Hoplitis anthocopoides, f, back, Washington Co., Maryland

Hoplitis anthocopoides - relatively recently introduced species into North America, this is a bee who specializes in the equally introduced plant Vipers Bugloss (Echium vulgare). Perhaps because it is a plant specialist it is not recorded very often, but there are scattered records throughout eastern North America particularly in the north east and along the Appalachians. Theoretically it should spread throughout the range of its plant pollen host. The specimen represents the first record for the species in the state of Maryland and was collected in Washington County. Photography by Amanda Robinson. Photography Information: Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Stackshot Sled, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash in Styrofoam Cooler, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200. USGSBIML Photoshopping Technique: Note that we now have added using the burn tool at 50% opacity set to shadows to clean up the halos that bleed into the black background from "hot" color sections of the picture.