Anthidium aztecum

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Taxonomy

Family: Megachilidae
Subfamily: Megachilinae
Tribe: Anthidiini
Genus: Anthidium Fabricius, 1804
Subgenus: A. (Anthidium) Fabricius, 1804
Species: Anthidium aztecum Cresson, 1878
Common name: none

Overview

Anthidium (Anthidium) aztecum have reddish-brown to black integument with yellow maculations (Gonzalez and Griswold 2013). They have white to brown pubescence on their vertex, disc of the scutum, inner tarsi, terga, and S6. Females range in body length from 10–12.2 mm; males range in body length from 11.1–12.3 mm (Gonzalez and Griswold 2013).

Diagnostic characteristics

(modified from Gonzalez and Griswold 2013)

• Female T6 without acute lateral projections.
• Female tegula are usually dark brown or black with yellow markings.
• Female terga are finely and densely punctate, with dull looking integument between punctures.
• Female terga with discal area marginally elevated.
• Female T6 with a depressed apical rim that is visible across the length of the tergum.
• Male S4 has a narrow and sparse brush of reddish-brown hairs.
• Male S6 with ventrally directed lateral spines.

May be confused with

Anthidium aztecum may be confused with A. hallinani, A. macushi, and A. sanguinicaudum based on the dull, and finely and densely punctate terga and weakly elevated discal areas (Gonzalez and Griswold 2013). Female A. aztecum can be differentiated from A. hallinani by the visibly depressed apical rim that extends across the length of T6 and the lack of a short carina above the median emargination of T6 (Gonzalez and Griswold 2013). Male A. aztecum can be differentiated from A. hallinani by the narrow brush of sparse reddish-brown hairs on S4 and a sharply projected lateral lobe of S6. Anthidium aztecum can be differentiated from A. macushi and A. sanguinicaudum because A. aztecum lacks an acute lateral projection on T6 of the female (Gonzalez and Griswold 2013).

Phenology

Anthidium aztecum adults have been recorded in flight from August to early November (Gonzalez and Griswold 2013).

Host associations

Floral associations are unknown.

Nesting behavior

Nesting behavior is unknown.

Distribution

Anthidium aztecum occur in Jalisco, Michoacán, and Oaxaca, Mexico. They are found in dry forests along the Pacific slope (Gonzalez and Griswold 2013). None are known to occur in the U.S. or Canada.

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