Hylaeus in Hawaii
Hylaeus in Hawaii |
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Hylaeus takumiaeIslands: MauiLocations: Maui - (Haleakala W Slope, Kapalaoa) Habitats: Subalpine dry shrubland Plants: Coprosma, Dubautia, Styphelia Xerces: No info. Insects of Hawaii: Medium-sized bees with an unusual shiny area between the lateral ocellus and eye, unusually long malar space, and clear wings. Male face without marks or only a subapical yellow spot on clypeus, and unusual extremely dilated scape. Female black and unmarked. This species is an inhabitant of the subalpine shrubland of East Maui. It has been collected on the outer northwest slopes of Haleakala as well as within the summit crater at Kapalaoa Cabin. It is an unusually fast flier, much more so than the more common H. nivicola, and this may be part of the reason it was not collected earlier. Common species of similar body size that occur in this general area are H. difficilis, H. nivicola, H. volcanicus, and the cleptoparasite H. volatilis. Both sexes of H. takumiae are distinguished from these species by an impunctate, polished, shiny area between the lateral ocellus and eye. Both sexes of the other listed species have the ocellocular areas minutely textured and usually dull. The malar space of H. takumiae is long, with a ratio of about 0.8 DMO and is similar to that of H. volcanicus (the malar space of H. nivicola is longer and the malar space of the other species is usually shorter). The females of H. takumiae have the basal area of the propodeum reticulately rugose, whereas those of H. volcanicus have the basal area lineately rugose. Males of H. takumiae are distinguished from the other listed species by the extremely dilated, cordiform scape (all other species listed have much less dilated scapes). However, H. satelles, not recently collected in this area, has a similarly dilated scape in the male and shiny areas next to the lateral ocelli in both sexes. Both sexes of H. satelles are larger in body size, with punctured metasomal terga, dark wings, and short malar areas. Insects of Hawaii Volume 17 
UH/DOD: Hylaeus near military lands
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