Novel Observation of Colletes ultravalidus (Apoidea: Colletidae) from a Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) Burrow Apron

Andrew J. Mullaney^1,* and J. Matthew Flenniken¹

¹Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 1105 SW Williston Road, Gainesville, FL 32601. *Corresponding author.

Southeastern Naturalist, Volume 24, Issue 4 (2025): N43–N46

First published early online: 27 October 2025

Abstract
Colletes ultravalidus (Southeastern Sandhill Cellophane Bee) is a solitary ground-nesting bee native to the Southern Coastal Plain of North America. The species was described in 2016 and has few recorded observations, primarily from the Florida panhandle. On 24 March 2025, we observed C. ultravalidus nesting on the apron of a Gopherus polyphemus (Gopher Tortoise) burrow located in Clay County, FL. Our observation is the first record of C. ultravalidus in the county, extending the known range of the species ~35 km to the east and 113 km from the nearest known record, and also suggests a potential commensal relationship with Gopher Tortoises.

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