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| Agapostemon subtilior | |
|---|---|
| |
| Los Angeles, California, 2024 | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Halictidae |
| Genus: | Agapostemon |
| Species: | A. subtilior
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| Binomial name | |
| Agapostemon subtilior Cockerell, 1898
| |
Agapostemon subtilior is a North American species of sweat bee commonly known as the fine striped sweat bee.
Description
[edit]Adult females bees are entirely green and typically approximately 11 mm (0.43 in) in length, while males are slightly smaller at 9–10 mm (0.35–0.39 in) and have abdomens striped with yellow.[1]
An individual of A. subtilior may change color based on atmospheric humidity, varying from bluish to pale green as local conditions become respectively drier or moister.[2]
Taxonomy
[edit]Agapostemon subtilior was originally described in 1898 by Theodore D. A. Cockerell.[3] Grace Sandhouse synonymized A. subtilior under A. texanus in 1936.[4]
In 2024, the species name was revived, being applied to sweat bee populations formerly identified as A. texanus that occur outside the prairie areas of central North America.[5]
The species epithet subtilior means "finer, more slender, or thinner."[6] It is not known what motivated Cockerell to select this name, but finer sculpturing on the propodeum has been noted compared to related species.[5]
Distribution
[edit]The fine striped sweat bee occurs across the northern and central regions of the continental United States, and on the west coast of the U.S. at least as far south as the border with Mexico.[5]
Behavior
[edit]A generalist forager that collects pollen from many species of plants, A. subtilior nests in the ground in solitary burrows.[5]
References
[edit]- ^ "Fine striped sweat bee (Agapostemon subtilior)". Minnesota Seasons. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
- ^ Ostwald, Madeleine; Cervantes Rivera, Leslie; De La Cruz, Jorge; Seltmann, Katja C. (22 Apr 2026). "Humidity induces structural colour change and contributes to biogeographic colour variation in sweat bees". Biology Letters. 22 (4) 20250803. The Royal Society. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2025.0803. PMID 42017220.
- ^ "Agapostemon subtilior Cockerell, 1898". Bees of Canada. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
- ^ Sandhouse, Grace Adelbert (1936). "The bees of the genus Agapostemon (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) occurring in the United States". Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences. 26. Washington Academy of Sciences]: 70–83.
- ^ a b c d Portman, Zachary M.; Arduser, Mike; Powley, Mary E.; Cariveau, Daniel P. (7 October 2024). "Taxonomy of Agapostemon angelicus and the A. texanus species complex (Hymenoptera, Halictidae) in the United States". European Journal of Taxonomy (958): 203–241. Bibcode:2024EJTax.958..203P. doi:10.5852/ejt.2024.958.2671.
- ^ "A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin". Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 6 Jun 2026.
About
First documented in Monterey County, California in September 2023.Synonyms
- Agapostemon texanus