinctoria @ AMNH_BEE (1)

Melilotus albus @ MLSB__N16- (1)
Lamiaceae  Pycnanthemum @ AMNH_BEE (1)

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Updated: 2024-03-29 06:12:38 gmt
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