Proximate Masked Bee
S2, Female, profile
Ellura
Proximate Masked Bee
S3, Female, Wing Venation
 
                      
Proximate Masked Bee (Hylaeus proximus)Class: Animals (Animalia) - Jointed Legs (Arthropoda) - Insects (Insecta)
Order: Ant Bee Wasps (Hymenoptera)
Family: Colletid Bee (Bee: Colletidae)     iNaturalist Observation
Species: Proximate Masked Bee (Hylaeus proximus)
This Photo:     🔍S5, Female, profile🔎

Thank you Asaph (asaph01) for identifying this species for us

General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA) and elsewhere
Females are ~5.5mm long.
We thought these females were Red-sided Masked Bee (Hylaeus lateralis). Asaph said "Tip of abdomen not red."
We didn't know which Hylaeus the males (with the white shoulder markings) were.
When explaining how to tell the difference between bees & wasps, Dr Ken Walker said "The antennae of bees are inserted about half way up the face of a bee whereas the antennae of wasps are inserted on lower half of the wasp face."
Asaph said "Male Hylaeus lateralis have white markings."

Copyright © 2020-2024 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 09-Mar-2020
This species is an Australian Native Species, not listed in the SA Murray Mallee Survey of 2010.