Species Of Megachile Research Articles

A taxonomic revision of the southern African species of the subgenus Creightonella Cockerell (Apoidea: Megachilidae: Megachile Latreille)

The southern African species of Megachile (Creightonella) are revised. Twelve valid species are recognised, one of whichis new, Megachile serrula sp. n., and four are only known from the female. Ten new synonymies are recorded. Megachilecognata var. claripennis Friese, Megachile natalensis Friese are synonymized with Megachile cognata Smith. Megachileconsanguinea zamelaena Cockerell is synonymized with Megachile ianthoptera Smith. Megachile hopilitis Vachal,Megachile vanderysti Cockerell, Megachile triangulifera kivuicola Cockerell, and Megachile heptadonta Cockerell aresynonymized with Megachile angulata Smith. Four new lectotypes were designated; they are Megachile natalensis Friese,M. discolor Smith, M. cornigera Friese and M. braunsiana Friese. The nomenclatorial history of each species is documented, diagnoses are given, food plants are recorded and distribution maps are provided.

Nesting biology of two species of Megachile (Moureapis) (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) in a semideciduous forest reserve in southeastern Brazil

Nests of Megachile (Moureapis) benigna and Megachile (Moureapis) maculata were obtained during a 12-month trap-nesting program in a semideciduous forest reserve in southeastern Brazil. Trap nests were bamboo culms wider than those usually used in trap-nesting studies and it is suggested that species of Moureapis may prefer to nest in wide cavities. Nest construction was concentrated in the warm rainy season, but M. benigna had a secondary peak of nesting activity in the mid dry season, suggesting it is a bivoltine species. No species occupied the entire length of trap nests, but several linear series of cells were frequently packed inside a single culm. Nests of M. benigna were parasitized by one unidentified species of Coelioxys. Unidentified chalcidoid wasps emerged from some nests and phorid flies emerged from another one. In both cases, the developing host bees were killed. An unidentified conopid fly emerged from an adult female M. maculata found dead inside an incomplete nest.

Common factors influence bee foraging in urban and wildland landscapes

Bees are important flower-visiting insects that display differential occurrences at food resources throughout urban and wildland landscapes. This study examined the visitation rates and foraging patterns of eight taxonomic groups of bees that are common to California poppies, Eschscholzia californica, in both landscape types. Bee occurrence was documented in relation to floral resource characteristics (patch area, poppy coverage, and poppy density), local landscape characteristics (distance to the wildland-urban interface, distance to riparian areas, distance to green space, and land use), and regional landscape context (urban versus wildland). Similar abundance and richness measures were recorded at both urban and wildland poppy patches, but community composition varied in each landscape. Bumble bees were more abundant at poppies in the wildland whereas species in the family Halictidae (sweat bees) were more abundant at poppies within the urban landscape. Resource patch size and density consistently correlated with increased bee presence for all bee types foraging in the wildland. Individual patterns of occurrence in the urban landscape were somewhat divergent; the foraging dynamics of larger bodied-bees (Bombus vosnesenskii and Megachile species) correlated significantly with resource patch size and density, whereas smaller-bodied bees (family Halictidae and Andrena species) were influenced by landscape characteristics such as distance to the wildland-urban interface and distance to riparian areas. In summary, the surrounding landscape had an influence on community composition, but the magnitude of the floral resource present at a site and factors relating to foraging energetics were dominant drivers of local occurrence. These results suggest that management strategies that provide dense and abundant floral resources should be successful in attracting bees, irrespective of their location within the urban matrix.

Use of Trap-Nests with a Neotropical Leaf-Cutter Bee Megachile (Moureapis) anthidioides (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae)

