A new bee genus from the pampas of eastern Argentina, with appended notes on the classification of “ paracolletines ” (Hymenoptera: Colletidae) Author Engel, Michael S. Division of Entomology, Natural History Museum, and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 1501 Crestline Drive - Suite 140, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045 - 4415, USA (msengel @ ku. edu). & Division of Invertebrate Zoölogy, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79 Street, New York, New York 10024 - 5192, USA. Author Gonzalez, Victor H. Undergraduate Biology, and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, 1200 Sunnyside Avenue, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA (vhgonza @ ku. edu). text Journal of Melittology 2022 2022-01-24 2022 109 1 39 http://dx.doi.org/10.17161/jom.i109.16424 journal article 10.17161/jom.i109.16424 2325-4467 13146121 6C96BAB7-7AF6-4B8B-A2EF-08BD9F3A1344 Kanakapis Engel , new subgenus ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 7981A29E-9F4A-42F4-859F-2A3FD08353A1 TYPE SPECIES : Leioproctus ( Nodocolletes ) pacificus Michener, 1965 . DIAGNOSIS: This endemic New Caledonian subgenus differs from other Lamprocolletes in the possession of an elongate metanotal spine that is slender apically and projects posteriorly. The length of the spine and metanotum together is about 0.75× length of the mesoscutellum. ETYMOLOGY: The new generic name is a combination of Kanak, from the indigenous Melanesian inhabitants of New Caledonia , and the Latin noun apis (meaning, “bee”). The gender of the name is feminine.