Caupolicana yarrowi (Cresson 1875)

Caupolicana (Caupolicana) yarrowi (Cresson)

Caupolicana yarrowi is a large, black-banded, polylectic bee occurring from central Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas southward through the central highlands of Mexico to Tehuacan, Puebla, Mexico (Michener, 1966). While adults are active primarily in late summer and fall, visiting pollen and nectar sources very early in the morning and in late afternoon (Linsley and Cazier, 1970), a few specimens have been collected as early as 6 June (Huachuca Mountains, Arizona) and 23 June (Tehuacan, Mexico).

Michener (1966) has summarized the knowledge regarding the habits and flower relationships of this species as follows (bracketed material supplied by present authors):

Cockerell (1899) records the flight of C. yarrowi as from [0515–0615 hours] (between dawn and sunrise) on September 4 and 5 in the Organ Mountains, New Mexico. He records a scries from flowers of Datura meteloides, and two from Lippia wrightii. Probably these were nectar sources and Linsley [1960a] and Linsley and Hurd (1959) record males of C. yarrowi taking nectar from Melilotus alba and Larrea divaricata. At least on the latter plant the bees were active before dawn. I have also seen the species near Douglas, Arizona, at about sunrise on Larrea, not collecting pollen. Specimens collected at Encarnacion de Diaz, Jalisco [during the late afternoon] on Eysenhardtia polystachya had no pollen on the scopa and probably were feeding on nectar.

Linsley and Cazier (1963) treat pollen collecting, especially on Solarium, in some detail, showing, for example, that in mid-August in southern Arizona on a clear morning the activity was from [0520–0650 hours] while on an overcast morning it was from [0520–0850] (sunrise both days was approximately [0600]). Most other pollen collecting bees on the same flowers started later and continued much later, but Ptiloglossa jonesi Timberlake, while largely synchronous with C. yarrowi, started work perhaps slightly earlier and under overcast conditions stopped its activities considerably earlier than C. yarrowi. Pollen collecting, however, is not restricted to Solarium and 70% of the females collecting on Solarium already carried some Mentzelia-like pollen. At the same place where it visits Solarium in the morning, C. yarrowi collects pollen in the evening [1750–1913 hours, sunset at 1851] from Mentzelia pumila, a flower that is not open in the morning.

Early morning sampling at Portal and Douglas, Arizona, and Granite Pass, Antelope Pass, Deming, Las Cruces, Elephant Butte, and Socorro, New Mexico, and late afternoon sampling at Portal, Douglas, and Las Cruces have shown that Caupolicana females visit Larrea morning and evening for pollen and nectar, mostly between 0500 and 0800 and 1930 and 2030. The first bees to arrive in the morning and the last in the evening often take nectar only. In southeastern Arizona, alternate pollen sources in the morning are primarily Solarium elaeagnifolium, S. rostratum, and Cassia bauhinioides; in the evening, Mentzelia pumila and Datura meleloides (Linsley and Cazier, 1963, 1970, 1972; Michener, 1966).

Males also visit Larrea in both the morning (Linsley and Hurd, 1959) and evening for nectar during approximately the same hours utilized by the females. They establish their territories near the lower parts of the Larrea plant at heights of 12–15 inches above the ground and poise facing the plants. Periodically they rise higher, and occasionally leave on fast erratic cruising flights around Larrea plants before returning to their territory (searching for females?). They dart immediately after both females and males which enter the territory. Those females which are grasped and released in the air (nonreceptive) will usually return to the flowers immediately. Males are sometimes quickly released or merely chased; at other times both individuals fall to the ground and tumble about for several seconds. During the evening flight, males spend most of the time in fast, erratic cruises of Larrea plants but pause from time to time for nectar. Males “sleep” singly, not gregariously like some other large desert bees (Linsley, 1962a).

Both males and females forage primarily on the outer and upper branches of Larrea blossoms. Under heavy morning overcast both sexes may initiate or extend their flight later in the day.

A related species, Caupolicana electa (Cresson), is a matinal and crepuscular species which visits Trichostema dichotomum Linn. (bastard pennyroyal) in the sand-ridge areas of the coastal plain from North Carolina to Georgia and Alabama (Mitchell, 1960); Michener (1966) cites references to at least two specimens which were collected in Dade County, southern Florida.

Caupolicana yarrowi is a species of hymenopteran in the family Colletidae. It is found in Central America and North America.

Caupolicana yarrowi là một loài Hymenoptera trong họ Colletidae. Loài này được Cresson mô tả khoa học năm 1875.