Megachilidae
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (May 2014) |
Megachilidae | |
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Male European wool carder bee, Anthidium manicatum | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Hymenoptera |
Suborder: | Apocrita |
Superfamily: | Apoidea |
Clade: | Anthophila |
Family: | Megachilidae |
Subfamilies | |
Megachilidae is a
Life cycle
Nonparasites
Nonparasitic Megachilidae typically divide their nests into cells. Each cell receives a supply of food (pollen or a pollen/nectar mix) and an egg; after finding a suitable spot (often near where she emerged), a female starts building a first cell, stocks it, and oviposits. She builds a wall that separates the completed cell from the next one. The larva hatches from the egg and consumes the food supply. After moulting a few times, it spins a cocoon and pupates. It emerges from the nest as an adult. Males die shortly after mating, but females survive for another few weeks, during which they build new nests.
Nests are often built in natural or artificial cavities. Some embed individual cells in a mass of clay or resin attached to a wall, rock surface, or plant stem. Nest cavities are often linear, for example in hollow plant stems, but not always (snail shells are used by some Osmia, and some species readily use irregular cavities).[citation needed]
Parasites
Some genera of megachilids are
Diversity
North America has an estimated 630 different megachilid species, including Thus Megachilidae represent 15% to 20% of named species of bees.
The scientific name Megachilidae refers to the genus Megachile, translating roughly as large lipped (Ancient Greek μέγᾰς (mégas, "big") + χεῖλος (kheîlos, "lip"); their "large lips" and strong jaws are well-suited for collection of nest building materials.
Most Megachilidae build their nests in above-ground cavities; they all are solitary bees. Their nesting habits means that in some studies of bee diversity, this bee family is most likely to be the one encountered, even though the many ground nesting bees are much greater in species numbers (~70% of all bee species are ground nesters). For example, in Krombein's trap-nesting survey (1967), almost all bees that nested in his offerings were Megachilid species—40 of 43 occupying bee species. (They were outnumbered in diversity by almost twice as many species of wasps (75) that utilized the nests).[5]
Because they are (mostly) above-ground nesters and more commonly attracted to artificial nests, megachilid bees are also more commonly cultivated than ground nesting solitary bees. They accept nesting materials made from hollow stems, tubes, and blocks with preformed holes ("nest blocks"), and several megachilids have become important species for
A suite of megachilid rely on plant resins for nest construction. These "resin bees" are typically smaller than honey bees, and effective pollinators, although the hard glue-like resins can complicate management of other tunnel nesting bees. Carder bees, Anthidium, are unique for using plant fibers; there are 80 to 90 species of them in North America. Ironically, a non-native is best known—A. manicatum, the European wool carder bee, was accidentally introduced to the Americas in the late '60s and has now spread across the continent. It has been described as "... perhaps the most widely distributed unmanaged bee species in the world."[6] Like most Anthidium, rather than cutting leaves or petals, A. manicatum scrapes the hairs from leaves to use for nesting material.[7] It is atypical because the male is larger than the female and constantly on patrol, protecting a "harem" by chasing and even attacking all interlopers including honey and bumble bees, its tail equipped with multiple prongs that can knife in between the segments of almost any intruder.[8]
Neither the introduced Anthidium nor its American cousins are considered parasites, only territorial and at times aggressive, though some genera are, including
While some Megachilidae are extensively studied for their commercial possibilities (or impacts), others are studied by
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Megachile centuncularis cutting a leaf
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Megachile sp. with cut leaf
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Leaves cut by Megachile sp.
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Nests of Megachile from Bangalore, India.
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Dissected nest of a Megachile
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Dissected cut leaf bits from a nest.
Evolution and taxonomy
The fossil record for megachilid bees is poor, but a
- Subfamily Fideliinae
- Tribe Pararhophitini
- Tribe Fideliini
- Subfamily Megachilinae
- Tribe Lithurgini
- Tribe Osmiini
- Afroheriades
- Ashmeadiella
- Atoposmia
- Bekilia
- Chelostoma
- Haetosmia
- oligolectic (specialized on a few subfamilies of Asteraceae) and use resin from conifers, as well as plant fibers and sand, as cell wall material.
- Hofferia
- Hoplitis
- Hoplosmia
- Noteriades
- Ochreriades
- Osmia
- Othinosmia
- Protosmia
- Pseudoheriades
- Stenoheriades
- Stenosmia
- Wainia
- Xeroheriades
- Tribe Anthidiini
- Acedanthidium
- Afranthidium
- Afrostelis
- Anthidiellum
- Anthidioma
- Anthidium
- Anthodioctes
- Apianthidium
- Aspidosmia
- Austrostelis
- Aztecanthidium
- Bathanthidium
- Benanthis
- Cyphanthidium
- Dianthidium
- Duckeanthidium
- Eoanthidium
- Epanthidium
- Euaspis
- Hoplostelis
- Hypanthidioides
- Hypanthidium
- Icteranthidium
- Indanthidium
- Larinostelis
- Notanthidium
- Pachyanthidium
- Paranthidium
- Plesianthidium
- Pseudoanthidium
- Rhodanthidium
- Serapista
- kleptoparasites on other Megachilidae. They belong to the tribe Anthidiini. Bees in the subgenus Heterostelis are parasitic on Trachusa.
- Trachusa
- Trachusoides
- Xenostelis
- Tribe Dioxyini
- Tribe Megachilini
- Coelioxys is a brood parasite of Megachile. Females have a pointed conic abdominal apex (tip); males have several spikes on their apices.
- Megachile
- Radoszkowskiana
- incertae sedis
References
- C. D. Michener(2007) The Bees of the World, 2nd Edition, pg. 122, Johns Hopkins University Press.
- ^ Cockerell, Theodore; Lutz, Frank Eugene (1 December 1921). "Some parasitic megachilid bees of the western United States" (PDF). American Museum Novitates (21). Retrieved 5 October 2014.
- ^ BugGuide. "Megachilidae". BugGuide. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
- ^ 630 spp. in 18 genera of 4 tribes and 2 subfamilies in our area, ~4,100 spp. in ~80 genera of 11 tribes and 4 subfamilies worldwide(1)
- ^ Krombein, Karl V. (1967). Trap-nesting wasps and bees: life histories, nests, and associates. Smithsonian Press. p. 2. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
- doi:10.1111/zoj.12017.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ISBN 978-0801861338.
- ^ Honey Bee Suite (20 February 2011). "Native pollinator - wool carder bee". honeybeesuite.com. Rusty Burlew. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
- ISBN 978-0-549-68378-0.
- S2CID 9394816.
- PMID 23363629.
External links
- Palaearctic Osmiine Bees
- Leafcutting bees on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
- Online Guides to all the eastern North American Megachilidae
- Bugguide. Information and photos of Megachilidae of North America
- "Megachilidae". Atlas of Living Australia.