Bees of Canada Logo

Osmia bella Cresson, 1878

Properties

Scientific Name: Osmia bella Cresson, 1878

Common Name: Osmia bella

Taxonomy

Osmia bella Cresson, 1878 : 107 [♂].

     Lectotype , designated by Cresson (1916: ). USA, Colorado, by Morrison [ANSP no. 2554].

 

Taxonomic notes: Michener 1936: 17) listed O. bella Cresson, 1878 as the ♂ of O. cobaltina Cresson, 1878 which was subsequently supported by Sandhouse (1939: 134) [in part], and by Michener (1951: 1168) and Hurd (1979: 2042). Interestingly, Sandhouse (1939: 133) also listed O. bella as a synonym of O. bruneri Cockerell, 1897 [in part], though presumably this was based on examination of Cresson’s paralectotypes, as O. bella would have priority over O. bruneri. All three are now considered valid species, so the ♀ of O. bella has not been described, but is known (e.g., Howell and Alarcón, 2007, visitor of Penstemon flowers). Cane et al. (2007) also indicated that O. bella was routinely collected on flowers in the Cache Valle of Utah, though the species has never been recorded from trap nesting programs, suggesting that it may not nest in pre-existing cavities.

DNA Barcode Index Number (BIN): BOLD:AAF2159, BOLD:AAF2158

BIN BOLD:AAF2158 is represented by a single ♂ specimen from Utah, while members of BIN BOLD:AAF2159 include ♂ and ♀ from British Columbia, Oregon, California, Utah; one of the specimens from the latter location is identifed as O. cobaltina.

Distribution in Canada: Sheffield and Heron 2019 [BC].

References

Cresson ET (1878) Descriptions of new North American Hymenoptera in the collection of the American Entomological Society. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 7: 61-136.

Hurd PD (1979) Superfamily Apoidea. In: Krombein KV, Hurd Jr PD, Smith DR, Burks BD (Eds) Catalog of Hymenoptera in America North of Mexico. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, 2735 pp.

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

Cresson ET (1916) The Cresson types of Hymenoptera. Memoirs of the American Entomological Society 1: 1-141.

Michener CD (1951) Family Megachilidae. In: Muesebeck CF, Krombein KV, Townes HK (Eds) Hymenoptera of America north of Mexico Synoptic Catalog. 2. United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Monograph, Washington. Pp. 1136-1186.

Sandhouse GA (1939) The North American bees of the genus Osmia (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Washington 1: 1-167.

Cane JH, Griswold T, Parker FD (2007) Substrates and materials used for nesting by North American Osmia bees (Hymenoptera: Apiformes: Megachilidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America 100: 350–358. https://doi.org/10.1603/0013-8746(2007)100[350:SAMUFN]2.0.CO;2

Michener CD (1936) Some North American Osmiinae (Hymenoptera, Apoidea). American Museum Novitates 875: 1-30.

Howell AD, Alarcón R (2007) Osmia bees (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) can detect nectar-rewarding flowers using olfactory cues. Animal Behaviour 74: 199-205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2006.11.012

Sociality: Solitary
Wintering Stage: Adult

Crop Preference: Not Available
Non Crop Preference: Not Available

Distribution: British Columbia
Ecozone: Montane Cordillera, Pacific Maritime, Western Interior Basin

Distribution Map