Anthophora quadrimaculata (Panzer, 1798) =Apis quadrimaculata Panzer,1798, heft 56, 7, male, type not found
=Apis vulpina Panzer, heft 56, 6, female, type not found
=Apis subglobosa Kirby,1802:295
=Anthophora vara Lepeletier,1841:43, type F MNHN Paris, revised
=Anthophora mixta Lepeletier,1841:85, type not found
=Anthophora segusina Gribodo,1873
Lenght: 11-12 mm (Male), 11 mm (Female)
ssp. quadrimaculata (Panzer,1798)
ssp. alticola Hedicke, 1931
ssp. pachypoda Cockerell, 1924
Area: Europe IUCN, Europe Geographic, West-Palaearctic, C. Asia, East-Palaearctic
Common Name(s): Vierfleck-Pelzbiene (D.), Four-spotted Flower-Bee (Four-banded Flower-Bee) (Engl.), Anthophore rusée (Fr.), Kattenkruidbij (Nl.)
Taxonomic problems: The species is easy to identify in the largest part of its European distribution. There is only one other species in the Dasymegilla subgenus so far known only from Bulgaria. Out of Europe, two taxa from N. Africa are very near and may be seen as subspecies: Anthophora albicilla Pérez, 1895 and A. ambigua Pérez, 1895.
Rarity. The species occurs in most of the European countries. Nevertheless, it is not the commonest Anthophora species, by far, compared to Anthophora plumipes. It is not ubiquist but patchy spread in the landscape, mainly foraging on Lamiaceae.
Identification in the Field only possible to the north of 45° latitude. The male recalls a small A. plumipes, foraging in summer (while plumipes flies in spring only). The female of A. quadrimaculata may be charaterised by absence of any distinctive feature! It just recalls a small Anthophora plumipes, flying in summer on Lamiaceae, while A. plumipes is a spring speies, unspecialized foraging species.
Identification in the Lab.
Male: The face marking is yellow, with a large yellow "T" shape on clypeus, yellow para-ocular areas, front and anterior part of scape (photo). The mid legs do not show conspicuous brush on mesotibia, nor mesotarsus. Meso-femora is strongly enlarged, swollen in a very distinctive shape (see photo). The meta-femora and metatibia are swollen. Sternite 6 with a large velvet like golden brush. Tergite 7 without pygidial plate but with 2 apical teeth (photo).
Female: Difficult to identification in the absence of co-occuring male. Essentially to be seen as a Anthophora plumipes female, reduced in size. The ventral area of abdomen (sternites 3-5) shows a brush of erected brownish hairs more dense as in other Anthophora.
Special attention is required to separate the species from the rare Anthophora (Mystacanthophora) borealis, A. (Petalosternon) crassipes, A. (Clisodon) furcata. The separation from these species is possible in lab with binocular lens, using the subgeneric features (Brooks, 1988).
Morphological variation. The extension of yellow marking in male clypeus show small individual variation. There is no geographical forms or subspecies in Europe.
Phenology.Species flying from late spring (end of May) to middle of summer (mid August) with a maximal flying time in July.
Nesting Biology.
There is few information on the nesting behaviour of this species. Only Nielsen (1902) gives some details of nests that he founds near Copenhague, in a old clay wall: "The bee first digs a passage that goes in an arc down the wall to a depth of 3-5 cm. When the passage is finished, the bee hollows out a cell in the bottom and builds in it a clay jar, the shape of which corresponds exactly to that of the cell. As stated above, the material is taken from the following Cell. The jar in the last Cell is built from clay, which is taken from the sides of the entrance hole, so that a pit is formed in the wall from which the corridor exits. In each nest there are 2 or 3 cells, most often 2." Nielsen (l.c.) precises that the closing of nest ressembles that of A. retusa: "When this is finished, the bee sits down at the exit and scrapes pieces of clay together, which, as you turn around, form a solid plate that closes the nest and gives the open part of the passage a disappointing resemblance to an empty cell."
Habitat requirement. Even if the species seems to be quite patchy, it does not to have precise habitat requirements.
Host plant association. We have 479 flower visits in hand. 66% on Lamiaceae (mainly Lavandula spp., Nepeta spp., Stachys spp., Teucrium spp.), 13% on Boraginaceae (mainly Echium spp., Anchusa spp.), 7% on Plantaginaceae (ex-Scrophulariaceae, mainly Cymbalaria majalis), 5% on Fabaceae (mainly Medicago spp., Onobrychis viciifolia) and others.
Parasites. As cleptoparasites, Iuga (1958) mentions Thyreus orbatus and T. scutellaris. Scheuchl & Willmer (2016) also mention Coelioxys rufescens.