Two new species of the bee genus Leioproctus (Hymenoptera: Colletidae) that forage from flowers of bloodroot (genus Haemodorum)

WA Museum Records and Supplements | Updated 7 months ago

ABSTRACT – Two new species of Leioproctus (L. aureofimbriatus from eastern New South Wales and L. haemodori from south-western Australia) are described. Both species have been found only when visiting Haemodorum species that have dull brown to black flowers that do not open. The bee species are closely related to each other, but their relationship with other Leioproctus species is unclear. Both have morphological features that would assist in foraging from the flowers, males have similar terminalia and antennae with the apical segment flattened and expanded. This last feature occurs also in the distantly related species Leioproctus (Ceratocolletes) antennatus resulting in occasional misidentifications.

We have not created a new subgenus for these species because of difficulties with separating phylogenetically significant features from adaptive or adventitious ones. The mutualistic association between the bees and flowers has some novel characteristics and warrants further study.