Anthophora walteri Gonzalez, 2004
Salvia bogotensis Bentham, 1824.
This species belongs to the A. pilosifrons species-group, whose members have an almost flat clypeus bearing stout hooked setae and a transverse row of blunt, spine-like projections (pecten) across the base. Females of A. walteri can be easily distinguished from any other Neotropical Mystacanthophora by the predominantly white pubescence on the head and mesosoma, and the long, minutely branched, orange setae curving anteriorly on the metasoma, these orange setae becoming denser on the apical margins of T1–T4 and posteriorly-directed, forming apical bands. Males can be recognized by the sparse pubescence on the metasoma, the translucent apical margins of T1–T6, and the shapes of the genital capsule and associated sterna.
This species is known from high altitudes in the eastern Andes of Colombia.
The pollen collecting behavior and foraging activity of this solitary bee on Salvia bogotensis was studied by Gonzalez et al. (2006) in the Eastern Andes of Colombia. Bees foraged from 7:00–17:00 h, or when the temperature exceeded 15°C. Peak visits occurred between 8:00–9:00, when the temperature was about 18°C and the humidity was 60%. On average, bees spent 3 seconds at each flower and collected pollen throughout the day, although pollen collecting trips were twice as frequent in the morning as in the afternoon. The daily number and duration of foraging trips per bee ranged from 1–13 trips (x = 6.8 ± 4.3) and 4–88 min (x = 21.7 ± 23.8). Some possible morphological and behavioral adaptations for pollen collection on flowers of Salvia, as well as thermal constraints on the foraging activity of A. walteri in the Andes are also discussed by Gonzalez et al. (2006).