Osmia calaminthae

Osmia calaminthae, commonly known as the blue calamintha bee, is a rare species of mason bee known only from two small areas in Florida, United States. It is considered Critically Imperiled by NatureServe. The common name for the bee is derived from its distinctly blue color and its favored host plant, Calamintha ashei.

Osmia calaminthae
O. calaminthae visiting Calamintha flowers

Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Megachilidae
Genus: Osmia
Species:
O. calaminthae
Binomial name
Osmia calaminthae
Rightmyer, Ascher & Griswold, 2011

Etymology

The name "calaminthae" is Latin for mint, as the presumed pollen host for the bee is Calamintha ashei, commonly known as Ashe's mint.[1]

Description

The adult female O. calaminthae ranges from 10–11 millimetres (0.39–0.43 in) in total length and has a forewing length of 6–7 millimetres (0.24–0.28 in). The male is 10 millimetres (0.39 in) in length with a 6 millimetres (0.24 in) long forewing. The female is dark blue in color with some brown integument; the male has a pale blue head and mesosoma, dark blue metasoma, and some brown integument.[1] The females, along with females of Osmia conjunctoides, are unique among North American Osmia (mason bees) for their short, erect, simple facial hairs utilized for pollen collection.[1]

  • Female
    Female
  • Male
    Male

Distribution and ecology

Osmia calaminthae has only been observed at eleven sites, primarily within a 20 kilometres (12 mi) long, 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) wide area of sandy Florida scrub located in southern Lake Wales Ridge in Highlands County, Florida, and in Ocala National Forest in Marion County, Florida.[1][2][3] The majority of observations are from various undeveloped lots in Lake Placid. This makes it possibly among the most geographically limited and host-specific bees in eastern North America. While it is possible that the bee ranges further than has been observed, there has never been an attempt to comprehensively survey bees in Florida or document their hosts. The area of observation is also known for endemism.[1][2] Florida scrub is a unique form of shrub environment located on ridges and knolls of wind-deposited sand. The bee depends primarily on Calamintha ashei and Conradina brevifolia as pollen sources.[2] Individual C. ashei are known to live as long as a decade and are suspected to live longer. They bloom primarily in mid-March through mid-April. Since as few as 20 to 30 mature plants can present thousands of flowers, the species serves as a reliable annual food source for O. calaminthae. C. brevifolia, which is more rare than C. ashei, blooms earlier than C. ashei.[1][3] It was discovered in 2020 that the bee nests in the ground. Nests have been found in both the Lake Wales Ridge and the Ocala National Forest.[3]

Conservation status

Osmia calaminthae is very poorly known and its conservation status is not currently documented by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.[1][4][5] It is listed as a "species of greatest conservation need" by the Florida State Wildlife Action Plan,[4][5] and as of 2019 it has been listed as Critically Imperiled by NatureServe.[2] In 2015, a petition was filed to the US Fish and Wildlife Service to evaluate the conservation status for the bee, and its status is now under review.[4][5][6][7] The bee was described in 2011, and its habitat studied in 2016,[8] but its continued existence was unknown until it was rediscovered in March 2020.[4][5] Most of the known habitat for the bee is not protected and is subject to development. Pesticide drift and all-terrain vehicles are additional threats.[1][2]

References
  1. Rightmyer, Molly G.; Deyrup, Mark; Ascher, John S.; Griswold, Terry (2011-11-21). "Osmia species (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae) from the southeastern United States with modified facial hairs: taxonomy, host plants, and conservation status". ZooKeys (148): 257–278. Bibcode:2011ZooK..148..257R. doi:10.3897/zookeys.148.1497. ISSN 1313-2989. PMC 3264411. PMID 22287900.
  2. "Osmia calaminthae - Blue Calamintha Bee". NatureServe. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
  3. van Hoose, Natalie (May 20, 2021). "Scientists discover nest, new northern range of Florida's rare blue calamintha bee". Florida Museum of Natural History. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  4. Srinivasan, Nikhil (2020-05-07). "Florida's rare blue bee rediscovered at Lake Wales Ridge". Florida Museum. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
  5. Benaim, Rachel Delia (May 10, 2020). "Florida's Lost Blue Bee Rediscovered". The Weather Channel. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
  6. "Additional information on six petitioned species including two snakes, two bees, a butterfly and a snail found in the Southeast". Southeast Region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. September 17, 2015. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
  7. "Species Profile". Environmental Conservation Online System. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
  8. Burns, Katherine L.; Deyrup, Mark A.; Menges, Eric S. (2019). "The Blue Calamintha Bee: Habitat preferences of a narrow endemic". Florida Scientist. 82: 73–81.
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