Centris callospila Cockerell, 1937

Centris (Hemisia) nitens callospila Cockerell, 1937a: 1 .

Type data

This species was described based on a single male specimen collected by John W. Ogilvie at Waranama, northeastern Guyana, on November 14, 1936. Ogilvie was a Scottish immigrant who went to South America to establish his fortune in gold prospection and exploitation of rubber tapping (Pourshariati 2017). Ogilvie, along with other people, made an expedition through the Amazon that begun in Manaus, Brazil, and ended in Georgetown, Guyana. The purpose of that expedition was mainly ethnological (Pourshariati 2017); however, biological collections were also made. At least some of the bees obtained during that trip were studied by Cockerell (1936, 1937 a, 1937b). Ogilvie also visited some Caribbean islands where he collected biological samples that were subsequently sent to other scientists for study (see Cockerell 1938, 1939). During the collection of this new species, other Centris bees were also caught (Cockerell 1937b). Ogilvie also captured specimens of C. denudans Lepeletier, 1841, C. flavifrons clitelligera (Erichson, 1848) (= C. flavifrons (Fabricius, 1775)) and C. nitens Lepeletier, 1841 . The holotype of C. nitens callospila is currently housed at AMNH and has the following data label: Nov.14.J.O [handwritten]\ Waranama, B.G., Nov. 1936 Ogilvie, Coll. [printed]\ Centris callospila Ckll. Type. [handwritten]\ ac C. 34970 [handwritten]\ AMNH _IZC 00323434 [data matrix code] [printed].

Type locality

Guyana: Waranama.

Comments

Although Cockerell labeled the type specimen as a new species, it was published as a variety of C. nitens . This species is only known from male specimens and could actually correspond to a metander male of C. nitens .