Hi all,
I caught a Megachile whilst surveying sand dune habitat on the Solway Firth in late August. I've just got round to IDing it and I'm 99% sure its M. willughbiella. However as it was in a coastal grassland site I thought it would be worth double checking just in case its actually a M. maritima. I know one of the distinguishing features is the length of the hairs on the fore basitarsus so I've taken a picture for comments.
Many thanks in advance.
Looks like willughbiella: the longest hairs (on the left) are barely longer than the width of the basitarsus at mid point - certainly not twice its width. However, it's always a good principle with any identification not to rely on any single feature: try a follow-up check on the pollen hairs which are a golden-yellow in willughbiella and more creamy-white in maritima.
Also the punctures on T3 and T4 are more crowded in maritima whereas in willughbiella there's more of a shiny space between them. Though, to be honest, this only helps if you have comparative material. Do you have access to a reference collection at a local museum? Always the best way to confirm identifications!
Thanks Ian, the other features checked out it was just this one I wasn't 100% on.
I'll look into the museum collection.
Many thanks
James