[Pollinator] Announcing the Bees of Maryland and District of Columbia Fascicle Series

[Droege, Sam]

All

Over the past 12 or so years our lab has been blessed with many volunteers,
researchers, and projects that have permitted us to collect and identify
bees across Maryland and the puny but important District of Columbia.  In
the last few years we have more purposefully been collecting data in
counties and regions where specimens and records are lacking, targeting
locations that may contain interesting bees and looking at records from
other museums (primarily the Smithsonian (thank you Sean Brady) and the
American Museum (thank you John Ascher).

At this point we have identified roughly (to limits of current but
inadequate taxonomy) 425 species in the state and the list continues to
increase.  Just last week I added *Melecta pacifica *to the state list by
nabbing one flying over my favorite dirt patch in the Lab's thankfully
unkempt lawn.

We have started to compile and map these data and rather than wait another
12 years to complete some massive book we have decided it is better and
more useful to adapt the publication as our understanding evolves (and
diminish the specter of not ever publishing anything) and thus decided to
put out a fascicle series, species by species, that can be updated as we go
along.

So, the first 6 species accounts are up at:

ftp://ftpext.usgs.gov/pub/er/md/laurel/Droege/Maryland%20and%20DC%20Bee%20Fascicles/

for:

*Agapostemon sericeus*
*Agapostemon splendens*
*Agapostemon texanus*
*Agapostemon virescens*
*Andrena accepta*
*Andrena aliciae*

A READ ME FIRST file is provided that documents the sources and fields
found in the powerpoints.

As the observant among you might suspect we will proceed in simple
alphabetical order.

Please feel free to comment on the format and the information.  Our focus
is on distribution, status, and identification of the species and not on a
detailed review of their life history habits (though I would be open to
others adding those sections).  In part, this series is meant to provide
detailed information on how to identify each species and that should be
useful anywhere the species occurs.

Corrections and additions to these accounts are particularly welcome as
many of you will have a more detailed understanding of these groups.

We will announce additional accounts as they (slowly) emerge.

I have purposely left these account as Powerpoints so you can download and
modify them in any way you like...no need to ask our permission.

We encourage other States and Provinces to something similar.

There you go citizen...let's get your hidden bee information out from under
the basket.

sam

Sam Droege  sdroege at usgs.gov
w 301-497-5840 h 301-390-7759 fax 301-497-5624
USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
BARC-EAST, BLDG 308, RM 124 10300 Balt. Ave., Beltsville, MD  20705
Http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov

In nature's infinite book of secrecy
A little I can read
        - Antony and Cleopatra - Shakespeare



-- 
*Bees are Not Optional*

*Apes sunt et non liberum*
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.sonic.net/pipermail/pollinator/attachments/20150515/80ca591e/attachment.html>