Melissoptila dama (Vachal)

Vivallo, Felipe, 2009, Notes on the bee genus Alloscirtetica Holmberg, 1909 in northern Chile with the description of two new altiplanic species and a key for the Chilean species of Eucerini (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Zootaxa 2010, pp. 16-30 : 24

Melissoptila dama (Vachal)

Both sexes of this species have very light pilosity, predominantly whitish or yellowish, and flattened clypeal disc, more evident in male. In addition, the male also has abundant and very dense yellow pilosity on the ocellocular area (integument not visible beneath hairs). The female has the tibial escopa with whitish pilosity and hind basitarsi with yellowish hairs ( Urban 1998a). Illustrations of the male genitalia and other structures were made by Urban (1968).

This species occurs mainly in Argentina, found in Chile only in the south (Region of Biobío) ( Urban et al. 2007). In Chile, this species has been observed visiting Senecio rutaceus Phil. (Compositae) ( Jaffuel & Pirión 1926; Wagenknecht 1970), Baccharis rosmarinifolia Hook. & Arm. , Baccharis pingraea DC., Gutierrezia paniculata A. Gray , Haplopappus angustifolia (DC.) Reiche, Bidens pilosa L., Taraxacum officinale Weber ex FHWigg. ( Asteraceae ), Ver b en a litoralis (Verbenaceae) , Argemone mexicana (Papaveraceae) , Malvastrum peruvianum L. ( Malvaceae ) and Eryngium paniculatum Cav. et Domb ex Delar. (Umbelliferae= Apiaceae ) ( Wagenknecht 1970). In Argentina visits Hoffmanseggia falcaria Cav. (Fabaceae) ( Jensen-Haarup 1908a).

Melissoptila dama is parasitized by the bees Doeringiella burmeisteri (Friese) ( Apidae : Nomadini ) in Argentina ( Jörgensen 1912) and Isepeolus luctuosus (Spinola) ( Apidae : Isepeolini ) in Chile ( Jafuel & Pirión 1926). Additional information about taxonomy and bionomy see Urban et al. (2007) and references herein.