General features of Tylandrena in Florida are large size, lack of apical tergal bands, and the pronotal humeral angle and dorsoventral ridge moderately to well-developed with the ridge crossed by a distinctly impressed, oblique suture. Females have incomplete corbicula with abundant, long internal hairs and the males lack well-formed subapical sternal fimbriae. Tylandrena species might be confused with similar large members of the Melandrena that also lack tergal hairs. Key features are the pronotal characters.
There was a specimen collected in the FSCA that was collected in Alachua County (Gainesville) and identified as A. buetenmuelleri (=A. wilmattae) by Mitchell. I have determined that it is really a specimen of A. perplexa. A. perplexa shows considerable variation in hair color on the dorsum of the thorax, ranging from pale white to deep yellow. This may have been the source of the confusion.
For more information, see W. E. LaBerge and J. K. Bouseman. 1970. A revision of the bees of the genus Andrena of the Western Hemisphere. Part III. Tylandrena. Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc.: 96:543-605.
County Records: Alachua, Gadsden, Leon
Locations:
Dates: March 17-April 3, March:2, April:1
Plant: Crataegus
Notes: New state record for Florida, previously collected in Georgia (Pine Mt.). Often confused with A. barbara.
