© Copyright source/photographer · 9 Colletes brimleyi, male, back clean

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• Colletes female
• Colletes male

Overview 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 8-10 mm.; eyes slightly convergent below; malar space about one-third as long as broad; facial foveae moderately shining, rounded above; clypeus shining between rather close and fine punctures, these somewhat more close and fine on sides of face and on front below ocelli, minute on vertex and cheeks; hind margin of vertex indefinite, rounded, separated from lateral ocelli by somewhat more than their width; basal segment of flagellum hardly longer than pedicel, 2nd very slightly shorter, middle segments about as long as broad; pubescence pale ochraceous on head and thorax, becoming deeper ochraceous or nearly fulvous on dorsum of thorax; lateral angles of pronotum short, acute but not spine-like; metapleural protuberance not carinate; front coxae simple; hind basitarsi slightly more than three times longer than broad (17:5) ; spurs yellowish; tegulae yellowish-ferruginous; wings subhyaline, veins and stigma ferruginous; punctures moderately coarse and deep on thorax, rather close on anterior half of scutum and most of scutellum, more sparse in center of scutum and along anterior margin of scutellum, more coarse and close on subrugose pleura; posterior face of propodeum shallowly rugose, the triangle smooth below, with a few irregular striae above, upper face composed of a transverse series of shining pits, posterior margin basal segment, quite close on the others; discs of terga with very obscure short pile which seems to be largely pale, the more apical segments with scattered erect and rather long pale hairs; apical fasciae entire, whitish or ochraceous; 6th tergum dark in its general aspect, but with some long pale hairs.

MALE: Length 8-10 mm.; eyes slightly convergent below; length of malar space about half its breadth; facial foveae small but quite distinct; distance of lateral ocelli from edge of vertex greater than their diameter; edge of vertex less rounded than in female; basal segment of flagellum subequal to pedicel, 2nd and following segments twice as long, flagellum ferruginous to piceous beneath; punctures fine and quite close on clypeus beneath the long pubescence; labrum highly polished, with a shallow median impression; front below ocelli finely rugose, vertex very finely so, cheeks more shining, striately punctate; pubescence pale ochraceous, becoming deeper ochraceous or fulvous on dorsum of thorax, long and dense on face, clypeus and cheeks, thinner on vertex; lateral angles of pronotum short, acute, not spine-like; metapleural protuberance not carinate; all basitarsi slender, yellowish-ferruginous; spurs yellowish; tegulae dark in center, yellowish-ferruginous around margin; wings subhyaline, veins and stigma ferruginous; punctures quite coarse, deep and close on anterior half of scutum, but the anterior margin medially shining and impunctate, center of posterior half polished and sparsely punctate; scutellum with quite coarse crowded punctures, but anterior margin smooth and shining; metanotum more finely rugose; pleura coarsely rugose except just above mid-coxae where the punctures are distinct and rather sparse; lateral and posterior faces of propodeum striately rugose, triangle smooth and shining below, more striate above, dorsal face a series of rectangular shining pits, posterior margin carinate; abdominal terga shining, distinctly though very finely punctate, punctures well separated on all segments except 5-7, hind margins of terga obscurely reddened, discs with very short obscure pile of uncertain color, the more apical segments with scattered long, erect, pale hairs.

DISTRIBUTION: Florida to New Jersey, including records from Georgia and North Carolina, March to June.

FLOWER RECORD - Ilex cassine.

Names Scientific source:

• Discover Life bee species guide and world checklist, Ascher and Pickering.
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System