Andrena ruficrus?

[JRsbugs]

This bee confused me as it was so much like Andrena bicolor except it wasn't quite right, the head shape for one.

Size around 8mm, a tiny thing. I disturbed it while cleaning up the edge of a bed.

After looking at pics on BWARS, the closest I thought was Andrena ruficrus although the pics were distant and bees faded.

I looked at Andrena on HYMIS, came across Andrena ruficrus which looked suspiciously close, so googled having forgotten about the one on BWARS and yes, a match on BWARS!

The distribution on BWARS is north of where I am, but this looks good to me. Any experts who can confirm this?

I'm hoping Stuart pops in!

Janet

[Jason Green]

Morning Janet,

It looks like a good shot of Andrena bicolor to me. Most images - the very few I've found - tend to be paler. Ruficrus is also RDB3.

Take care,

Jason

[JRsbugs]

Yes Jason, it could easily be A. bicolor but as already said, the head doesn't look to be the correct shape. It usually has a more squarish top (good terminology), and it's one I have every year which I can easily recognise.

This one is very fresh, most details do fit but you know how similar some bees can be and I wouldn't like to lable it without making sure. My instincts are sending me in another direction so it needs to be checked out.

I don't know what size A. ruficrus is, and I don't know if it has orange hairs as well as black on the abdomen as that can't be seen on the pics available. Mine does have very shaggy hairs around the sides of the thorax, but there will be minor points which I'm not aware of as I don't have the information.

This pic on HYMIS is what gave me the clue after seeing the shape of the head on A. ruficrus on BWARS, but there is also onepic of A. bicolor which looks to have the same shaped head although I haven't seen any others looking like that. One point I noticed is the wings look dark which on mine aren't.

Fotogalerie - Hymenoptera Information System (HymIS)

You might know that being a RDB species doesn't count, I have had a lot of records which are rare or not here.

I might put this on the HYMIS forum.

[tristanba]

Am no expert but this looks like bicolor to me

[Jason Green]

Originally Posted by JRsbugs

This one is very fresh, most details do fit but you know how similar some bees can be and I wouldn't like to lable it without making sure. My instincts are sending me in another direction so it needs to be checked out.

I certainly agree there! I know bicolor is about now, but I don't know of ruficrus' phenology (I would like a section on the BWARs site, saying which bees are out when). Also, the bee looks quite different in the first to the third, in general body/head proportions - even the orange thorasic hairs look a different length! The last I think may have had me looking elsewhere to bicolor/ruficrus, even...

See? I can reply without mentioning the M-word!

[tristanba]

Originally Posted by Jason Green

I would like a section on the BWARs site, saying which bees are out when

Yes, this would be useful. This German site has quite a good bee flight time chart:
Wildbienen: Artenkalender (Bienenkalender)

[Jason Green]

...excellent link there, Tristan - thanks. Do you think we could use it roughly here, as an additional guide?

[tristanba]

This chart doesn't include A. ruficrus but from what I can gather it is associated with sallow catkins so must fly in the early spring

[JRsbugs]

I have been told by Christian on HYMIS that head shape, and wing tinting are not reliable for identification.

The hind tibia and tarsi colour (not the hairs) on A. ruficrus are more red, mine is not.

He thinks it is Andrena bicolor, but is not certain. I'm getting logged out of HYMIS at the moment when I try to reply so hope that is soon fixed as I have wasps etc. I'm trying to get IDs for.

Oh for a good set of keys on these!

[Jason Green]

Thanks for the update