''Colletes similis'' is a species of plasterer bee belonging to the family

Colletidae The Colletidae are a family of bees, and are often referred to collectively as plasterer bees or polyester bees, due to the method of smoothing the walls of their nest cells with secretions applied with their mouthparts; these secretions dry int ...

, subfamily

Colletinae Colletinae is a subfamily of bees belonging to the family Colletidae. Genera Genera within this subfamily include: Michener, C.D. 1989. Classification of American Colletinae (Hymenoptera, Apoidea). University of Kansas Science Bulletin 53: 62 ...

Distribution

This species is present in the

Palearctic realm The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Sibe ...

, including most of Europe and Northern Asia (excluding China). It can also be found in

Near East The ''Near East''; he, המזרח הקרוב; arc, ܕܢܚܐ ܩܪܒ; fa, خاور نزدیک, Xāvar-e nazdik; tr, Yakın Doğu is a geographical term which roughly encompasses a transcontinental region in Western Asia, that was once the hist ...

, in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

. and in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

Habitat

These plasterer bee can be found on sandy soils, on coastal cliffs and dunes and on chalk grassland, meadows, hedge rows, moors, heaths and open woodland.

Description

''Colletes similis'' can reach a body length of about in males, of about in females. Forewing length can reach in males, about in females. Body of these bees is black and rather robust. Head and thorax are closely punctured, with dense fulvous hairs. Third joint of the antennae in the males is slightly longer tban the fourth. Wings are slightly clouded, with pale nervures. Post scutellum and mesonotum show dense, fulvous hairs. Abdomen is slightly shining, ovate, finely rugulose, closely and distinctly punctured in the males. In the females abdomen is very finely punctured, with pale hairs on the basal segments and very short dark hairs on the others, First segment is nearly glabrous, second, third and fourth segments have a lateral apical band of white hairs. Legs are clothed with pale hairs. Saunders, Edward, 1848-191
The Hymenoptera Aculeata of the British Islands : a descriptive account of the families, genera, and species indigenous to Great Britain and Ireland, with notes as to habits, localities, habitats
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Biology

''Colletes similis''is an

univoltine Voltinism is a term used in biology to indicate the number of broods or generations of an organism in a year. The term is most often applied to insects, and is particularly in use in sericulture, where silkworm varieties vary in their voltinism. ...

species. Adults can be found from mid June to mid September. They usually nest in small aggregations in closely self scattered burrows, that they dug into the bare ground, on slopes and in vegetation-poor areas. The species overwinters as a resting larva. They mainly collect pollen from

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

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Tanacetum vulgare Tansy (''Tanacetum vulgare'') is a perennial, herbaceous flowering plant in the genus ''Tanacetum'' in the aster family, native to temperate Europe and Asia. It has been introduced to other parts of the world, including North America, and in ...

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Leontodon autumnalis ''Scorzoneroides autumnalis'', commonly called autumn hawkbit, is a perennial plant species, widespread in its native range in Eurasia (from Europe east to western Siberia), and introduced in North America. The plant is sometimes called fall da ...

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Cirsium arvense ''Cirsium arvense'' is a perennial species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native throughout Europe and western Asia, northern Africa and widely introduced elsewhere.Joint Nature Conservation Committee''Cirsium arvense'' The standa ...

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Silybum marianum ''Silybum marianum'' is a species of thistle. It has various common names including milk thistle, blessed milkthistle, Marian thistle, Mary thistle, Saint Mary's thistle, Mediterranean milk thistle, variegated thistle and Scotch thistle (thou ...

'',

Senecio ''Senecio'' is a genus of flowering plants in the daisy family (Asteraceae) that includes ragworts and groundsels. Variously circumscribed taxonomically, the genus ''Senecio'' is one of the largest genera of flowering plants. Description Morp ...

Inula ''Inula'' is a genus of about 80 species of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, native to Europe, Asia and Africa. They may be annuals, herbaceous perennials or subshrubs that vary greatly in size, from small species a few centimeter ...

Pulicaria ''Pulicaria'' is a genus of flowering plant in the sunflower family, native to Europe, Asia, and Africa. In North America ''Pulicaria'' is known by the common name false fleabane. ''Pulicaria'' species accepted by the Plants of the World Onlin ...

