| Ensliniana | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Megachilidae |
| Subfamily: | Megachilinae |
| Tribe: | Dioxyini |
| Genus: | Ensliniana Alfken, 1938 |
| Species: | E. bidentata |
| Binomial name | |
| Ensliniana bidentata (Friese, 1899) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The cuckoo bee genus Ensliniana contains only one species, Ensliniana bidentata, which is found in the Mediterranean and Middle East. [1]
Megachilidae is a cosmopolitan family of mostly solitary bees. Both that their pollen-carrying structure is restricted to the ventral surface of the abdomen, and their typically elongated labrum is characteristic of this family. Megachilid genera are most commonly known as mason bees and leafcutter bees, reflecting the materials from which they build their nest cells ; a few collect plant or animal hairs and fibers, and are called carder bees, while others use plant resins in nest construction and are correspondingly called resin bees. All species feed on nectar and pollen, but a few are kleptoparasites, feeding on pollen collected by other megachilid bees. Parasitic species do not possess scopae. The motion of Megachilidae in the reproductive structures of flowers is energetic and swimming-like; this agitation releases large amounts of pollen.
Megachilinae is a subfamily of bees, the largest subfamily in the family Megachilidae, and includes mason bees, leafcutter bees, and carder bees.