Megachile (Chelostomoides) occidentalis Fox, 1894

Pedro, Diego De, Ceccarelli, Fadia Sara, Sagot, Philippe, López-Reyes, Eulogio, Mullins, Jessica L., Mérida-Rivas, Jorge A., Falcon-Brindis, Armando, Griswold, Terry, Ascher, John S., Gardner, Joel, Ayala, Ricardo, Vides-Borrell, Eric & Vandame, Rémy, 2024, Revealing the Baja California Peninsula’s Hidden Treasures: An Annotated checklist of the native bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila), Zootaxa 5522 (1), pp. 1-391 : 314

Megachile (Chelostomoides) occidentalis Fox, 1894

[ Lectotype: CASC; ♂ San Ignacio , Baja California Sur, Mexico]

This species specializes on pollen from plants in the family Fabaceae , such as Lotus L. ( Fowler 2020). Within the BCP, this species has been collected in the Vizcaíno Desert, Gulf Coast Region, Magdalena Plains, and the Pacific Islands in Cedros Island with preserved specimen records vouchered at ASUHIC, BBSL, CASC, SDNHM, and SEMC ( Fox 1894; GBIF 2023). Additionally, we examined one female collected in the Gulf Coast (CNIN). The CARCIB team collected this species in the Central Desert (11 ♀, 6 ♂), Vizcaíno Desert (5 ♂), Gulf Coast (5 ♀, 5 ♂), Magdalena Plains (9 ♀, 3 ♂), Sarcocaulescent Shrubland (1 ♀, 3 ♂), and Tropical Dry Forest (1 ♀). The BBPT collected two females in the Magdalena Plains in March 2021. Voucher specimens are in MABC, and ECOAB. See fig. 222.