Bees of Canada Logo

Andrena geranii Robertson, 1891

Properties

Scientific Name: Andrena geranii Robertson, 1891

Common Name: Waterleaf Miner Bee

Taxonomy

Andrena geranii Robertson, 1891: 54 [♀, ♂‚]

     Lectotype ♀ [designated by LaBerge 1977: 116]. USA, Illinois, Carlinville, 11 May 1886, by C. Robertson, on Geranium maculatum [INHS]

Andrena campanulae Viereck and Cockerell, 1914: 38 [♂‚] [synonymy by LaBerge 1977: 114]

     Holotype ♂‚. USA, Colorado, Palmer Lake, 13 July 1901 [USNM no. 18149]

 

Species Notes

LaBerge (1977: 116) incorrectly records the collection date of the holotype of A. campanulae as 13 July 1904, not 1901 as in the original work. LaBerge (1977) indicates that A. geranii, especially males, exhibit a high degree of size polymorphism that is not linked to geography. There is also variation in body colour, particularly metallic-blue reflections of the integument, the main difference between the typical form of A. geranii and A. campanulae. The species ephthet is not reflective of oligolecty in this species, as it tends to prefer flowers of Hydrophyllum (waterleaf), though will also forage on Campanula and Geranium (LaBerge 1977).

 

References

LaBerge WE (1977) A revision of the bees of the genus Andrena of the Western Hemisphere. Part VIII.Subgenera Thysandrena, Dasyandrena, Psammandrena, Rhacandrena, Euandrena, Oxyandrena. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 103 (1): 1‑143. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25078201

Robertson C (1891) Descriptions of new species of North American bees. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 18(1): 49‑66. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25076556

Viereck HL, Cockerell TD (1914) New North American bees of the genus Andrena. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 48: 1‑58. 

Sociality: Solitary
Nesting: Ground

Crop Preference: Not Available
Non Crop Preference: Symphoricarpos occidentalis, Rosa sp., Ranunculus sp., Borodinia dentata, Hydrophyllum sp., Campanula sp., Geranium sp., Taraxacum officinale, Pastinaca sativa, Populus deltoides, Hydrophyllum virginianum, Geranium maculatum, Hydrophyllum appendiculatum, Campanula rotundifolia, Blephilia ciliata, Hydrophyllum fendleri, Viola sp.

Distribution: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan
Ecozone: Boreal Plains, Boreal Shield, Mixwood Plains, Prairie, Western Interior Basin