Amegilla cingulata

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Amegilla cingulata
Blue Banded Bee (Amegilla cingulata).jpg
sleeping male
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Genus: Amegilla
Species:
A. cingulata
Binomial name
Amegilla cingulata
(Fabricius, 1775)
Synonyms
  • Anthophora emendataF. Smith, 1879
  • Anthophora emendata gilbertiCockerell, 1905
  • Anthophora lilacinaCockerell, 1921

Amegilla cingulata is a species of blue-banded bee native to Australia. Currently, several scientific organizations are conducting research on how A. cingulata benefits agriculture through its distinctive "buzz pollination".

Contents

Taxonomy

A. cingulata was first described by Danish entomologist Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775. [1] Its specific epithet cingulata is from the Latin word cingulum ("belt") referring to the bee's bands. The genus Amegilla contains over 250 additional species, but several are virtually indistinguishable from A. cingulata, so they are commonly confused with it.

Description

A. cingulata has a very striking appearance similar to several other species of Amegilla. Unlike honey bees, it has pale opalescent blue stripes on its abdomen. The male can be distinguished by the number of complete bands, having five as opposed to the females' four. [2] In size, A. cingulata can grow to 10–12 mm (0.39–0.47 in).

Female Male Blue Banded Bee Amegilla 02.jpg
Female

Distribution and habitat

A. cingulata is found along the coast and inland in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory, as well as South Australia[ citation needed ] and Western Australia; [3] reports of this species from places such as Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, East Timor, Malaysia, and India (e.g., [4] ) are all erroneous. [2] [5] It appears to live in tropical, subtropical and temperate regions. The bees inhabit urban areas, woodlands, forests, and heath areas.

Behaviour

A. cingulata can sting, but are not as aggressive as other bees. They appear to be more rapid in movement than other bees. The males cling to plant stems during the night. They are solitary creatures, with single females inhabiting burrows in the soft sandstone or clay, unlike social species such as honey bees, which live in large colonies.

Male Nearly Got It (2244132794).jpg
Male

Diet

A. cingulata in Australia collects the majority of its nectar from blue flowers, although others investigated include mountain devil ( Lambertia formosa ) and grey spider flower ( Grevillea buxifolia ), as well as the introduced Abelia grandiflora and lavender ( Lavandula species). [2] They also feed on some non-blue flowers such as the white form of Salvia coccinea , tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum ), and eggplant ( Solanum melongena ) flowers, white flowers of Leea indica , and some members of the family Verbenaceae. Bees in the genus Amegilla use a process that involves clinging onto flowers and vibrating powerfully, which increases the release of pollen. [6]

Life cycle

A. cingulata build solitary nests, but often close to other conspecifics. A. cingulata tend to nest in burrows in dried-up river banks, old clay homes, and mortar between bricks, but may also burrow in soft sandstone, and areas of this type of rock can become riddled with bee tunnels. [7] Cells, at the end of tunnels, contain an egg with a pollen/nectar mixture for the larval food. [2]

Threats

A. cingulata are preyed upon by many animals, including birds, frogs and cane toads. Their nests are parasitized by the neon cuckoo bee Thyreus nitidulus . [2] Human activity, for example the clearing of river banks in the Caboolture River, may threaten nest sites of this bee.

Related Research Articles

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<i>Habropoda laboriosa</i> Species of bee

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<i>Agapostemon</i> Genus of bees

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<i>Amegilla</i> Genus of insects, blue-banded bees

Amegilla is a large genus of bees in the tribe Anthophorini. It has been split into many subgenera, including Asaropoda, Micramegilla,Notomegilla and Zonamegilla.

<i>Thyreus nitidulus</i> Species of bee

Thyreus nitidulus, commonly known as the neon cuckoo bee, is a parasitic bee of the genus Thyreus, called cuckoo bees. It is a stocky bee, notable for its brilliant metallic blue- and black-banded colors.

<i>Amegilla bombiformis</i> Species of bee from Australia

Amegilla bombiformis, commonly known as the teddy bear bee or golden haired mortar bee, is an Australian native bee in the family Apidae.

<i>Xylocopa aerata</i> Species of bee

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<i>Amegilla dawsoni</i> Species of burrowing bee from Australia

Amegilla dawsoni, sometimes called the Dawson's burrowing bee, is a species of bee that nests by the thousands in arid claypans in Western Australia. It is a long tongued bee, of the tribe Anthophorini and genus Amegilla, the second largest genus in Anthophorini.

<i>Xylocopa bombylans</i> Species of bee

Xylocopa bombylans, the peacock carpenter bee, is a species of carpenter bee found in Australia. It gets its common name by its habit of burrowing into wood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alkali bee</span> Species of insect

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<i>Amegilla asserta</i> Species of bee

Amegilla asserta is a species of bee endemic to Australia, belonging to the family Apidae subfamily Apinae. Females forage by performing buzz pollination.

<i>Andrena prunorum</i> Species of bee

Andrena prunorum, otherwise known as the purple miner bee, is a species of solitary bees in the family Andrenidae. It is commonly found in the continental United States as well as much of North and Central America. Andrena prunorum is a spring-flying, ground-nesting bee that serves as a ubiquitous generalist in ecological settings. Both males and females live as prepupae in the winter in which they mate, and the females seek new sites for ground burrows. From there, they construct small cells surrounding a ball of pollen combined with nectar to nourish a laid egg before each cell is sealed, and the cycle begins anew. A. prunorum generally prefer the pollen derived from Rosaceae plants but will pollinate fruit trees if given the opportunity.

<i>Zonamegilla</i> Subgenus of bee

Zonamegilla is a large subgenus of the bee genus Amegilla. Species of this subgenus can be found throughout Australia, Europe and Asia. Some Zonamegilla are commonly referred to as blue-banded bees; however, the abdominal bands can also be orange, green, white or yellow, depending on the species.

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References

  1. "Species Amegilla (Zonamegilla) cingulata (Fabricius, 1775)". Australian Faunal Directory . Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Dollin, Anne; Batley, Michael (2000). Native Bees of the Sydney Region. North Richmond, NSW: Australian Native Bee Research Centre. p. 52. ISBN   1-876307-07-2.
  3. "Blue Banded Bees" (PDF). City of Kalamunda. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  4. DiscoverLife map of Amegilla cingulata records
  5. Leijs, Remko; Batley, Michael; Hogendoorn, Katja (2 August 2017). "The genus Amegilla (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Anthophorini) in Australia: A revision of the subgenera Notomegilla and Zonamegilla". ZooKeys (653): 79–140. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.653.11177 . ISSN   1313-2970. PMC   5345376 .
  6. Hogendoorn, K.; Coventry, S.; Keller, M. (2007). "Foraging behaviour of a blue banded bee, Amegilla chlorocyanea in greenhouses: implications for use as tomato pollinators". Apidologie. 38: 86–92. doi:10.1051/apido:2006060. hdl: 2440/43756 . ISSN   0044-8435. S2CID   35970905.
  7. "Common Blue-banded Bee". Australian Museum.