Taxonomic revision of Perdita subgenus Heteroperdita Timberlake (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae), with descriptions of two ant-like males

Abstract

Perdita subgenus Heteroperdita Timberlake, a distinctive subgenus of 22 species from the southwestern United States and adjacent Mexico, all specialists on Tiquilia (Boraginaceae), is revised. Nine new species are described: Perdita (Heteroperdita) desdemona Portman, sp. n., P. (H.) exusta Portman & Griswold, sp. n., P. (H.) hippolyta Portman & Griswold, sp. n. (male previously incorrectly described as P. pilonotata Timberlake), P. (H.) hooki Portman & Neff, sp. n., P. (H.) nuttalliae Portman, sp. n., P. (H.) prodigiosa Portman & Griswold, sp. n., P. (H.) sycorax Portman, sp. n., P. (H.) titania Portman & Griswold, sp. n., and P. (H.) yanegai Portman, sp. n. The following sexes are associated and described for the first time: the male of P. (H.) frontalis Timberlake, 1968, the female of P. (H.) optiva Timberlake, 1954, and the true male of P. (H.) pilonotata Timberlake, 1980. Perdita (H.) fasciatella Timberlake, 1980 is proposed as a junior synonym of P. (H.) sexfasciata Timberlake, 1954. A neotype is designated for P. (H.) pilonotata Timberlake, 1980. Two species in particular, P. prodigiosa and P. pilonotata, are sexually dimorphic with distinctive ant-like males. Information is presented on floral relationships, phenology, and geographic distribution. Identification keys for males and females are provided.

A review and updated classification of pollen gathering behavior in bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea)

“…Observations of buzzing have been made since at least 1902 (e.g. Lindman 1902;Schrottky 1908;Plath 1934;Rayment 1944;Meidell 1944;Osorno-Mesa 1947;Rick 1950; see Teppner 2018 for a discussion on the earliest mention), but it remained little-known and poorly-defined until Michener (1962) and Wille (1963) described the behavior in-depth and referred to it as "buzzing." Buchmann (1974Buchmann ( , 1983 later codified the term "buzz pollination," though he and others have often used alternative terminologies, often within a single paper (Table 1).…”

“…Finally, temporarily accumulating pollen in genal hair baskets has been observed in some bee groups, but it is not clear whether these baskets are loaded by directly scraping against pollen or are loaded with the forelegs. This is seen in Perdita subgenus Heteroperdita, specialists on Tiquilia (Boraginaceae) (Portman et al 2016); Hesperapis laticeps Crawford, a specialist on Mentzelia (Suppl. material 9); and both species of Xeralictus (Halictidae) -X. bicuspidariae Snelling and Stage and X. timberlakei Cockerell -also specialists on Mentzelia (Snelling and Stage 1995).…”

Review of Perdita subgenus Procockerellia Timberlake (Hymenoptera, Andrenidae) and the first Perdita gynandromorph

“…The panurgine genus Perdita Smith, 1853 (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae: Panurginae) is the most speciose bee genus in North America with 636 currently recognized species and 127 additional subspecies (Portman et al 2016b). It is also diverse at the subgeneric level with 17 subgenera currently recognized (Michener 2007).…”