Anthidium dammersi

Taxonomy

Family: Megachilidae
Subfamily: Megachilinae
Tribe: Anthidiini
Genus: Anthidium Fabricius, 1804
Subgenus: A. (Anthidium) Fabricius, 1804
Species: Anthidium dammersi Cockerell, 1937
Common name: none

Overview

Anthidium (Anthidium) dammersi are black with yellow to cream maculations, and occasionally have brown antennae, mandiblemandible:
bee teeth, so to speak, usually crossed and folded in front of the mouth
, sternasterna:
the plates on the underside of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, or S8
, legs, and tarsitarsi:
the group of segments at the end of the leg following the tibia
(Gonzalez and Griswold 2013Gonzalez and Griswold 2013:
Gonzalez, V.H. and T.L. Griswold. 2013. Wool carder bees of the genus Anthidium in the Western Hemisphere (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae): diversity, host plant associations, phylogeny, and biogeography. Zoological Journal 168: 221ndash;425.). Females have white pubescencepubescence:
short, fine hair
except for the ferruginousferruginous:
rust-colored
hairs on the inner tarsitarsi:
the group of segments at the end of the leg following the tibia
. Females range in body length from 7.5–8.6 mm (Gonzalez and Griswold 2013Gonzalez and Griswold 2013:
Gonzalez, V.H. and T.L. Griswold. 2013. Wool carder bees of the genus Anthidium in the Western Hemisphere (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae): diversity, host plant associations, phylogeny, and biogeography. Zoological Journal 168: 221ndash;425.). Males have whitish pubescencepubescence:
short, fine hair
on the inner surface of their tarsitarsi:
the group of segments at the end of the leg following the tibia
. Males range in body length from 8.5–10.2 mm (Gonzalez and Griswold 2013Gonzalez and Griswold 2013:
Gonzalez, V.H. and T.L. Griswold. 2013. Wool carder bees of the genus Anthidium in the Western Hemisphere (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae): diversity, host plant associations, phylogeny, and biogeography. Zoological Journal 168: 221ndash;425.).

Diagnostic characteristics

(modified from Gonzalez and Griswold 2013Gonzalez and Griswold 2013:
Gonzalez, V.H. and T.L. Griswold. 2013. Wool carder bees of the genus Anthidium in the Western Hemisphere (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae): diversity, host plant associations, phylogeny, and biogeography. Zoological Journal 168: 221ndash;425.)

• Female clypeusclypeus:
  a section of the face below the antennae, demarcated by the epistomal sutures
  has a thin, wavy margin.
• Female labrumlabrum:
  part of the head abutting the clypeus, folds down in front of the mouthparts
  has large preapicalpreapical:
  referring to a section of a bee that is physically found just before the outermost (or apical) end of the section or segment
  projections and lacks basalbasal:
  originating at the foundation of a structure
  protuberances.
• Female mandiblemandible:
  bee teeth, so to speak, usually crossed and folded in front of the mouth
  has 5–6 teeth.
• Female propodealpropodeal:
  the last segment of the thorax
  triangle is slightly lineolatelineolate:
  marked with fine lines
  , smooth, and shiny.
• Female scopascopa:
  modified hairs for carrying pollen; often branched and dense hairs on the hind-leg, or on the ventral surface of the abdomen in Megachilidae
  is white.
• Female hind tibiatibia:
  the segment of the leg, between the femur and the tarsus
  without anterior carinacarina:
  a clearly defined ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute; usually appears on bees as simply a raised line
  .
• Female T1–T5 discal areas are weakly elevated with sparse punctationpunctation:
  overall pattern of the punctures on a surface of a bee, includes size of punctures and the distance between them
  that are 1–3 puncture widths apart.
• Female T6T6:
  the segments on the top side of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, or T7
  lacks laterallateral:
  relating, pertaining, or attached to the side
  spines and preapicalpreapical:
  referring to a section of a bee that is physically found just before the outermost (or apical) end of the section or segment
  carinacarina:
  a clearly defined ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute; usually appears on bees as simply a raised line
  .
• Male labrumlabrum:
  part of the head abutting the clypeus, folds down in front of the mouthparts
  preapical projections are longer than those of females.
• Male S4S4:
  the plates on the underside of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, or S8
  median apicalapical:
  near or at the apex or end of any structure
  brush is broad with dense, short, black hairs.
• Male S4S4:
  the plates on the underside of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, or S8
  has a nearly straight apicalapical:
  near or at the apex or end of any structure
  margin.
• Male S6S6:
  the plates on the underside of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, or S8
  has an acute laterallateral:
  relating, pertaining, or attached to the side
  lobe, and a parallel-sided, emarginateemarginate:
  a notched or cut out place in an edge or margin, can be dramatic or simply a subtle inward departure from the general curve or line of the margin or structure being described
  median lobe.
• Male S8S8:
  the plates on the underside of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, or S8
  has a broad apicalapical:
  near or at the apex or end of any structure
  process that is bifidbifid:
  divided into two branches; forked
  apicallyapically:
  near or at the apex or end of any structure
  .
• Male T6T6:
  the segments on the top side of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, or T7
  laterallateral:
  relating, pertaining, or attached to the side
  spine is straight.
• Male T7T7:
  the segments on the top side of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, or T7
  laterallateral:
  relating, pertaining, or attached to the side
  lobe tapers apicallyapically:
  near or at the apex or end of any structure
  and is broader basally than the distance between the inner margin and median spine.

