2 
Records of the Australian Museum (2012) Vol. 64 
Figs 1-2. Trichocolletes venustus, male: (1) fore basitarsus showing plume (2) hind leg (part) showing long hair on femur. 
For the present study almost all available material in 
Australian collections was examined and type specimens 
were either seen by the authors or examined by experts at 
the institutions housing them. 
Bees of the genus Trichocolletes are found only in 
Australia in the south-eastern temperate, south-western 
temperate and eremean biomes (as defined by Crisp et al., 
2004). Information on behaviour is limited. Many species are 
active in late winter and spring and the common species of the 
east coast have been reported (Hacker, 1918; Rayment, 1929, 
1935) to show a preference for pea flowers, while a more 
comprehensive survey of flower visiting records for Western 
Australian species (Houston, 2000) demonstrated that the 
bees forage from other flower fa mil ies as well. Members of 
the genus have been identified as important pollinators of 
Diuris orchids (Indsto et al., 2006). 
Terminology, methods and measurements 
The morphological terminology follows that used by Michener 
(2007) and Harris (1979), including interchangeable use of 
the words hair and seta. Relative dimensions quoted in the 
descriptions were measured using an eye-piece graticule on a 
stereomicroscope with the zoom objective set to give a reading 
of 50 divisions for the head width. Abbreviations used for the 
measurements are as in Houston (1990) and are as follows: 
as follows: AOD antennocular distance; ASD antennal socket 
diameter; BMW basal width of mandible; DMA distance 
between anterior mandibular articulations; FL flagellum 
length; HL head length; HVO height of vertex above lateral 
ocelli; HW head width; I AD interantennal distance; LID; lower 
interorbital distance; ML mandible length; MOD diameter of 
median ocellus; MSL malar space length (shortest distance 
between the abductor swelling and the eye); OOD ocellocular 
distance; SL scape length; SW scape width; UFW upper width 
of face; UID upper interorbital distance; WOC width of ocellar 
cluster. Measurement of the length of the hind tarsus excludes 
the claws. Metasomal terga are referred to as Tl, T2 etc. and 
sterna as SI, S2 etc. S7 and S8, the “hidden sterna” of males, 
exhibit useful diagnostic characteristics and were extracted for 
examination. Individual antennal flagellomeres are referred to 
by number as FI, F2 etc. 
All but three of the type specimens were examined 
by one of us (MB). The exceptions were examined and 
photographed by colleagues in the holding institutions on 
our behalf. 
Descriptions are arranged alphabetically. 
To minimize repetition in the specific descriptions, eyes 
are described as “not hairy”, rather than “with scattered, 
minute setae”. Many males carry a dense fringe of long, 
sinuous hair on the posterior margin of the fore basitarsus. 
When the hairs are longer than twice the width of the 
basitarsus, the fringe is called a plume (Fig. 1), otherwise 
it is called a brush. The section of the epistomal suture that 
separates the clypeus from the supraclypeal area is called 
the basal suture of the clypeus. The widths of metasomal 
bands are difficult to measure with any precision, but there 
are discernable differences between species. Metasomal 
bands are described as “narrow” if the width of the band 
on T2 is less than Vs the distance from the gradulus to the 
apex of the tergum, measured medially, and “wide” when 
the band width is more than Vk of that distance. 
Characters of individual species are described only 
where they differ from the typical condition given in the 
generic description. Unless otherwise noted, the body 
lengths of all specimens examined were within ±1 mm of 
that for the specimen described. Sexes were associated by 
morphological similarity and coincident collection, except 
where noted otherwise. 
Geospatial coordinates are GPS readings and distributions 
include Interim Biogeographical Regions of Australia codes 
(IBRA, 2010) in parentheses. The following abbreviations 
are used for collections in which the specimens are lodged: 
AM, Australian Museum, Sydney; AMNH, American 
Museum of Natural History, New York; ANIC, Australian 
National Insect Collection, Canberra; BMNH, British 
Museum (Natural History), London; MV, Museum Victoria, 
Melbourne; OUM, University Museum, Oxford; QM, 
Queensland Museum (now including the former UQIC, 
University of Queensland Insect Collection), Brisbane; 
SAM, South Australian Museum, Adelaide; WAA, Western 
Australian Department of Agriculture Insect Reference 
Collection; WAM, Western Australian Museum, Perth. 
