Anthidium rodriguezi

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Taxonomy

Family: Megachilidae
Subfamily: Megachilinae
Tribe: Anthidiini
Genus: Anthidium Fabricius, 1804
Subgenus: A, (Anthidium) Fabricius, 1804
Species: Anthidium rodriguezi Cockerell, 1912
Common name: none

Overview

Anthidium (Anthidium) rodriguezi are black except for the dark brown coloration on their antenna and tarsi and yellow maculations. Females have white to cream pubescence with darker hairs on the clypeus, supraclypeal area, vertex, scutum discs, coxae, trochanters, inner tarsi, and S6 (Gonzalez and Griswold 2013). Females range in body length from 13.1–19.2 mm. Males have short, stout, simple, dark-brown hairs on the ventral surface of the mesepisternum, metepisternum, and base of the hind coxa. Males range in body length from 16.9–21.5 mm (Gonzalez and Griswold 2013).

Diagnostic characteristics

(modified from Gonzalez and Griswold 2013)

• Abdomen lacking or with very restricted maculations.
• Female basitarsi with outer surface covered by dense tomentum.
• Female clypeus, supraclypeal area, and frons are covered in simple, apically hooked hairs and have dull integument in between coarse, sparse punctures.
• Female labrum has basal protuberances, but lacks pre-apical projections.
• Female mandible is elongate with 7–8 teeth.
• Female propodeal triangle is dull and finely punctate.
• Female hind tibia with anterior carina present.
• Female T1–T5 depressed marginal zones are sparsely punctate.
• Female T1–T5 discal areas are weakly elevated and indistinctly differentiated from the depressed marginal zone, with shiny, weakly imbricate to smooth areas between dense punctures.
• Female T6 has distinct lateral and sublateral spines.
• Female T6 preapical carina is strong with a wide, shallow emargination on the median half of the margin.
• Male hind coxae are ventrally depressed.
• Male hind femur has basal tubercles on the ventral surface.
• Male labrum lacks basal projections.
• Male S4 apical margin is straight and lacks an apical brush.
• Male S6 apical margin is strongly reflexed with acute lateral and median lobes.
• Male S7 is narrowly projected apically.
• Male S8 is elongate with a weakly bifid apical process.
• Male T6 lateral spine is reduced or absent.
• Male T7 lateral lobe is spiniform, stout, slender, curved, and about twice as long as the median spine.

May be confused with

Anthidium rodriguezi can be differentiated from all Anthidium species in the U.S. except for A. chamelense by their large body size and entirely or nearly entirely black abdomen. Female A. rodriguezi can be differentiated from A. chamelense by the T6 with acutely pointed lateral and sublateral spines. Male A. rodriguezi can be distinguished by their T6 with lateral spines that are reduced or absent (Gonzalez and Griswold 2013).

Phenology

Anthidium rodriguezi adults have been recorded in flight from June to early December, with peak activity occurring from October to November (Gonzalez and Griswold 2013).

Host associations

Anthidium rodriguezi has been observed visiting Bidens sp. (Asteraceae), Salvia leptostachys, and S. melissodora (Lamiaceae) (Gonzalez and Griswold 2013).

Nesting behavior

Nesting behavior is unknown.

Distribution

Anthidium rodriguezi are found in Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico (Gonzalez and Griswold 2013). In Mexico, they occur from Chiapas to Sinaloa, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas. They are primarily found in dry forests, pine-oak forests, and moist forests (Gonzalez and Griswold 2013). None are known to occur in the U.S. or Canada.

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