Osmia georgica Cresson, 1878
Properties
Scientific Name: Osmia georgica Cresson, 1878
Common Name: Georgia Mason Bee
Taxonomy
Osmia georgica Cresson, 1878: 105 [♀].
Lectotype ♀, designated by Cresson (1916: 119). USA, Colorado, by Rigings or Morrison [ANSP no. 2537].
Osmia (Gnathosmia) Louisianae Cockerell, 1910: 171 [♀]. Synonymy by Crawford (1915: 578).
Holotype ♀. USA, Louisiana, Mound, 4 May 1905, by C.R. Jones (Hunter no. 234) [USNM no. 13545].
Taxonomic Notes: The ♂ was described by Sandhouse (1939: 18).
Cockerell (1910: 171) indicated that it was likely that O. louisianae Cockerell represented a colour variable form of O. georgica Cresson, though Sandhouse (1939: 18) later suggested this was likely due to the age of the specimen and not natural variation.. Hurd (1979: 2034) incorrectly recorded 1901 as the year in which O. louisianae was described.
DNA Barcode Index Number (BIN): BOLD:ABZ2181
Biology: Hartman (1944), Krombein (1967), and Hawkins (1975) provide details of the nesting biology and life history. Hartman (1944) established nests in glass tubes of 4-5 mm diameter and described details of the nest provisioning behaviour. Masticated leaves are used for nest partitioning and closure (Hartman 1944). Hawkins (1975) trap-nested this species in nests of 6.4 mm diameter and indicated that 14-20 cells can be made in each.
Distribution in Canada: Criddle et al. 1924 [ON]; Taylor 2014 [ON].
Body length: ♀ 8 - 10 mm ♂ 6 - 8 mm
Forewing length: ♀ 6 - 7 mm ♂ 5.5 - 6 mm
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.
Cockerell TDA (1910) Some new American bees. The Canadian Entomologist 42(5): 169-171. https://doi.org/10.4039/Ent42169-5
Criddle N, Curran CH, Viereck HL, Buckell ER (1924) The entomological record, 1923. Annual Report of the Entomological Society of Ontario 54: 87-102.
Cresson ET (1916) The Cresson types of Hymenoptera. Memoirs of the American Entomological Society 1: 1-141.
Crawford JC (1915) Descriptions of new Hymenoptera, No. 9. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 48(2087): 577-586. https://biostor.org/reference/3936
Sandhouse GA (1939) The North American bees of the genus Osmia (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Washington 1: 1-167.
Hartman CG (1944) Notes on the habits of Osmia georgica Cresson as ascertained by the glass-tube method. Psyche 51(3-4): 162-165.
Hawkins WA (1975) Nesting biology of Osmia (Chalcosmia) georgica (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae), Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 48(4): 493-499. http://www.jstor.org/stable/25078469
Sociality: Solitary
Nesting: Cavity Renter
Wintering Stage: Adult
Crop Preference: Not Available
Non Crop Preference: Ranunculus sp.
Distribution: Ontario, Quebec
Ecozone: Mixwood Plains