Megachile albitarsis Cresson, 1872

Megachile albitarsis Cresson, 1872: 263 [♂].

     Lectotype ♂, designated by Cresson (1916: 111). USA, Texas, by Belfrage [ANSP no. 2461].

Megachile optiva Cresson, 1872 : 268 [♀]. Synonymy by Mitchell (1937: 75).

     Lectotype ♂, designated by Cresson (1916: 126). USA, Texas, by Belfrage [ANSP no. 2445].

Megachile newelli Cockerell, 1908: 262 [♀]. Synonymy by Mitchell (1937: 75).

     Syntype ♀. USA, Louisiana, Keatchie, 8 July 1905, by W. Newell [USNM no. 40108].

Megachile kallstroemiae Cockerell, 1908: 264 [♀]. Synonymy by Mitchell (1937: 75).

     Holotype ♀. USA, New Mexico, Mesilla Park, 27 July [no year provided], by T.D.A. Cockerell, on Kallstroemia [USNM no. 29380].

Taxonomic notes: Cockerell (1914: 432) suspected, incorrectly, that his M. newelli was the female of M. integra Cresson. He (Cockerell 1924: 551) also compared it and M. kallstroemiae, though still considered them both valid species. Graenicher (1930: 162) also considered these two distinct species.

Mitchell (1937) is here given credit for the synonymies listed above, though this was not specifically stated. Mitchell’s det. labels on the type materials of the two Cockerell species at the USNM indicated that he considered these synonymies of M. optiva (all three specimens being female). It is possible that Mitchell associated M. optiva with M. albitarsis prior to 1937, as when he erected the subgenus Acentron Mitchell (Mitchell 1934: 307), he included M. albitarsis as the type species, keyed the female and male, and indicated there was only one specimen in North American north of Mexico. In his 1937 treatment (Mitchell 1937), he listed all of these as synonymies, though did not indicate these were new.

DNA Barcode Index Number (BIN): BOLD:ABY1292

Biology: 

Distribution in Canada: Provancher 1882 [QC, as M. optiva Cresson]; Brodie and White 1883 [Canada, as M. optiva Cresson]; Guignard 1887 [ON?, as M. optiva Cresson, nesting with leaves and flower petals]; Harrington 1887 [ON, as M. optiva Cresson, as an insect infesting maple, though indicated some doubt]; Criddle et al. 1924 [ON, as M. optiva Cresson].

Provancher (1882: 232) misidentified two specimens of M. centuncularis from QC as M. optiva [= M. albitarsis], see Sheffield and Perron 2014, though Titus (1906: 149-150) and Mitchell (1937: 75) indicated these were M. relativa]. It is likely that all material from Canada indicated above has been misidentified, and no specimens of Megachile albitarsis Cresson, 1872 have yet been verified in Canada.

Extent of Occurrence (EOO) in Canada (http://geocat.kew.org/): N/A

Approximate Global Extent of Occurrence (EOO) (http://geocat.kew.org/):

Index of Area of Occupancy (IAO) in Canada (http://geocat.kew.org/): N/A