Nomada vincta Say, 1837

Nomada vincta Say, 1837: 401 [♀, ♂].

     Syntypes ♀, ♂. USA, Indiana [presumably lost].

Nomada vincta var. heterochroa Cockerell, 1921: 1 [♂]. Synonymy by Broemeling and Moalif (1988: 208).

     Syntypes ♂. USA, Colorado, Wray, about 3700 ft., one take with the typical form in evening sweeping and one in a moist place at the head of Dry Willow Creek, 17 and 18 August 1919 [AMNH].

Nomada (Pachynomada) utahensis Moalif, 1988: 215 [♂, ♀]. Possible synonymy.

     Holotype ♂ [pinned with allotype ♀]. USA, Utah, Topaz, 12 August 1949, by G.E. Bohart, on Helianthus annus [USNM ENT no. 00534002].

Taxonomic Notes: Broemeling and Moalif (1988: 209) indicated that, despite Say’s type material being lost, a neotype was not required as the species (a member of the vincta group) is very distinctive and is one of the only Pachynomada Rodeck occuring in the east (with N. besseyi Swenk, which they placed in the asteris species group). Their treatment of N. vincta Say indicates that the metosomal banding of the female are narrow versus N. utahensis Broemeling and Moalif (see Broemeling and Moalif 1988: 202, figures11 and 12), the latter which they suggest could possibly represent a western variant of N. vincta; they distinguished the males based on slight differences in shape of the scape, and females by the metasomal banding. In support, material from Saskatchewan, Canada seems intermediate, males mostly matching their concept of N. vincta (which they report from Canada) but females matching N. utahensis (i.e., wide metasomal bands); the specimens are considered conspecific based on COI and specimens being assigned to the BIN listed below.

Cockerell (1921: 1) noted differences in colour in his variety heterochroa Cockerell, mainly in more reddish colouration on the thorax, though indicated that he collected it with males and females of the typcal form in Colorado. Though not indicated for the typical form by Broemeling and Moalif (1988: 208), material from Saskatchewan, Canada have thin, reddish markings laterally on the mesoscutum, and on the base of the axilla, supporting that variation in the amount of red exists.

DNA Barcode Index Number (BIN): BOLD:AAN4581

Biology: Parker and Bohart (1982: 112) reported an unknown Pachynomada as a nest parasite of Andrena (Callandrena) helianthi Robertson; Parker and Griswold (1983: 286) reported the same species attacking nests of A. (Callandrena) haynesi Viereck and Cockerell. The former study indicated that the species was being treated in an unpublished revision by DK Broemeling, which was described as N. utahensis Moalif in Broemeling and Moalif (1988: 215). The fact that both of these Andrena hosts have been recorded from Canada lends additional support to the synonymy proposed above.

Distribution in Canada: Broemeling and Moalif 1988 [AB]; Sheffield et al. 2014 [AB, SK, MB]; Gibbs et al. 2023 [MB].