ARS | Publication request: A faunistic survey of bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) in the Black Belt Prairie of Mississippi

Submitted to: Journal of Kansas Entomological Society
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: February 26, 2012
Publication Date: July 30, 2012
Repository URL: http://www.bioone.org/doi/pdf/10.2317/JKES111025.1
Citation: Smith, B.A., Brown, R.L., Laberge, W., Griswold, T.L. 2012. A faunistic survey of bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) in the Black Belt Prairie of Mississippi. Journal of Kansas Entomological Society. 85(1): 32-47.

Interpretive Summary: The bee fauna of the southeastern United States, is poorly known. For example, there is only one published study for the state of Mississippi. This study provides a further look at the bees of Mississippi, focusing on existing remnants of the Black Belt Prairie, a region known for its many localized, disjunct and endemic species. The result is 51 new state records, bringing the total number of bee species in the state to 177. An annotated list of the bee species in the Black Belt Prairie provides information on seasonality and floral hosts.

Technical Abstract: A survey of bees (Apoidea) in the Black Belt Prairie of northern Mississippi was conducted from 1991 to 2001. Collecting methods included netting specimens from floral hosts and use of malaise traps. The survey resulted in collection of 6138 specimens, of which 3627 were identified to 118 species. Of the 2511 unidentified specimens, the vast majority (2362) were specimens of Lasioglossum Curtis (Halictidae) in groups that are unrevised. The survey resulted in 51 new state records, increasing the total known species of bees in Mississippi to 177. Five species of Andrenidae have disjunct distributions from the Great Plains and western states. A list of the bee species in the Black Belt Prairie is provided with annotations on collection times, floral hosts, and collection methods.