Lasioglossum michiganense, F, Face, NY, Queens

Now, this is an interesting bee. Obviously it has occurred in Michigan, and indeed until quite recently that was the only place it was known from and in fact, was known only from one single specimen. However, it was so unique that was described by Ted Mitchell over 50 years ago as a new species. Part of its uniqueness is that it is a cleptoparasite of other Lasioglossum species. Also interesting is the fact that it was found, this particular specimen that is, in Queens, New York City at the very tip of breezy point. You never know what interesting natural history you'll find anywhere. Photographed by Brooke Alexander. 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.