Perdita bequaertiana

Cockerell, 1951

Perdita bequaertiana is a solitary mining bee in the Andrenidae, first described by Cockerell in 1951. It belongs to the subgenus Perdita (Xerophasma), which is to the Mojave Desert region of western North America. The has been the subject of recent taxonomic revision that provided new distributional records. Members of this subgenus show evolutionary trends toward foraging and pale coloration.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Perdita bequaertiana: /pɛrˈdiːtə bɛˌkwɛərtiˈɑːnə/

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Identification

As a member of the subgenus Perdita (Xerophasma), P. bequaertiana can be distinguished from other Perdita subgenera by traits associated with foraging: relatively large ocelli and pale . Exact diagnostic features for this require examination of morphological details described in Griswold and Miller's 2010 revision.

Habitat

Mojave Desert

Distribution

Western North America; specifically the Mojave Desert region. New distributional records were documented in a 2010 revision, though exact localities were not specified in available sources.

Behavior

Evolutionary trends in the subgenus suggest toward foraging, expressed through increasing ocellar size.

Similar Taxa

Perdita (Xerophasma) celadonaCo-occurring in eastern Clark County, Nevada; distinguished by specific morphological characters in the 2010 revision key
Perdita (Xerophasma) vespertinaCo-occurring in eastern Clark County, Nevada; distinguished by specific morphological characters in the 2010 revision key
Perdita (Xerophasma) rhondaeCo-occurring from Death Valley, California; distinguished by specific morphological characters in the 2010 revision key
Perdita (Xerophasma) pallidaCongeneric with new distributional records also reported in the same revision

More Details

Taxonomic History

The was first described by Theodore Dru Alison Cockerell in 1951. It was included in a comprehensive 2010 revision of the subgenus Perdita (Xerophasma) by Griswold and Miller, which described three new species from the same subgenus and provided updated distributional information for P. bequaertiana.

Phylogenetic Context

Phylogenetic analysis of the subgenus indicates that the eastern Mojave Desert represents the apparent origin and center of diversity for Perdita (Xerophasma). The clade shows a well-supported evolutionary trend toward foraging, with associated morphological changes in ocellar size and coloration.