Nomada crawfordi Cockerell, 1905
Properties
Scientific Name: Nomada crawfordi Cockerell, 1905
Common Name: Crawford s Nomad Cuckoo Bee
Taxonomy
Nomada (Xanthidium) crawfordi Cockerell, 1905: 79 [♀].
Holotype ♀. USA, Colorado, Virginia Dale, 20 June 1901, by F.C. Bishopp [USNM no. 27712].
Nomada (Xanthidium) gillettei Cockerell, 1905: 81 [♂].
Holotype ♂. USA, Colorado, Golden, 3 July [no year provided], by C.P. Gillette [ USNM no. 27709].
Nomada (Xanthidium) ednae Cockerell, 1907: 537 [♂].
Holotype ♂. USA, Colorado, Boulder, 27 April [no year provided], by E. Baker. [USNM no. 29479].
Nomada (Xanthidium) crawfordi lachrymosa Cockerell, 1921: 5 [♀].
Holotype ♀. USA, Wyoming, Jackson, about 6300 ft., along Cache Creek, among vegatation of moderately moist pasture-land type, 15 July 1920 [AMNH].
Taxonomic Notes: Cockerell (1906: 438) briefly described the male of N. crawfordi Cockerell, indicating that it would run is his key of Rocky Mountain Nomada (Cockerell 1905) to N. superba, but was smaller, with yellow tegula, the apical plate of abdomen variable, either weakly notched or truncate. Swenk (1913: 65) provided a more detailed description of the male, but also felt that it was consistent with N. gillettei Cockerell, and N. ednae Cockerell, both described from males, and considered them conspecific with N. crawfordi, differing only in colour extent. Males from SK match the description of N. gillettei, though the scutellum is almost completely red [as also described for N. ednae], not two spotted, and the poteriorly directed reddish triangle of tergum 1 does not interrupt the pale band (as described for N. gillettei), this also consistent with N. endnae. Despite the opinion of Swenk (1913), Cockerell (1921) and more recent treatments including Alexander and Schwarz (1994) have treated these as separate taxa.
The two subspecies (as still recognized by Alexander and Schwarz 1994: 246) differ mainly in the broad continuous yellow band on tergum 1 in N. crawfordi lachrymosa (Cockerell 1921: 6); Swenk (1913: 65) also referred to a specimen from Nebraska of N. crawford with better developed spots on tergum 1, thus approaching a fully developed band, not small yellow lateral spots as described in the typical form, supporting synonymy. Specimens from Saskatchewan have the spots almost absent in females.
DNA Barcode Index Number (BIN): BOLD:ACM6592
Distribution in Canada: Gibbs et al. 2023 [MB]; Onuferko et al. 2023 [SK].
Body length: ♀ 11 mm
References
Cockerell TDA (1906) The bees of Florissant, Colorado. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 22: 419-455.
Cockerell TDA (1907) Descriptions and records of bees.—XIV. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Series 7 19(114): 531-540.https://doi.org/10.1080/00222930709487287
Swenk MH (1913) Studies of North American bees I. Family Nomadidae. Univeristy Studies of the University of Nebraska 12(1): 1-113.
Cockerell TDA (1921) Western bees obtained by the American Museum expeditions. American Museum Novitates 24: 1-15.
Cockerell TDA (1905) The bees of the genus Nomada found in Colorado, with a table to separate all the species of the Rocky Mountains. Bulletin of the Agricultural Experimental Station of the Colorado Agricultural College 94: 69-85.
Alexander BA, Schwarz M (1994) A catalog of the species of Nomada (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) of the World. The University of Kansas Science Bulletin 55(7): 239-270.
Sociality: Parasitic
Nesting: Ground
Pollen Specialization: Not Applicable
Wintering Stage: Mature Larva
Crop Preference: Not Available
Non Crop Preference: Not Available
Distribution: Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan
Ecozone: Prairie