Bees of the genus Megachile Latreille are popularly known as leaf cutters, and females utilize leaves and petals for construction of their nest cells. Their cavity-nesting behavior probably developed from Megachile ancestors that nested in the ground (Eickwort et al., 1981). This genus is large, with around 1320 known species (Michener, 2000) of which 161 occur in Brazil (Silveira et al., 2002). Further information about these insects is sparse (Almeida et al., 1997). From November 2006 to February 2010 trap nests (made of cardboard tubes inside plastic bottles and black cardboard tubes inside wooden blocks) were placed horizontally on the ground along a boundary of a semi-deciduous secondary forest in a in Itacolomi State Park in the city of Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Trap nests were uniform in length (120 mm) but varied in their inner diameters (6–12 mm). They were inspected twice a month for Megachile spp., and completed nests were removed to the laboratory for analysis. Fifty-seven nests of Megachile (Moureapis) anthidioides Radoszkowski were built in trap-nests not previously used by other species. The diameter of trap-nests that were occupied ranged from 6 to 12 mm (8.49 6 1.25; median 6 standard deviation). Nest diameter preferences vary from species to species; according to Aguiar and Martins (2002) the bees prefer diameters that best accommodate their bodies within the cells. A cavity of large diameter makes the bee expend more energy to fill the excess space with construction material. During the end of dry season (August and September of 2007) M. anthidiodes occupied almost 30% (n 5 16) of the trap-nests. This high nesting rate at the end of the dry season may be related to the availability of food that the females use to feed their offspring. The nest cells were built with leaves, and we found an average of 5.06 6 2.22 cells per nest. The construction of cells followed the pattern reported by Krombein (1967) for other species of Megachile that made 1 to 9 cells per nest. Of the 226 emerged adults, 144 were males and 82 females, resulting in a sex ratio of 1:0.56. The male/female difference was statistically significant (x 5 13.154; P , 0.05). In general, the adults emerged 4 to 8 weeks after the female closed the main entrance. There was parasitism in 14.28% (N 5 8) of the occupied trap-nests, and two parasitic species emerged from them: Coelioxys (Acrocoelioxys) sp., from three nests, and Melittobia sp., from one nest. The presence of parasitic bees of the genus Coelioxys in Megachile nests is widely known from literature. These bees are the principal parasites found in Megachile nests, but some species also parasitize nests of other solitary bees mentioned in literature on trap-nests (e.g., Aguiar and Martins, 2002; Alves-dos-Santos, 2003; Aguiar et al., 2005; Aguiar et al., 2006). This is the first record of M. anthidioides in trap nests. To date, there have only been reports of collecting this species (e.g., Silveira and Cure, 1993; Silveira et al., 1993; Silveira and Campos, 1995; Goncalves and Melo, 2005). The abundance of M. anthidioides in the trap-nests could indicate the scarcity of appropriate sites for nesting by this species in the study area, since that area has already suffered a substantial anthropogenic impact.

A Duna-Tisza közi homoki sztyepprétek vadméh-közösségének hosszú távú változásai

Between 2006 and 2008, 972 Apoidea specimens have been collected that belonged to 93 species. Within the wild bee community the ratio of the Halictus and Lasioglossum species (19,45%), and the Megachile species (23,36%) are significant and also the density of the bumble bees (Bombus species) with 19,65%. During the collection in the years of 1977-78-79, 102 taxa were found in the Kis-Bugac barren. In the samples of six years, 141 species and one variation were shown. Having compared to the samples of 1977-78- 79, the results of the collection conducted 29 years later proved 53 species to be coommon. Faunal similarity of the two periods according to the Jaccard-index is 0,373. The most important community components found were the holomediterranean (24 species) and palearctic (21 species) in the years of 2006-2008. In the years of 1977-1979 the palearctic (33 species) and european (17 species) taxa were the most important fauna elements. According to the climate-tolerance assessment - during both collecting periods - the ratio of the Thermophile species was the most significant. According to the frequency index in the second collecting period, the ratio of the rare and very rare species have increased. In both collecting periods, the most important community component was the medium flying period Apoidea species.

A New Species of Megachile from Pakistan, with Taxonomic Notes on the Subgenus Eutricharaea (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae)

Abstract A new species of leaf-cutter bee, Megachile (Eutricharaea) arachosiana, new species, is described and illustrated based on males and females from west-central and northern Pakistan. The opportunity is taken to provide new taxonomic notes on the subgenus Eutricharaea Thomson. The subgenus Platysta Pasteels, comprising the large African species M. platystoma Pasteels and M. khamana Cockerell, is synonymized with Eutricharaea (new synonymy). It is noted that M. microxanthops Cockerell, considered widely a synonym of M. concinna Smith, is allied to M. apostolica Cockerell and is removed from synonymy accordingly. A new taxonomic summary is provided for M. concinna with M. microxantha Cockerell, M. atratula Rebmann, and M. privigna Rebmann considered new junior subjective synonyms (new synonymies).

