Holcopasites illinoiensis (Robertson, 1891)
Properties
Scientific Name: Holcopasites illinoiensis (Robertson, 1891)
Common Name: Dusty Cuckoo Nomad Bee
Taxonomy
Phileremus illinoiensis Robertson, 1891: 64 [♀, ♂].
Lectotype ♀ [desingated by W.E. LaBerge, in Webb 1980: 110]. USA, Illinois, Carlinville, 14 July 1888, by C.A. Robertson [INHS, Robertson no. 8462].
Holcopasites pratti Ashmead, in Crawford 1915b: 123. Synonymy by Crawford (1915:124); Linsley (1943: 133). Nomen nudem (see Linsley (1943; 133); Mitchell (1962: 488); Hurd and Linsley (1972: 34).
Neopasites (Neopasites) punctulatus Linsley, 1943a: 135 [♂]. Synonymy by Mitchell (1962: 488).
Holotype ♂. USA, District of Columbia, Chevy Chase, 14 June 1916, by W.D. Pierce, on Erigeron ramosus [ANSP no. 5012].
Taxonomic Notes: Webb (1980: 110) recorded the month of capture of the lectotype of P. illinoensis Robertson as July (vii), though the original publication mentions August (Robertson 1891: 64).
Linsley (1943a: 133) and Hurd and Linsley (1972: 34) listed H. pratti (from Washington, District of Columbia) as a manuscript name attributed to Ashmead, though appearing in Crawford (1915b: 124) who also suggested the synonymy. This presumably is the “undescribed type” of the genus that Cockerell (1903: 452) examined and considered similar to H. pulchellus (Cresson) (see Hurd and Linsley 1972: 34).
Cooper (1993: 122) considered H. minimus (Linsley) a subspecies of H. illinoiensis (Robertson), though this synonymy is not reflected elsewhere (e.g., Ascher and Pickering 2022).
Biology: This species is a cleptoparasite in the nest of Calliopsis andreniformis (Robertson 1926; Shinn 1967; Hurd and Linsley 1972).
Distribution in Canada: Crawford 1912 [AB, as Neopasites illinoiensis Robertson]; Criddle et al. 1924 [AB, SK]; CNC [NB; need to verify].
References
Crawford JC (1915) The bee genus Holcopasites Ashmead. Insecutor Inscitiae Menstruus 3: 123-126.
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
Robertson C (1926) Phenology of inquiline and nest-making bees. Psyche 33: 116-120.
Hurd PD, Linsley EG (1972) Parasitic bees of the genus Holcopasites Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoolology 114: 1-41.
Linsley EG (1943) A revision of the genus Neopasites (Hymenoptera: Nomadidae). Transactions of the American Entomological Society 69(2/3): 119-140.https://www.jstor.org/stable/25077508
Shinn AF (1967) A revision of the bee genus Calliopsis and the biology and ecology of C. andreniformis (Hymenoptera, Andrenidae). University of Kansas Science Bulletin 46(21): 753-936.
Cooper KW (1993) The first Holcopasites from western California, H. ruthae n. sp., and H. linsleyi, a new species from southwestern Arizona (Hymenoptera, Nomadinae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 95(1): 113-125.
Sociality: Parasitic
Nesting: Ground
Pollen Specialization: Not Applicable
Wintering Stage: Mature Larva
Crop Preference: Not Available
Non Crop Preference: Not Available
Distribution: Alberta, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan
Ecozone: Atlantic Maritime, Prairie