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New Mexico Rare Arthropod Resource

The New Mexico Rare Arthropod Resource

 
Perdita biparticeps (Andrenid Bee)  


Taxonomy

  • Class: INSECTA
  • Order: HYMENOPTERA
  • Family: ANDRENIDAE
  • Genus: Perdita
  • Scientific Name: Perdita biparticeps Cockerell, 1896
  • Common Name: Andrenid Bee
  • Synonyms:

Taxonomic Name Source


Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). 2008. World Bee Checklist Project (version 03-Oct-2008). Integrated Taxonomic Information System: Biological Names. Online. Available: http://www.itis.gov.

No Photo Available

Species Occurrence Data From: Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)

Agency Conservation Status



  • SGCN
  • NMDGF:
  • USFWS:
  • BLM:
  • USFS:
  • IUCN Red List: Not Evaluated
  • Nature Serve Global: GNR
  • NHNM State: SNR
  • NM Endemic YES


Agency Conservation Status



SGCN NMDGF USFWS BLM Status USFS IUCN
Red List		 Nature Serve
Global		 NHNM State NM Endemic
Draft SGCN Not Evaluated GNR SNR YES


Description

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Perdita biparticeps is a small (3 mm) bee with a very dark blue head and thorax. It has a round head, which is large compared to the small thorax. The head has lemon-yellow markings. The antenna are sepia above, yellow below, and the scape is almost completely yellow. The mesothorax and much of the face are free free from hairs, though the upper part of the cheeks have conspicuous white hairs. The legs are yellow and the anterior and middle femora and tibiae have a dark brown patch behind. The posterior femora are brown with yellow ends and an obscure yellow stripe in front, while the posterior tibiae are brown with the proximal fourth pale. The tarsi are whitish. The abdomen above is pale brown and shiny, with obscured and suffused yellow markings, primarily a patch on the disc of the first segment, and bands at bases of segments two through four, the last two of these bands are shorter and emarginate posteriorly. The ventral surface of the abdomen is dull yellow, becoming brownish toward the tip (Cockerell 1896).

Habitat and Ecology

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Very little is known about the habitats and ecology of Perdita biparticeps, as it is known only from the general collection locality of Las Cruces. Las Cruces is a city in the Chihuahuan Desert, so it is likely the habitat is arid shrublands or grasslands. The species was collected from cinchweed (Pectis papposa), which is a plant in the Asteraceae family (Cockerell 1896). Species of Perdita are almost all oligolectic (Michener 2007). As such, their emergence is usually timed to coincide with the floral bloom period of their host plants (Wilson and Carril 2016). This species was collected on September 17th of 1895 (Cockerell 1896).

Though the nesting habits of this species are unknown, Perdita generally nest in the soil, within branched burrows that each end in a single cell, which is more or less horizontal (Michener 2007). A few species nest gregariously, with females nesting in close proximity to one another (Wilson and Carril 2016). Other species are communal nesters, with more than one female sharing a nest entrance (Michener 2007), yet others are more solitary. Instead of covering nest cells in a water proof coating, like other species in the family Andrenidae do, Perdita cover only the spherical ball of pollen provisioned for larvae in a coating (Wilson and Carril 2016). Many species are specific about the soil type they choose to nest in (Wilson and Carril 2016). Adult emergency seems to be dependent on humidity levels which indicate significant rain events above ground, at least for desert species (Wilson and Carril 2016).

Geographic Range

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This species is known only from the type locality, Las Cruces, New Mexico, in the United States. It was collected there in September of 1895 (Cockerell 1896). It is unknown whether the species remains extant, or if it may be found in a wider distribution. Surveys are needed.

Conservation Considerations

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There are no conservation measures in place for this species. Research is badly needed for this possibly threatened species, which has not been collected since it was described in 1895. This includes understanding the current distribution, population size and trend, habitats and ecology, and threats.

Threats

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The threats to this species are not well understood. It has only been collected in the general locality of Las Cruces, which is a city in the Chihuahuan Desert. The city has grown substantially since this species was collected there in 1895, though it is unclear if this urbanization has impacted this species. Similarly, agriculture has expanded since the time of description, as Las Cruces is located along the Rio Grande river, a vital water source in an otherwise arid landscape. Lastly, this species may be impacted by drought due to climate change. The southwestern U.S. saw its driest 22-year period from 2000 to 2021, since at least 800 CE (the time period used in previous climatic reconstructions) (Williams et al. 2022). Droughts are projected to become more prolonged, severe, and common in the region under future climate change scenarios (USGCRP 2018). Drought may negatively impact bee species by reducing floral resource availability (Phillips et al. 2017). In addition, declines observed in Perdita species at one site the Chihuahuan Desert have been attributed to small body size of these bees, and associated sensitivity to heat and desiccation (Kazenel et al. 2024).

Population

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The population size and trend are not known for this species. It is known from just one specimen, collected in 1895, so it could be quite rare.

References

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  • Kazenel, M.R., Wright, K.W., Griswold, T., Whitney, K.D. and Rudgers, J.A.. 2024. Heat desiccation tolerances predict bee abundance under climate change. Nature 628: (342-362).
  • Cockerell, T.D.A.. 1896. The bees of the Genus Perdita F. Smith. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 48: (25-107).
  • USGCRP. 2018. Impacts, Risks, and Adaptation in the United States: Fourth National Climate Assessment, Volume II. U.S. Global Change Research Program , Washington, DC, USA : (1515).
  • Williams, A.P., Cook, B.I. and Smerdon, J.E. . 2022. Rapid intensification of the emerging southwestern North American megadrought in 2020–2021. Nature Climate Change 12: (232-234).
  • Wilson, J.S. and Carril, O.M. 2016. The Bees in Your Backyard: A Guide to North America's Bees. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ .
  • Michener, D.C.. 2007. The Bees of the World. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore : (953).
  • ITIS. 2024. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). 2024. https://www.itis.gov/
  • Phillips, B.B., Shaw, R.F., Holland, M.J., Fry, E.L., Bardgett, R.D., Bullock, J.M. and Osborne, J.L.. 2017. Drought reduces floral resources for pollinators. Global Change Biology 24: (3226-3235).

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