Apidae, Canary Islands.

Smit, J., 2007, New wasps and bees for the fauna of the Canary Islands (Hymenoptera, Aculeata), Linzer biologische Beiträge 39 (1), pp. 651-656 : 653-654

Apidae

124 species of bees are known from the Canary Islands. Of the family Apidae (including the former family Anthophoridae ) 36 species are recorded.

Four species of the genus Anthophora occur on the islands: Anthophora alluaudi , A. orotavae , A. porphyria and A. purpuraria . These are all endemic species from these islands. So far Anthophora orotavae has been reported only from the islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria.

In 2000 this species has been collected for the first time on the island of La Gomera. Six specimens have been captured at four different places; 1, Alajero, Antoncojo, 400 m, 1.v.2000; 2, Playa de Santiago, 100 m, 2.v.2000; 1, La Dama, 1000 m, 2.v.2000; 1, 1, San Sebastian, Barranco de Avalo, 10 m, 5.v.2000. It appears that this species is widely spread on this island, see the map, Fig. 2 .

Henk Pijpers and Jeanne Kuijper-Nannenga gave me some bees from the island of Gran Canaria. Among these was a specimen of Melecta luctuosa , a bee that has not been recorded from the Canary Islands previously. It is a female, collected on 23 March, near Cruz Grande, San Bartolome at an altitude of 1550 m.

This bee is widespread across Eurasia, in the norther parts of its range.

Figures

Fig. 2: Map of La Gomera with the locations of captures of Anthophora orotavae.