Direct and indirect fossil records of megachilid bees from the Paleogene of Central Europe (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae)

Aside from pollen and nectar, bees of the subfamily Megachilinae are closely associated with plants as a source of materials for nest construction. Megachilines use resins, masticated leaves, trichomes and other plant materials sometimes along with mud to construct nests in cavities or in soil. Among these, the leafcutter bees (Megachile s.l.) are the most famous for their behaviour to line their brood cells with discs cut from various plants. We report on fossil records of one body fossil of a new non-leafcutting megachiline and of 12 leafcuttings from three European sites-Eckfeld and Messel, both in Germany (Eocene), and Menat, France (Paleocene). The excisions include the currently earliest record of probable Megachile activity and suggest the presence of such bees in the Paleocene European fauna. Comparison with extant leafcuttings permits the interpretation of a minimal number of species that produced these excisions. The wide range of size for the leafcuttings indirectly might suggest at least two species of Megachile for the fauna of Messel in addition to the other megachiline bee described here. The presence of several cuttings on most leaves from Eckfeld implies that the preferential foraging behaviour of extant Megachile arose early in megachiline evolution. These results demonstrate that combined investigation of body and trace fossils complement each other in understanding past biodiversity, the latter permitting the detection of taxa not otherwise directly sampled and inferences on behavioural evolution.

El subgénero Megachile (Dasymegachile) Mitchell con especial referencia a las especies argentinas (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae)

Seventeen species of Megachile (Dasymegachile) are recognized, twelve species from Chile, nine species from Argentina, three from Peru and one from Bolivia. Descriptions, illustrations, and keys for the identification for the Argentinean species are provided. The geographical distributions in Argentina are revised; M. cinerea and M. melanotricha are recorded for the first time from Argentina. Two species are also newly recorded from Chile.

A new subgenus and three new species of leafcutter bees, Megachile (Austrosarus) (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae) from central Brazil

A new subgenus, Austrosarus, and three new species of Megachile from central Brazil are described. Austrosarus shares some characteristics with the subgenera Austromegachile, Chrysosarus and Sayapis. M. frankieana occurs in the Federal District of Brasília, in Goias and Minas Gerais states and in eastern and southern Mato Grosso, while M. diasi and M. candanga have been collected only in the Federal District. A key is provided to identify the females.

Nomenclatural changes in leafcutter bees of the Americas: Megachile Latreille 1802 (Hymenoptera; Megachilidae)

Five species of Megachile are placed in their correct subgenera, raising the total number of correctly placed species of this genus to 519 in the Americas. Megachile (Dasymegachile) mitchelli new name is proposed for Cressoniella (Chaetochile) golbachi Schwimmer, in Mitchell, 1980.

A specialized pollen-harvesting device in western palaearctic bees of the genusMegachile(Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Megachilidae)

Females of the European leaf-cutter bee Megachile (Megachile) pilicrus Morawitz possess a conspicuous brush of stiff, yellowish-red bristles on the ventral side of the trochanter and femur of their hind legs. Observation of pollen-harvesting females in the field and microscope analysis of scopal pollen contents revealed that the hind leg brush is a specialized device for combing pollen from the inflorescences of thistles and knapweeds (Cardueae, Asteraceae), the exclusive pollen plants of M. pilicrus. Hind leg brushes serving the same purpose were found to be also present in several Megachile species belonging to the subgenus Neoeutricharaea, indicating convergent evolution in these two different Megachile lineages. Compared to all other species, the hind leg brush of M. (Neoeutricharaea) apicalis is distinctly less developed which is assumed to be associated with its polylectic habit. Megachile / Neoeutricharaea / pollen-harvesting device / Cardueae / flower specialization

Dufour's gland triglycerides from Anthophora, emphoropsis (Anthophoridae) and Megachile (Megachilidae) bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea)

1. 1. Lipids secreted from the Dufour's glands of the bees Anthophora centriformis, Anthophora californica tarsata, Emphoropsis miserabilis, Megachile (Delomegachile) gemula, M. (Phaenosarus) fortis, M. (Argyropile) parallela, and M. (Melanosarus) xylocopoides primarily consist of short chain (C2–C20) fatty acid triglycerides. 2. 2. Nearly 95% of the triglycerides from Anthophora and Emphoropsis have one palmitoyl-, stearoyl- or arachidoyl moiety, plus two shorter acids (C2–C16). 3. 3. Virtually all triglycerides (98%) from the four Megachile species possess only short-chain fatty acids (C2–C16), often with one like pair of acids.

