Hoplitis hypocrita (Cockerell, 1906)
Properties
Scientific Name: Hoplitis hypocrita (Cockerell, 1906)
Common Name: Mimic Small-Mason Bee
Taxonomy
Osmia hypocrita Cockerell, 1906: 160 [♀].
Holotype ♀. USA, Colorado, Boulder, 27 June 1905, by W.P. Cockerell [CAS no. 15673].
Hoplitus hypocrita? Blades and Maier, 1996: 72. Lapsus of Hoplitis hypocrita (Cockerell, 1906).
Taxonomic Notes: The ♂ was described by Cockerell (1911: 763), and Michener (1947: 292, 293).
Osmia hypocrita Cockerell is the type species for Hoplitis (Cyrtosmia) Michener, 1947 [= ]. Sandhouse (1939: 140) was the first to recognize it as a Hoplitis Klug.
DNA Barcode Index Number (BIN): BOLD:AAE0118
Biology: The nesting biology was described by Hicks (1926), Clement and Rust (1976), and Frolich et al. (1988). It will nest in hollowed or drilled stems of 5-6 mm diameter, and will produce 3-11 cells per nest depending on nest depth (Clement and Rust 1976). Nest plugs consist of two to five layers of masticated plant material and pith (Clement and Rust 1976).
Distribution in Canada: Michener 1947 [BC]; Hurd and Michener 1955 [BC]; Elwell 2012 [BC]; Rowe 2017 [BC]; Sheffield and Heron 2019 [BC].
References
Cockerell TDA (1906) New Rocky Mountain bees, and other notes. The Canadian Entomologist 38(5): 160-166.https://doi.org/10.4039/ent38160-5
Sheffield CS, Heron JM (2019) The bees of British Columbia (Hymenoptera: Apoidea, Apiformes). Journal of the Entomological Society of British Columbia 115: 44-85.https://journal.entsocbc.ca/index.php/journal/article/view/1001/1097
Hurd PD, Michener CD (1955) The megachiline bees of California. Bulletin of the California Insect Survey 3: 1-247.
Hicks CH (1926) Nesting habits and parasites of certain bees of Boulder County, Colorado. University of Colorado Bulletin 15: 217-252.
Sandhouse GA (1939) The North American bees of the genus Osmia (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Washington 1: 1-167.
Clement SL, Rust RW (1976) The nesting biology of three species of Hoplitis Klug (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). The Pan-Pacific Entomologist 52(2): 110-119.
Cockerell TDA (1911) Descriptions and records of bees.—XL. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Series 8 8(48): 763-770. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222931108693096
Michener CD (1947b) A revision of the American species of Hoplitis (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 89(4): 257-318.
Elwell SL (2012) The effects of livestock grazing and habitat type on plant-pollinator communities of British Columbia’s Endangered Shrubsteppe. MSc Thesis, Simon Fraser University. X + 110 pp.
Frohlich DR, Clark WH, Parker FD, Griswold TL (1988) The xylophilous bees and wasps of a high, cold desert: Leslie Gulch, Oregon (Hymenoptera: Apoidea, Vespoidea). The Pan-Pacific Entomologist 64(3): 266-269.
Blades DCA, Maier CW (1996) A survey of grassland and montane arthropods collected in the southern Okanagan region of British Columbia. Journal of the Entomological Society of British Columbia 93: 49-74. https://biostor.org/reference/204801
Rowe G (2017) A taxonomic revision of the Canadian non-Osmia Osmiini (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). MSc Thesis, York University, Toronto. xv + 321 pp.
Sociality: Solitary
Nesting: Cavity Renter
Pollen Specialization: Polylectic
Wintering Stage: Mature Larva
Crop Preference: Not Available
Non Crop Preference: Not Available
Distribution: British Columbia
Ecozone: Montane Cordillera, Pacific Maritime, Western Interior Basin