Submitted to: Journal of Kansas Entomological Society
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: October 12, 2011
Publication Date: December 31, 2011
Citation: Gonzalez, V.H., Griswold, T.L. 2011. Heriades tayrona n. sp., the first osmiine bee from South America (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). Journal of Kansas Entomological Society. 84:255-259. Interpretive Summary: There are more than 20,000 bee species worldwide. Yet many remain unknown to science. This paper describes a new species of resin bee of the genus Heriades from the Caribbean coast of Colombia in South America. The paper presents a description and illustrations of the new species that will allow other bee researchers to identify it in future studies. The new species belongs to a group of native bees that is diverse in North and Central America but had not been found on the South American continent. This finding contributes to our understanding of the diversity and distribution of these resin bees in the Americas.
Technical Abstract: A new species of Heriades Spinola, H. tayrona, is described and figured based on females collected in a tropical dry forest of the Caribbean coast of Colombia. Heriades tayrona is distinguished from other species in the subgenus Neotrypetes and a summary of the known distribution of the subgenus is also provided. This is the first record of the genus and the tribe Osmiini for South America.