Unidentified Nomada

Heart-shaped World · #1 (**permalink**) 05-02-2008, 08:01 PM

I understand it could well be mission impossible but any help or thoughts are more than welcome with these (would like to know what level of confidence you have and any good source of reference for the future).
Thanks Darren.

tristanba · #2 (**permalink**) 05-02-2008, 08:16 PM

Definitely wait for Stuart on these, but I'll be highly cavalier and have a go - first one N. leucopthalma, second N. lathburiana and third perhaps N. baccata....

These bees have specific hosts - did you take these shots at or around mining bee colonies? If so, do you know the species concerned?

Great shots - I love Nomada bees (pity they're so hard to identify

)

Heart-shaped World · #3 (**permalink**) 05-02-2008, 09:08 PM

Thanks Tristan. (Was looking through the archives - dismayed at what I haven't yet sorted out!)
Ahhh that sand bank. There's more activity there than my little brain can cope with - 100s of tiger beetles, solitary wasps, mining bees, nomada, some notable spiders. All the while being careful of the Stone Spiders, unattended dogs, Exmoor Ponies, Adders and incredulous onlookers! So yes I think I have a few pics but none yet identified or correlated to Nomada.

Will check the species list for the site and see whether it looks comprehensive in this area or yet another work in progress.
This is the infamous Snelsmore Common, can you believe they got the planning for the bypass without any sort of comprehensive species list.
Perhaps you can....

eucera · #4 (**permalink**) 05-02-2008, 09:13 PM

Hi!

Nice pics of these lovely bees

Tris is quite right about #2... it is a female Nomada lathburiana. The dense gingery hairs on the thorax and the orangey spots on the scutellum are diagnostic anomg British Nomada. It is the special cleptoparasite of Andrena cineraria, and flies with its host from April to late May

I may be able to get somewhere with the others but I really must have dates, localities and habitats. I may not be able to give answers, but this information will help me rule some things out.

Could you pm me with the details (where, when, who etc.) on the N. lathburiana. I should like to add this to the national dataset.

Best, Stuart

Heart-shaped World · #5 (**permalink**) 05-02-2008, 09:44 PM

Thanks Stuart. I do appreciate that and so will the Ranger.

They were all taken at the same spot (within five metres).
Snelsmore Common broadly a lowland heath site; south-facing sandy bank on the edge of a valley mire.
Pic 1 & 2 14/04/07
Pic 3 08/07/07

Andrena flavipes
Andrena minutula
Andrena clarkella
Andrena haemorrhoa

Are the only ones to have made the site species list so far, although it looks like another can go on there now

Will pm the requested details tomorrow as I'm shattered (not well).
Thanks again Stuart and Tristan.

oxycera · #6 (**permalink**) 05-02-2008, 09:56 PM

Alan Stubbs has produced a test key to Nomada which is downloadable from the BWARS site.

eucera · #7 (**permalink**) 05-02-2008, 10:05 PM

Had a good look at specimen "A"... armed with your info and a good key.

Tris is right again... Nomada leucophthalma. This is the special cleptoparasite of Andrena clarkella and Andrena apicata (both Salix specialists). The Nomada is on the wing from mid-March until late April

Specimen "C" could be Nomada baccata (A lot of encouraging signs) BUT it doesn't look quite right to me.... the spots are too yellow (in N. baccata they are almost an ivory colour). I really need to see the labrum... and close details of the metapostnotum and the propodeum (obscured by the wings). I shall seek advice on this and get back to you. N. baccata would be parasitic on Andrena argentata which always nests in very loose sand indeed (so loose that the sand collapses over the nest burrows).

There is a pic of N. baccata on the BWARS Gallery (BWARS Home Page).

More soon I hope!

Stuart

eucera · #8 (**permalink**) 05-02-2008, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oxycera

Alan Stubbs has produced a test key to Nomada which is downloadable from the BWARS site.

Yes he has (and it works well)... but it deals with males (unless he has sneaked a female key on there too). All these pics are of females

oxycera · #9 (**permalink**) 05-02-2008, 10:23 PM

Heart-Shaped World asked for a good information source; I didn't necessarily mean that his images might be determinable with reference to Alan's key.

tristanba · #10 (**permalink**) 05-02-2008, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eucera

Had a good look at specimen "A"... armed with your info and a good key.

Tris is right again... Nomada leucophthalma. This is the special cleptoparasite of Andrena clarkella and Andrena apicata (both Salix specialists). The Nomada is on the wing from mid-March until late April

Specimen "C" could be Nomada baccata (A lot of encouraging signs) BUT it doesn't look quite right to me.... the spots are too yellow (in N. baccata they are almost an ivory colour). I really need to see the labrum... and close details of the metapostnotum and the propodeum (obscured by the wings). I shall seek advice on this and get back to you. N. baccata would be parasitic on Andrena argentata which always nests in very loose sand indeed (so loose that the sand collapses over the nest burrows).

There is a pic of N. baccata on the BWARS Gallery (BWARS Home Page).

More soon I hope!

Stuart

Is N. striata possible for the 3rd? I only thought baccata more likely due to the late date. The specimen I sent you last year does look similar (see pictures in my flickr). There are quite a few good websites dealing with Nomada - am I allowed to post links here?