Megachile (Eutricharaea) apicalis Spinola 1808 (New state record)

(Fig. 19A)

County records: Ingham.

Notes. A single female specimen was collected adjacent to a railway line in 2013. After repeated attempts to recollect the species at the same locality, an additional female and male were found in 2014. Megachile apicalis prefers Centaurea (Asteraceae) (Müller & Bansac 2004), which was abundant at the collection site. The female of the species is similar to the alfalfa leafcutter bee, M. rotundata, but can be distinguished by the apical projection of the clypeus and the darker scopal hairs on S 4 in addition to S5 (Parker 1978; Sheffield et al. 2011b). Megachile rotundata is commonly observed in the same area. A continuing expansion of its range is likely, similar to that seen in other cavity nesting megachilid bees (Gibbs & Sheffield 2009; Hinojosa-Díaz 2008). In other US localities, this species can be very abundant and aggressively competes for nesting sites (Barthell & Thorp 1995; Stephen 2003; Thorp 1996). Further range extensions of this species might be facilitated by the spread of the invasive plant Centaurea stoebe L. (Spotted Knapweed) (Richardson et al. 2000).

Material examined. Ingham Co.: Michigan State University, south campus, N42.721 W84.473, 9 Jun. 2013 (1 ♀ MSUC) ; Michigan State University, south campus, N42.721 W84.473, 23 Aug. 2014 (1 ♀ 1 ♂ JBWM) .