Perdita bequaerti

Viereck, 1917

Bequaert's miner bee, Bequaert's perdita

Perdita bequaerti is a of mining bee in the Andrenidae, native to North America. The species was described by Viereck in 1917 and is one of many small, solitary bees in the Perdita. It is known to occur in two : the nominate P. b. bequaerti and P. b. indianensis described by Cockerell in 1922. Like other Perdita species, it is a ground-nesting that excavates burrows in soil.

Perdita bequaerti by (c) Jared Shorma, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Jared Shorma. Used under a CC-BY license.

Perdita bequaerti Male by The Packer Lab. Used under a Attribution license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Perdita bequaerti: /pɛrˈdiːtə bɛˈkwɑrti/

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Images

Distribution

North America. The Perdita bequaerti indianensis has been recorded from Indiana.

Behavior

As a member of the mining bee Andrenidae, this nests in burrows excavated in soil. Multiple females may nest in close proximity, creating that can appear hive-like but do not involve social cooperation.

More Details

Subspecies

Two are recognized: Perdita bequaerti bequaerti (nominate) and Perdita bequaerti indianensis Cockerell, 1922.

Taxonomic authority

Original description by Henry Lorenz Viereck in 1917.