May be confused with

Female A. dammersi can be easily recognized by the white sternal scopascopa:
modified hairs for carrying pollen; often branched and dense hairs on the hind-leg, or on the ventral surface of the abdomen in Megachilidae
, dull or weakly shiny tergaterga:
the segments on the top side of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, or T7
, and T6T6:
the segments on the top side of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, or T7
with a depressed apicalapical:
near or at the apex or end of any structure
rim across a truncatetruncate:
ending abruptly, or squared off
distaldistal:
place on a segment that is furthest from the place of attachment with the body
margin, which makes it unlikely that it will be confused with another species. Male A. dammersi may appear similar to A. atrifrons because of the similarly shaped T7T7:
the segments on the top side of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, or T7
, but can be differentiated by the shapes of the laterallateral:
relating, pertaining, or attached to the side
lobes of S6S6:
the plates on the underside of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, or S8
and T7T7:
the segments on the top side of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, or T7
(Griswold and Gonzalez 2013Gonzalez 2013:
Gonzalez, V.H. 2013. Taxonomic comments on Megachile subgenus Chrysosarus (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). Journal of Melittology 5: 1ndash;6.).

Phenology

Anthidium dammersi adults have been recorded in flight from April to June, with peak activity occurring from the last half of April to the first half of June (Gonzalez and Griswold 2013Gonzalez and Griswold 2013:
Gonzalez, V.H. and T.L. Griswold. 2013. Wool carder bees of the genus Anthidium in the Western Hemisphere (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae): diversity, host plant associations, phylogeny, and biogeography. Zoological Journal 168: 221ndash;425.).

Host associations

Anthidium dammersi is a generalist that has been observed visiting a variety of species of Asteraceae, Boraginaceae, Fabaceae, Lamiaceae, Loasaceae, and Orobanchaceae. Anthidium dammersi has shown a strong preference for Astragalus (Fabaceae) (Gonzalez and Griswold 2013Gonzalez and Griswold 2013:
Gonzalez, V.H. and T.L. Griswold. 2013. Wool carder bees of the genus Anthidium in the Western Hemisphere (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae): diversity, host plant associations, phylogeny, and biogeography. Zoological Journal 168: 221ndash;425.).

Nesting behavior

Nesting behavior is unknown.

Distribution

Anthidium dammersi occur in southern California, Arizona, southwest New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and southwest Wyoming. Within Mexico, they are distributed throughout Baja California. They are found primarily in the Red Desert, Great Basin, Colorado Plateau, and Mojave Desert (Gonzalez and Griswold 2013Gonzalez and Griswold 2013:
Gonzalez, V.H. and T.L. Griswold. 2013. Wool carder bees of the genus Anthidium in the Western Hemisphere (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae): diversity, host plant associations, phylogeny, and biogeography. Zoological Journal 168: 221ndash;425.).

​Distribution map generated by Discover Life -- click on map for details, credits, and terms of use.

References

Gonzalez, V.H. and T.L. Griswold. 2013. Wool carder bees of the genus Anthidium in the Western Hemisphere (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae): diversity, host plant associations, phylogeny, and biogeography. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 168: 221-425.