Hylaeus (Hylaeus) rudbeckiae (Cockerell & Casad 1895)

Gibbs, Jason, Ascher, John S., Rightmyer, Molly G. & Isaacs, Rufus, 2017, The bees of Michigan (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila), with notes on distribution, taxonomy, pollination, and natural history, Zootaxa 4352 (1), pp. 1-160 : 71-72

Hylaeus (Hylaeus) rudbeckiae (Cockerell & Casad 1895) ( mesillae group) (New state record)

County records: Leelanau, Keweenaw.

Notes. A single male specimen from the northern LP identified by Roy Snelling and tentatively confirmed by JG is deposited at MSUC. A female record from PWRC remains uncertain due to the difficulty in distinguishing this sex from H. mesillae but is plausible given the boreal habitat present there. Although rudbeckiae is abundant in the western United States, it has only rarely been recorded from states east of the Rocky Mountains, where expected only from near the Canadian border, but identification difficulties may obscure its true status. A Wisconsin record ( Mitchell, 1960) was not accepted by Wolf & Ascher (2009) but should be reevaluated as it may prove valid. Mitchell’s records from Connecticut (also reported by Hurd, 1979) are less likely to be correct, and we consider a possible New Jersey record ( Hurd, 1979) to be implausible given that confirmed records in eastern North America are from boreal sites.

Material examined. Leelanau Co.: Glenn Haven , 24 Aug. 1960, G.C. Eickwort (1 ♂ MSUC) .

Additional record. Keweenaw Co.: Isle Royale National Park , Washington Island, 47.8763 -89.2326, 16 Aug. 2013, S. Wilson (1 ♀ PWRC) .