SHARP-EATMAN
NATURE
PHOTOGRAPHY
FLORIDA BEES
IDENTIFICATION PAGE # F5
March 2024
Hyleus
Size: 7 mm
Food plants:
Pyracantha
When and where seen:
April 2, 2024
Gainesville, Florida
(Alachua County)
Ornate masked bee?
Hylaeus ornatus
A male Hylaeus measuring 7 mm, found on an exotic Pyracantha: this is a largely black bee, with a partly-red abomden; and yellow markings on the face, pronotal collar, pronotal lobes and legs.
The male’s face narrows toward the mandibles. The yellow mask covers the entire face below antennae, and spreads along the edge of the compound eye above the antennae. The bee’s clypeus is yellow; its labrum is black; its mandibles are partly yellow with reddish tips. The antennae (inluding the scapes) are black.
The antennal scape is somewhat wider than the flagellum. F2 is nearly as long as F1. The mesipisternum has a rough surface.
Dorsal view of bee: the tarsi, basitarsi and tibia are mostly yellow. The hind tibia are yellow, with pale orange-brown spots on the inner surfaces. The apex of each hind femur is orange-yellow.
A male Hylaeus ornatus
DESCRIPTION OF MALE: This is a male Hylaeus measuring 7 mm, found on Pyracantha. It is a largely black bee, with partly-red abdomen, and yellow markings on the face, pronotal collar, and pronotal lobes. Its lower legs are also predominantly yellow. HEAD: The bee’s yellow mask covers the entire face below antennae, and spreads along the inner edges of the compound eyes above the antennae. The clypeus is yellow; the labrum is black; the mandibles are partly yellow with reddish tips. The antennae are black; the scapes are black, and somewhat wider than the rest of the antennae. F2 is almost as long as F1. THORAX: The scutum has a rough surface, with fairly large pits. ABDOMEN: The abdomen is glassy and mostly black, with a mostly-red T1 and S1; and with some red near the base of T2. S2-S5 are black. S6 is brown. LEGS: the tarsi, basitarsi and tibia are mostly yellow. The coxae and trochanters are black. The hind and mid femurs are black on the upper surfaces and toward the base, with red areas in the middle of each segment and toward the apex; There is some yellow near the apex of each femur. The hind tibia have pale orange-brown spots on the inner surfaces.
Size: 7 mm
Food plants:
Pyracantha
When and where seen:
March 31, 2024
Gainesville, Florida
(Alachua County)
Ornate masked bee?
Hylaeus ornatus
FEMALE #1 with red legs
A red-legged female Stelis, measuring 7 mm, found feeding on Pyracantha
Face of bee: the clypeus is black, except for a small, reddish area just above the mandibles.
Close-up of yellow maculations and pitted and grooved area above the antennal sockets
Close-up of facial foveae: the extend to the front edges of the lateral ocelli.
A red-legged female Hylaeus
FEMALE #1: This female is remarkable, because its lower legs (tibiae, basitarsi and tarsi) are all-red. This appears to be an individual variation on the more standard leg coloration in female Hylaeus ornata. The female below, found on the same plant as this female, has lower legs that are a more orangish-red generally, and hind tibiae with yellow toward the base.
Perhaps such individual redder variants are the origin of the declaration of never-to-be-found again species such as Hylaeus flammipes -- a species based on a single find of a red-legged female Hylaeus (on which the upper as well as lower legs were all-red.)
Size: 7.3 mm
Food plants:
Pyracantha
When and where seen:
April 1, 2024
Gainesville, Florida
(Alachua County)
Ornate masked bee?
Hylaeus ornatus
FEMALE #2 with red & yellowlegs
A female Hylaeus found on Pyracantha: this is a largely black bee, with a partly-red abdomen, and and yellow markings on the face, pronotal collar and pronotal lobes. The bee’s tibae, basitarsi and tarsi are mostly orange, with some yellow on the upper/basal hind tibiae.
The bee’s clypeus, labrum, jaws and antennae are black.
The facial foveae are short, only extending to front edges of lateral ocelli. The pedicels are slightly longer than F1.
Close-up of face: the clypeus is sparsely pitted. Two roughly triangular yellow markings extend on either side of the clypeus along the inner edges of the compound eyes, to above the antennae.
A red-and-yelllow-legged female Hylaeus
DESCRIPTION OF FEMALE #2: This is a female Hylaeus measuring 7.5 mm, found on Pyracantha. It is a largely black bee, with a partly-red abdomen, and and yellow markings on the face, pronotal collar and pronotal lobes. The bee’s tibae, basitarsi and tarsi are mostly orange, with some yellow on the upper/basal hind tibiae. HEAD: The bee’s clypeus, labrum, jaws and antennae are black. The clypeus is sparsely pitted. Two roughly triangular yellow markings extend on either side of the clypeus along the inner edges of the compound eyes, to above the antennae. The facial foveae are short, only extending to front edges of lateral ocelli. The pedicels are slightly longer than F1. THORAX: The pits on the scutum are medium-sized and evenly distributed. ABDOMEN: The abdomen is glassy and mostly black. ABDOMEN: The abdomen is glassy and mostly black. T1 is almost entirely red; the apical two thirds of T2 is red, and the rest of it black; the remaining terga are black. S1 is almost entirely red, with some black at the base; the front two thirds of S2 are red, and the rest black. S3-S5 are black, with narrow red areas at the base. S6 is red medially at the base.
Size: 7.5 mm
Food plants:
Sand blackberry
(Prunus cuneifolius)
When and where seen:
March 31, 2024
Aurantia, Florida
(Brevard County)
Hylaeus confluens (female)
IDENTIFICATION CONFIRMED
A female Hylaeus confluens: this is a black bee, with yellow markings on the face, pronotal collar, pronotal lobes, the tegulae and legs.
Face of female bee
Lateral view of thorax: the bee's pleura are rough and pitted.
Dorsal view of bee
A female Hylaeus confluens