Amegilla pulchra

Amegilla pulchra
Male
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Apidae
Genus:	Amegilla
Species:	A. pulchra
Binomial name
Amegilla pulchra ( Smith, 1854) [1] [2] [3]
Synonyms
Anthophora pulchraSmith, 1854 Amegilla pulchra(Smith) Michener, 1965 Amegilla (Zonamegilla) pulchra(Smith) Brooks, 1988 Anthophora holmesi Rayment, 1947 Amegilla holmesi(Rayment) Michener, 1965 Amegilla (Zonamegilla) holmesi(Rayment) Brooks, 1988 Anthophora parapulchraRayment, 1947 Amegilla parapulchra(Rayment) Michener, 1965 Amegilla (Zonamegilla) parapulchra(Rayment) Brooks, 1988 Anthophora salteriCockerell, 1905 Amegilla salteri(Cockerell) Michener, 1965 Amegilla (Zonamegilla) salteri(Cockerell) Brooks, 1988 Anthophora pulchra townleyellaRayment, 1947 Amegilla townleyella(Rayment) Michener, 1965 Anthophora shafferyellaRayment, 1947 Amegilla shafferyella(Rayment) Michener, 1965 Amegilla (Zonamegilla) shafferyella(Rayment) Brooks, 1988 Anthophora perpulchra wallaciellaRayment, 1947 Amegilla wallaciella(Rayment) Michener, 1965

Amegilla pulchra or Amegilla (Zonamegilla) pulchra is a species of digger bee. It is native to Australia. It was described in 1854 by English entomologist Frederick Smith, and redescribed by Remko Leys, Michael Batley and Katja Hogendoorn in 2017. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Description

The body length of the species is 12–14 mm, forewing length 8–9 mm. It has ivory face marks and bands of pale blue or white fur on the tergites. ^[2]

Distribution and habitat

The species occurs in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria, mainly east of the Great Dividing Range, and is thought to have been introduced to Fiji. ^{[2] [3]}

Behaviour

The adults are flying mellivores with sedentary larvae. They nest gregariously in soil burrows, in mortar between bricks, and in mud-bricks. Females are attracted to old nests. Flowering plants visited by the bees include Hypochaeris , Ipomoea , Leptospermum and Solanum species. ^[3]

References

1. Smith, F (1854). Catalogue of Hymenopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum. Part II. Apidae. London: British Museum. pp. 199–465 [335].
2. Leijs, Remko; Batley, Michael; Hogendoorn, Katja (2017). "The genus Amegilla (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Anthophorini) in Australia: A revision of the subgenera Notomegilla and Zonamegilla". ZooKeys (653): 79–140 [126]. Bibcode:2017ZooK..653...79L. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.653.11177 .
3. "Species Amegilla (Zonamegilla) pulchra (Smith, 1854)". Australian Faunal Directory. Dept of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Australia. 2025. Retrieved 2026-01-02.