Thorax: metallic green, shiny except narrowly grayish-white pollinose anteriorly; pleuron tawny pilose with a few black hairs intermixed; mesonotum tawny pilose except medial 1/3 black pilose, with a single weak pre-scutellar black bristle on left side; scutellum with pre-apical depression divided medially, black pilose except tawny pilose on margins; squama and plumula tawny; halter orange except stem brownish. Wing: hyaline except for maculae; apical macula small, only covering area around R1+2. Legs: coxae and trochanters metallic green, shiny, white pilose; femora shiny, bright metallic green and tawny pilose on basal 1/3, becoming dark apically, with apex black, black pilose on apical 2/3; tibiae metallic purplish black, shiny, black pilose; tarsi brownish black, black pilose.
Abdomen: metallic green, shiny; venter white pilose except bare on medial 1/3 of 3rd and 2/3 of 4th sterna; 4th sternum with apicolateral black pile fused together to give appearance of strong black bristles; 1st tergum tawny pilose; 2nd tergum black pilose on apical 3/4, tawny pilose basally; 3rd tergum short black pilose on apical 1/3 and narrow medially, elsewhere tawny pilose; 4th tergum tawny pilose; male genitalic segments white pilose, except 8th tergum black pilose; male terminalia as Figured (Figs. 12 & 16), with a large postanal process posterior to cerci and between surstyli (see Fig. 12b).
Female--similar to male except for normal sexual dimorphism and more extensively pale tawny pilose: mesonotum almost entirely tawny pilose, 2nd and 3rd terga tawny pilose except for black pilose on apical 1/6.
SIZE: Mesonotal length, 3.0-3.2; wing length, 9.5-10.2 mm.
Holotype--Male, PANAMA: Cerro Campana, 15 July 1963, W. G. Real, deposited in California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco. Paratypes: 3 females in United States National Museum. Panama: Canal Zone, Barro Colorado Island, 13 May 1979, Silberglied & Aiello, ovipositing on Atta dung. COLOMBIA: Antioquia, Aljibes, Providencia, c. 33 km sw Zaragosa; 29 December 1970, Richard W. Pinger, "in hamster trap"; same locality and collector, 13 October 1970.
Ornidia whiteheadi is similar in size and appearance to major, but is readily distinguished from all other Ornidia species by the extensive tawny pile on the mesonotum, pleuron and 3rd tergum. The structure of the male terminalia is also unique among volucellines.
Ornidia whiteheadi is named for Donald R. Whitehead (see the appended eulogy). When I first saw the unique male (back in 1974) I asked Don, who knew Central America well, about the type locality -- was it unique in any way? Don thought not. We then discussed the ethics of describing species from unique specimens. Our conclusion was that such new species should only be described when the more inclusive taxa (genus, tribe or family) are revised. Don assured me that more specimens of my new species would appear some day as Central America was an area of active exploration, but, like the man for which the species is named, whiteheadi remains represented by a unique male! So, to remain true to his convictions, I have herewith revised the more inclusive taxon, Ornidia!
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