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Photo#1111292
Small Chimney Bee - Globe Mallow Bee (lateral outlines) - Diadasia diminuta - male

Small Chimney Bee - Globe Mallow Bee (lateral outlines) - Diadasia diminuta - Male
Tonopah Desert, Maricopa County, Arizona, USA
April 26, 2015
Size: 7.5mm
These are images of a male Chimney Bee in a Lance-leaf Globe Mallow flower. His wing patterns seem to be a close match to those of the Diadasia Coquillettapis subgenus grouping. Furthermore, after comparing his abdominal tip to the larger-sized male bees of that grouping, like those on the males of D. bituberculata, I can see that they are almost the same exact shape proportionally, though very different in coloration. (much, much lighter, with two darkened tips)

This bee appears to be very similar to many of the smaller sized and shorter haired male bees in the Mallow-visiting group of subgenus Coquilletapis.
The USDA Forest Service lists D. diminuta as a Globe Mallow Bee for it's common name. Please note that many other types of bees may also visit this plant. Here is the link: USDA Forest Service - Globe Mallow Bees

NOTE: In this image, you can clearly see the "U" shaped outline, on the tip of his abdomen.

Images of this individual: tag all
Small Chimney Bee - Globe Mallow Bee (lateral outlines) - Diadasia diminuta - male Small Chimney Bee - Globe Mallow Bee - Diadasia diminuta - male Small Chimney Bee - Globe Mallow Bee - Diadasia diminuta - male Small Chimney Bee - Globe Mallow Bee - Diadasia diminuta - male Small Chimney Bee - Globe Mallow Bee (Lateral Abdomen) - Diadasia diminuta - male Small Chimney Bee - Globe Mallow Bee (Abdominal Apex) - Diadasia diminuta - male Two Chimney Bees - Globe Mallow Bee & Friend - Diadasia diminuta - male

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

probably D. diminuta as you suggest
It is very abundant in southeastern AZ at this season.

How about submittting fewer but better photos? the 3 or 4 best should usually suffice

 
Only the Best
John, all of these shots are heavy crops, due to his size and my failure to film him properly, sorry. Please note that this was filmed three months ago. I have filled up more than two hundred Gigs of memory cards with ID videos, since then! On the other hand, this is a unique type of bee and the BugGuide doesn't have many comparison images yet, unless you consider both subgenus groups, which can be confusing to newbies, like me.
Thanks for your help!

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