Triepeolus brittaini Cockerell, 1931

*Triepeolus brittaini Cockerell, 1931d: 279 [♂‚]

     Holotype ♂‚. CANADA, Nova Scotia, Kings County, 31 July 1930, by W.H. Brittain, on Epilobium [CNC no. 3358].

*Triepeolus charlottensis Mitchell, 1962: 462 [♀] [synonymy by Rightmyer 2008: 40]

     Holotype ♀. CANADA, New Brusnwick, Charlotte Co., 10 Septermber 1956, by W.T.A. Neilson [CNC no. 15270].

Species Notes

This species is known globally from eastern Canada (Rightmyer 2008).

The DNA Barcode Index Number (BIN) for this species is BOLD:AAE8463, which is shared with T. subalpinus Cockerell, 1910, and another larger, undescribed species from Saskatchewan.

Biology

Little is known about the biology of this species though presumably it is a nest parasite of the eucerine genus Melissodes. In Nova Scotia, this species co-occurs with Melissodes druriellus (Kirby, 1802).

Size

♀ body length: 8-10 mm; intertegular width: 1.9 mm; head length:  mm; head width:  mm; forewing length:  mm

♂‚ body length: 10 mm; intertegular width: 1.9 mm; head length:  mm; head width:  mm; forewing length:  mm

Extent of Occurrence (EOO) in Canada (http://geocat.kew.org/): 18,695.5 km2

Approximate Global Extent of Occurrence (EOO) (http://geocat.kew.org/): 18,695.5 km2

Index of Area of Occupancy (IAO) in Canada (http://geocat.kew.org/): 112 km2

Distribution in Canada: Cockerell 1931 [NS]; Mitchell 1962 [NB]; Sheffield et al. 2003, 2009 [NS]; Rightmyer 2008 [NB, NS]; RSKM [NS]; Discover Life [PE]

References

Cockerell TDA (1931) Two genera of bees new to the recorded fauna of Nova Scotia. The Canadian Entomologist 63: 279.

Mitchell TB (1962) Bees of the eastern United States. Volume II. North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station Technical Bulletin 152. 557 pp.

Rightmyer MG (2008) A review of the cleptoparasitic bee genus Triepeolus (Hymenoptera: Apidae).—Part I. Zootaxa 1710: 1-170.

Sheffield CS, Hebert PDN, Kevan PG, Packer L (2009) DNA barcoding a regional bee (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) fauna and its potential for ecological studies. Molecular Ecology Resources 9 (suppl 1): 196-207. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-0998.2009.02645.x

Sheffield CS, Kevan PG, Smith RF, Rigby SM, Rogers REL (2003) Bee species of Nova Scotia, Canada, with new records and notes on bionomics and floral relations (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 76: 357-384. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25086122