The Original Specimen of the Mystery Bee (IMAGE)

Canadian Museum of Nature

The Original Specimen of the Mystery Bee

Caption

The « mystery » bee viewed from above (dorsal view). This is the holotype specimen of Brachymelecta mucida, presumed to have been collected in Nevada in the 1870s. It is now understood to be an aberrant specimen of Brachymelecta californica, the California digger-cuckoo bee. The unusual pale hairs on its abdomen were among the characteristics that led it to be classified separately from other related bees.

Credit

Thomas Onuferko, Canadian Museum of Nature

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