The Comparative Population Dynamics of Eight Solitary Bees and Wasps (Aculeata; Apocrita; Hymenoptera) Trap-Nested in Jamaica

Six thousand and eighty-three trap nests recovered from 9158 placed in St. Catherine, Jamaica, contained 6738 cells built by 11 solitary wasps and bees (Hymenoptera; Apocrita; Aculeata). These species normally nest in hollow stems or other cavities in wood. Analyses for eight of these species showed developmental mortalities between 48 and 69 percent, set ratios near 1:1 (except two Megachile species where there were about 2.5 males per female), and fecundities between 5.6 and 13.1 eggs/female. A comparison with temperate solitary Aculeata is made. MOST INSECT POPULATION STUDIES have been on pest species that exist at high numbers, a circumstance which makes it difficult to derive general principles, since insufficient work has been done on the majority of species that exist at low numbers. The present work, which includes information on several uncommon Aculeata, attempts to redress this situation, and makes a comparison between members of this large group of wasps and bees in the tropics and in temperate regions. Solitary wasps and bees show many affinities in their nesting biology. Females construct cells, frequently of mud or plant material such as leaves, petals, or resin, in each of which a single egg is laid. The wasps stock the cells with paralyzed insects or spiders, while the bees stock with pollen and nectar. The larval progeny consume these provisions, and metamorphosis takes place within the cells. The emerging adults chew their way out of the cells and fly almost immediately. Few publications exist on the population ecology of these insects. One difficulty is that their populations are almost always extremely sparse (Danks 1971a) compared with those of most other insects. While it is often difficult to locate their nesting sites and qbtain enough cells to construct accurate life tables, conversely, they can provide excellent data because the developmental history of each instar within the cell may easily be determined and the adult emergence may be ascertained by the exit hole. Furthermore, the behavior of nesting females necessarily links them to their nests so that estimates of their survival and fecundity may be facilitated (Freeman 1973). The retrospective life tables produced cover many amalgamated generations whose properties have been discussed by Freeman (1973, 1976) and Freeman and Taffe (1974).

Effect of Forage Harvest Frequency on Subsequent Alfalfa Seed Production and Pollen Quality1

AbstractThe most suitable time during the growing season for maximum seed production of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) depends on geographic area. This investigation was undertaken to study the influence of four forage harvest treatments on the subsequent seed production and pollen quality characteristics of irrigated alfalfa in Lebanon. In addition, wild alfalfa pollinators were collected and identified. Two seed crops were produced after both one and two forage harvests. After three and four forage harvests, only one seed harvest was produced. The two seed crops following the one and two forage harvest treatments produced mean yields of 1,116 and 1,140 kg/ha, respectively. The first seed crop contributed 83% of the total yield. The seed yield components of number of stems/plant, racemes/stem, pods/raceme, and seeds/pod of the first seed crop were higher than those of the second crop. Hard seed percentages were more than 50% in the second crop where seeds developed between late September and early November, compared to less than 20% in the first crop where seeds developed between late June and end of August. Pollen viability was not significantly influenced by forage cutting treatment. However, pollen tube growth immediately after germination was most vigorous from late May to the end of June. This coincided with the flowering of the first seed crop after one and two forage harvests. Four species of Megachile, nine of Andrena, one of Halictus, one of Anthidium and two of Anthophora were identified as alfalfa pollinators.

CHALCIDOID (HYMENOPTERA) PARASITES OF THE ALFALFA LEAF-CUTTER BEE, MEGACHILE ROTUNDATA, IN CANADA

AbstractMegachile rotundata (F.) is a domesticated bee used to pollinate alfalfa in southern Alberta. There it may have four species of parasites, all chalcidoids. These parasites are removable by water traps before the hives are set in the field. Three of these parasites, Monodontomerus obscurus Westw., Dibrachys maculipennis Sz., and Pteromalus venustus Wlkr,, are European in origin. The first seems not to be established in Canada; the latter two have been reared from Canadian species of Megachile and thereby may prove a source of parasitism. The fourth species, Melittobia chalybii Ashm., is a widespread, nearctic, multivoltine species and is known as a laboratory pest of hymenopterous nests; it is likely to be the major parasite in rotundata nests. A key is given for the parasitic species.

Ecology of the Leaf-cutter Bee Megachile perihirta Ckll. (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) in Relation to Production of Alfalfa Seed

The relative importance as pollinators of alfalfa of each of the 14 species of Megachile that occur in southern Alberta has been assessed on the basis of Alberta distribution, frequency and abundance in mixed prairie, nesting habits, pollen preferences, and flight period; two ground-nesting species of the subgenus Xanthosarus Rob., Megachile perihirta Ckll. and M. dentitarsus Slad., were judged the principal pollinators (Hobbs and Lilly, 1954).

A Species of Megachile From Bermuda

A Species of <i>Megachile</i> From Bermuda