Megachile (Eutricharaea) concinna F. Smith

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

Megachile (Eutricharaea) concinna F. Smith ( Fig. 11 ).

Megachile concinna F. Smith, 1879: 79 . Holotype female in BMNH.

= Megachile multidens Fox, 1891: 345 . Syntype female in ANSP.

~ Megachile sp. F . of Alayo, 1976: 24. Males.

~ Megachile sp. F . of Alayo, 1976: 24. Females.

GD (in the neotropics): Cuba, Dominica, Guana Island, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Mexico, Puerto Rico (including Mona Island), and United States ( Crawford 1914 [as M. multidens ]; Hurd 1979; Snelling 1992; Genaro 2007).

Megachile concinna was introduced into the West Indies from Africa in the early 19 th century, and presumably reached the United States from the West Indies after World War II ( Eickwort 1971; Parker 1978; Mitchell 1980; Hurd 1979).

This species was originally described from material collected from the Dominican Republic, however all species placed in the subgenus Eutricharaea Thomson are of Old World origin. Perhaps M. concinna was introduced into Hispaniola during the slave period.

We examined the specimens recorded by Wolcott (1948) as “ M. insularis Cresson ” that were identified by Karl V. Krombein (located in MEBT-MC and UPRM), these are actually M. concinna . Wolcott (1936) apparently misunderstood the name Megachile singularis Cresson mentioned in Ashmead (1900) interpreting it to be Megachile insularis Cresson. Since then, the erroneous name has remained in use; e.g. Krombein (personal communication, 1997) merely copied the name M. insularis as listed in Wolcott’s (1948) Insects of Puerto Rico. A different and valid species described as M. insularis F. Smith, 1859 is from Aru, one of the southern Indonesian islands. This latter species was described by F. Smith in 1859. Incidentally, it also belongs to the subgenus Eutricharaea ( Michener 1965) .

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.).