Green Metallic Bee

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Chillybean (Zone 5a) Mar 25, 2015

This is not a question about one of my own insects, but this insect in the BugFiles. I have on my homepage the Fun Random Bug. Now and again one pops up that I think I may have had, so try to ID from there, or add a zip code to what I know I have.

Here is the link to the page I have questions about:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/go/294/

I am a little confused. The first image... http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/showimage/604/ shows the abdomen having metallic stripes, at least the best I can tell. The next image... http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/showimage/1007/ clearly shows black and white stripes on the abdomen. Continuing through the images, you can see some of both. Can the same species have such different markings? Maybe male/female? Or can it be regional? The Sweat Bee is one that gives me a lot of trouble. On my life list of insects, the one I have is only IDed to genus.

Now I just did a search of that genus in the BugFiles...
http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/adv_search.php?searcher[common]=&searcher[bugorder]=&searcher[family]=&searcher[genus]=Agapostemon&searcher[species]=&Search=Search

Talk about confusing... :) Birds are so much easier.

Thank you for any help.

Post #10042596
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Flapdoodle Minot, ND Mar 25, 2015

I see at least two possibilities: (1) The angle from which the photograph at http://davesgarden.com/guides/bf/showimage/604/ was taken could have not only made the yellow bands appear narrower than they really were but also made the hairs there appear more iridescent (metallic). (2) It was misidentified - You will note that the title of the image was "Augochlora Green Metallic Bee..." Bees in the genus Augochlora lack the distinctive yellow bands of Agapostemon cockerelli; see http://www.pbase.com/tmurray74/image/124452334 for an example.

Post #10042668
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perenzeja Upland, CA Mar 26, 2015

I would agree with Flapdoodle in that the stripes could be because of the angle or the way the lighting is hitting the abdomen. Just my two cents worth here. The other possibility could be that because most insects breathe through their abdomen, the first photo was taken when the bee's lower abdomen was expanding (breathing in) and the second photo that was taken was at the time of the abdomen contracting (breathing out). Perhaps the movement of the bodily functions makes the stripes seem a different color with the lighting, every time it contracts or expands. Just my thoughts. -Ella

This message was edited Mar 26, 2015 1:18 PM

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