Megachile (Pseudocentron) holosericea (Fabricius)

Genaro, Julio A. & Franz, Nico M., 2008, The bees of Greater Puerto Rico (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila), Insecta Mundi 2008 (40), pp. 1-24 : 7-8

Megachile (Pseudocentron) holosericea (Fabricius) ( Figs. 8 to 10)

Apis holosericea Fabricius, 1793: 336 . Lectotype female in ZMUC, designated by Moure (1960a).

~ Megachile sp. Snelling, 1992: 14 ; Torres and Snelling, 1992: 88.

~ Megachile undescr. sp. near poeyi Guérin-Méneville in Snelling, 1993: 6.

GD: British Virgin Islands (Guana Island), and Puerto Rico (including Mona Island) ( Moure 1960a; Snelling 1992, 1993).

The species placed in the subgenus Pseudocentron Mitchell are very similar in their morphology; and this has led to some misidentifications. The senior author (JAG) and Moure (1960a) have repeatedly come across specimens of M. holosericea identified as M. vitracii Pérez in United States museum collections. Moure (1960a) reviewed the types of these species and clarified the taxonomic status of each. Ashmead (1900) and Moure at al. (2007) recorded Megachile poeyi Guérin-Méneville from Puerto Rico. We have seen no corresponding specimens in the material available to us. It is likely that Ashmead’s specimens pertain to the very similar M. holosericea . Megachile singularis Cresson (1865) is another misidentification from Puerto Rico by Ashmead (1900; see also above). Cresson (1865) described this species based on males from Cuba. We have seen no specimens matching that description among the Puerto Rican material studied, and therefore suspect that this record is based on misidentified specimens - possibly males of M. holosericea .

A male of M. holosericea was preyed on by the asilid fly Proctacanthus danforthi Curran in Humacao, Puerto Rico (1.vi.2006) ( Fig. 8 ).

Figures

Figure 7-13. Megachilidae. 7) Megachile luctifera Spinola. 8) Proctacanthus danforthi (Diptera: Asilidae) eating a male of M. holosericea (Fabr.). 9) M. holosericea, male. 10) M. holosericea, female. 11) M. concinna F. Smith, male with detail of tergum VI, with small teeth. 12) M. lanata (Fabr.). 13) M. rufipennis (Fabr.).