Lasioglossum (Hemihalictus) in western North America (Hymenoptera: Halictidae): Exotic species and undocumented diversity

Monday, November 14, 2022

10:54 AM – 11:06 AM PT

Location: Vancouver Convention Centre, Meeting Room 306

Presenting Author(s)

Thilina Hettiarachchi

Graduate Research Assistant
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Co-Author(s)

JG

Jason Gibbs

Professor
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Sweat bees in the cosmopolitan genus Lasioglossum are some of the most diverse and commonly collected bees in terrestrial ecosystems. Lasioglossum is made up of several difficult to define subgenera including L. (Hemihalictus). This subgenus was considered monotypic until it was reclassified based on molecular phylogenetic results. There are 20 valid species of L. (Hemihalictus) in western North America—a hot spot for bee diversity–but they have never been revised. To delimit species boundaries, we use an integrative approach that combines morphological, morphometric, geographical, ecological, and molecular data. We document two Palaearctic species recently recorded in western North America, L. villosulum (Kirby, 1802) and L. buccale (Pérez, 1903). We also recognize at least three putative new species. Ongoing work is investigating the validity of existing names in problematic species complexes.