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Abstract
The cleptoparasitic anthidiine bee genus Stelis Panzer is primarily Holarctic in distribution, extending as far south as Costa Rica. A new species of Stelis subgenus Dolichostelis Parker and Bohart is described and illustrated based on females collected in dry forests of the Caribbean region of Colombia. Stelis (Dolichostelis) costaricensis Friese is also recorded from dry forests but in western Colombia. These are the first records of the genus, as currently recognized, for South America. An updated key to the species of Dolichostelis and a synopsis of the diversity and biogeography of the bee fauna from the Caribbean region of Colombia are provided. Based on reports from the literature and data from collections, we provide a checklist consisting of 125 species in 48 genera of five families. The complex composition of this bee fauna parallels that of the flora, with taxa having the following origins or distributions: West Indian, North or Central American, Andean, xeric or temperate South American, and Neotropical widespread. A brief account on the contribution of George Salt to the knowledge of the biology of this Colombian bee fauna is also provided.
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to I.A. Hinojosa-Díaz for assistance with microphotography and to Terry Griswold, Eli S. Wyman, and anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions that improved the manuscript. Work on this study at SEMC was supported by US National Science Foundation grant DBI-1057366 (to MSE). This is a contribution of the Division of Entomology, University of Kansas Natural History Museum. Work on this study at the AMNH was made possible by generous support from Robert G. Goelet and from NSF-DBI #0956388 (to JSA).