Centris rufosuffusa Cockerell, 1935

Vivallo, Felipe, 2020, The bees of the genus Centris Fabricius, 1804 described by Theodore Dru Alison Cockerell (Hymenoptera: Apidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 618, pp. 1-47 : 27

Centris rufosuffusa Cockerell, 1935

Centris rufosuffusa Cockerell, 1935b: 12–13 .

Type data

Although the original description does not mention the number of males that were studied by Cockerell (1935b) to describe this species, the collector’s note mentioned by him refers to an aggregation of males in a nesting area, which leads to believe that he could have used more than one specimen. However, one specimen studied by Cockerell (1935b) is currently housed at NHMUK bearing a label that agrees with the information cited in the original description. Considering this, I interpret that specimen as the holotype. It has the following data label: [circular label with red-rimmed margin] Type [printed]\ Trinidad [printed] 2569 XI 33 [handwritten] FitzGerald [printed]\ Centris rufosuffusa Ckll Type [handwritten]\ B.M. TYPE HYM. [printed] 17b1168 [handwritten]\ T.D.A.Cockerell B.M. 1934-527. [printed].

This specimen was collected in Point Radix, southeast coast of Trinidad Island, Trinidad and Tobago, by the Irish entomologist, ornithologist, conservationist and plant collector Leslie Desmond Edward Foster Vesey-Fitzgerald (1910–1974). Between 1933 and 1936, he conducted research work on the biological control of insect pests on sugar cane in Brazil, British Guiana and the British West Indies ( Anonymous 1975). During this period, he collected the specimen(s) used by Cockerell (1935b) to describe this species.

Type locality

Trinidad and Tobago: Trinidad Island: Mayo-Rio Claro region: Point Radix.

Comment

This species was correctly interpreted by Moure et al. (2007).