Osmia albolateralis Cockerell, 1906

Osmia dubia Cresson, 1864 : 29 [♀]. Preoccupied, not Osmia dubia Germar, 1849.

     Holotype ♀. USA, Colorado, Pike’s Peak [ANSP no. 2519].

Osmia albolateralis Cockerell, 1906: 450 [♀].

     Holotype ♀. USA, Colorado, Teller County, Florissant, 21 June [1906], by S.A. Rohwer, on Penstemon secundifloris [CAS no. 15661].

Osmia enena Cockerell, 1907: 448 [♂]. Synonym [as ?] by Sandhouse (1939: 122).

     Holotype ♂. USA, Colorado, Florissant, 23 June 1907, by S.A. Rohwer [].

Osmia visenda Sandhouse, 1924: 355 [♀]. Synonym by Sandhouse (1939: 122).

     Holotype ♀. USA, California, Fresno Co., Huntington Lake, 4 July 1919, by E.P. Van Duzee [CAS no. 1564].

Taxonomic Notes: The ♂ was described by Sandhouse (1939: 123).

The synonymy of Osmia enena Cockerell, described from the ♂, under O. albolateralis Cockerell was made, albeit with hesitation by Sandhouse (1939: 122), and later supported by Michener (1951: 1167) and Hurd (1979: 2046) under O. albolateralis albolateralis Cockerell as questionable. It is not known if Sandhouse’s (1939) description of the ♂ of O. albolateralis is based on Cockerell’s species; if so, the association needs to be confirmed.

Michener (1951: 1167) was seemingly the first to consider O. visenda Sandhouse a valid subspecies of O. albolateralis. Sandhouse (1939: 123) indicated that there was considerable variation in the colouration of the females, those from California and Oregon (i.e., O. visenda) being purplish blue with mostly black pubescence, and those from Colorado (the type locality) being greenish blue with considerable pale pubescence; no differenes were noted in males.

DNA Barcode Index Number (BIN): BOLD:AAE4089, BOLD:AAI1801

The two BINs corresponding to material identified as O. albolateralis are found in Canada, the former in coastal BC, the latter in BC, AB, SK, and from ON (identified as O. collinsiae Robertson). Images of specimens corresponding to both BINs do not resemble Sandhouse’s description of O. visenda. Sandhouse (1939: 123) indicated the similarity of O. albolateralis to O. collinsiae, and clearly additional work will be required to resolve the taxonomy and distribution of these taxa.

Distribution in Canada: Sandhouse 1939 [BC, AB]; Buckell 1950 [BC, incorrectly attributed to Cresson]; Michener 1951 [BC, AB]; Sheffield et al. 2014 [AB].