Achillea ''Achillea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, known colloquially as yarrows. The plants typically have frilly leaves. The common name "yarrow" usually refers to '' A. millefolium''. The genus was named after the Gre ...

Hypochaeris ''Hypochaeris'' is a genus of plants in the family Asteraceae. Many species are known as cat's ear. These are annual and perennial herbs generally bearing flower heads with yellow ray florets. These plants may resemble or be confused with dande ...

and

Sonchus ''Sonchus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae and are commonly known as sow thistles (less commonly hare thistles or hare lettuces). Sowthistles are annual, biennial or perennial herbs, with or w ...

species ), but also on

Apiaceae Apiaceae or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus ''Apium'' and commonly known as the celery, carrot or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering plants ...

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Daucus carota ''Daucus carota'', whose common names include wild carrot, European wild carrot, bird's nest, bishop's lace, and Queen Anne's lace (North America), is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae. It is native to temperate regions of the Old Wor ...

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Angelica sylvestris ''Angelica sylvestris'' or wild angelica is a species of flowering plant, native to Europe and central Asia. An annual or short-lived perennial growing to a maximum of , it has erect purplish stems and rounded umbels of minuscule white or pale p ...

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Heracleum sphondylium ''Heracleum sphondylium'', commonly known as hogweed, common hogweed or cow parsnip, is a herbaceous perennial or biennial plant, in the umbelliferous family Apiaceae that includes fennel, cow parsley, ground elder and giant hogweed. It is nat ...

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Resedaceae Resedaceae is a family of mostly herbaceous dicotyledonous plants comprising 107 known species in 8 to 12 genera: *'' Borthwickia'' - 1 species, sometimes placed in its own family Borthwickiaceae *'' Caylusea'' - 3 species *''Forchhammeria'' - 1 ...

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Reseda lutea ''Reseda lutea'', the yellow mignonette or wild mignonette, is a species of fragrant herbaceous plant. Its leaves and flowers have been used to make a yellow dye called "weld" since the first millennium BC, although the related plant ''Reseda l ...

''),

Rosaceae Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a medium-sized family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera. The name is derived from the type genus ''Rosa''. Among the most species-rich genera are ''Alchemilla'' (270), ''Sorbus ...

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Filipendula vulgaris ''Filipendula vulgaris'', commonly known as dropwort or fern-leaf dropwort, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Rosaceae, closely related to meadowsweet (''Filipendula ulmaria''). It is found in dry pastures across much of Europe an ...

''),

Cucurbitaceae The Cucurbitaceae, also called cucurbits or the gourd family, are a plant family consisting of about 965 species in around 95 genera, of which the most important to humans are: *''Cucurbita'' – squash, pumpkin, zucchini, some gourds *''Lagena ...

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Bryonia dioica ''Bryonia dioica'', known by the common names red bryony and white bryony, also English mandrake or ladies' seal, is a perennial climbing vine indigenous to Central and Southern Europe. It is a flowering plant in the cucumber family Cucurbitac ...

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Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of a genus in the family. Most spurges, such as ''Euphorbia paralias'', are herbs, but some, e ...

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Euphorbia ''Euphorbia'' is a very large and diverse genus of flowering plants, commonly called spurge, in the family Euphorbiaceae. "Euphorbia" is sometimes used in ordinary English to collectively refer to all members of Euphorbiaceae (in deference to t ...

species) and

Campanulaceae The family Campanulaceae (also bellflower family), of the order Asterales, contains nearly 2400 species in 84 genera of herbaceous plants, shrubs, and rarely small trees, often with milky sap. Among them are several familiar garden plants belon ...

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Jasione montana ''Jasione montana'' is a low-growing plant in the family Campanulaceae found in rocky places and upland regions of Europe and western Asia. Common names include sheep's-bit, blue bonnets, blue buttons, blue daisy and iron flower. Due to the sim ...

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BWARS Bees, Wasps & Ants Recording Society
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References

External links

* *
Images representing ''Colletes similis''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2802556 Hymenoptera of Europe Colletidae Insects described in 1853