Ptilothrix bombiformis

Ptilothrix bombiformis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Apidae
Genus:	Ptilothrix
Species:	P. bombiformis
Binomial name
Ptilothrix bombiformis (Cresson, 1878)

Ptilothrix bombiformis, known generally as the hibiscus bee or eastern digger bee, is a species of chimney bee in the family Apidae. It is found in Central America and North America.^[1][2][3] This bee species was recorded for the first time in Canada in 2018, found in the Ojibway Prairie Park Nature Preserve (OPPNR), a 65-hectare provincial park in Windsor, Ontario. This first-ever reported Canadian sighting of the American migrant underlines the importance of maintaining a unique habitat in Ontario that has shrunk to a sliver of its historical size under urbanization, farming, and other human activities. The OPPNR protects one of the largest remnants of oak savannah habitat in Canada. Despite its small size, the park is considered a biodiversity "hot spot". The sighting was reported in a paper recently published in the Journal of the Entymological Society of Ontario by primary author Janean Sharkey (MSC candidate, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph) and her colleagues Dr. Alana Pindar and Dr. Nigel Raine. More details may be found on page 11 of the Summer 2021 issue of PORTICO, the university's magazine for alumni and friends, and one at porticomagazine.ca.

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