Megachile (Megachiloides) wheeleri Mitchell, 1927

Megachile wheeleri Mitchell, 1927: 107 .

Megachile (Xeromegachile) wheeleri Mitchell. Butler 1965: 9 . Hurd 1979: 2066. Ivanochko 1979: 244. Mitchell 1937a: 355.

Megachile (Megachiloides) wheeleri Mitchell. Raw 2002: 21 . Scott et al. 2011: 56. Sheffield et al. 2011: 61. Reese et al. 2018: 22. Sheffield and Heron 2019: 70.

Megachile spokanensis Mitchell, 1927: 109 .

Diagnosis. The female of M. wheeleri can be identified by its 4-toothed mandibles with an asymmetrical emargination between the 3 rd and 4 th tooth, emargination deepest closer to 4 th tooth, and the widely spaced punctures on the apical half of T5, which are separated by 3–4 diameters. Females of M. wheeleri are most similar to M. manifesta (see M. manifesta above) and M. nevadensis (see M. nevadensis above and Taxonomic Challenges). The male of M. wheeleri can be identified by its wide and spatulate procoxal spine without a setal patch at the base, the protruding triangular carina on the ventral mesepisternum (viewed ventrally, directly posterior to the procoxal spine), and the quadrate metatarsomeres (viewed laterally) (Fig. 8G).

Notes. This species occurs in central Montana and the lower elevations of western Montana, west of 109° (Fig. 1 AI). This is the only member of Megachiloides besides the rarely seen M. pascoensis that has been found west of the divide. Photographs, a full morphological description, and notes on the biology of this soil-nesting species can be found in Sheffield et al. (2011).