| Euaspis | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Megachilidae |
| Genus: | Euaspis Gerstaecker, 1858 |
Euaspis is a genus of cuckoo bees belonging to the family Megachilidae. [1]
The species of this genus are found in Africa and Southeastern Asia. [1]
Species: [1]
Megachilidae is a cosmopolitan family of mostly solitary bees. Characteristic traits of this family are the restriction of their pollen-carrying structure to the ventral surface of the abdomen, and their typically elongated labrum. 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.
Mason bee is a name now commonly used for species of bees in the genus Osmia, of the family Megachilidae. Mason bees are named for their habit of using mud or other "masonry" products in constructing their nests, which are made in naturally occurring gaps such as between cracks in stones or other small dark cavities. When available, some species preferentially use hollow stems or holes in wood made by wood-boring insects.
The term cuckoo bee is used for a variety of different bee lineages which have evolved the kleptoparasitic behaviour of laying their eggs in the nests of other bees, reminiscent of the behavior of cuckoo birds. The name is perhaps best applied to the apid subfamily Nomadinae, but is commonly used in Europe to mean bumblebees Bombus subgenus Psithyrus. Females of cuckoo bees are easy to recognize in almost all cases, as they lack pollen-collecting structures and do not construct their own nests. They often have reduced body hair, abnormally thick and/or heavily sculptured exoskeleton, and saber-like mandibles, although this is not universally true; other less visible changes are also common.
The genus Megachile is a cosmopolitan group of solitary bees, often called leafcutter bees or leafcutting bees; it also includes the called resin bees and mortar bees. While other genera within the family Megachilidae may chew leaves or petals into fragments to build their nests, certain species within Megachile neatly cut pieces of leaves or petals, hence their common name. This is one of the largest genera of bees, with more than 1500 species in over 50 subgenera. The alfalfa leafcutter bee is managed on a commercial scale for crop pollination, and has been introduced by humans to various regions around the world.
Anthidium is a genus of bees often called carder or potter bees, who use conifer resin, plant hairs, mud, or a mix of them to build nests. They are in the family Megachilidae which is cosmopolitan in distribution and made up of species that are mostly solitary bees with pollen-carrying scopa that are only located on the ventral surface of the abdomen. Other bee families have the pollen-carrying structures on the hind legs. Typically species of Anthidium feed their brood on pollen and nectar from plants. Anthidium florentinum is distinguished from most of its relatives by yellow or brick-red thoracic bands. They fly all summer and make the nests in holes in the ground, walls or trees, with hairs plucked from plants.
Anthidium manicatum, commonly called the European wool carder bee, is a species of bee in the family Megachilidae, the leaf-cutter bees or mason bees.
Anthidium maculosum is a species of bee in the family Megachilidae, the leaf-cutter, carder, or mason bees. It is a solitary bee where the males are territorial and the females take part in polyandry. The males of A. maculosum differ from most other males of bee species because the males are significantly larger than females. In addition, subordinate males that act as satellites are smaller than territory-owning males. This species can be found predominately in Mexico and the United States.
Megachile angelarum is a species of bee in the Megachilidae family.
Megachilinae is the largest subfamily of bees in the family Megachilidae.It includes mason bees, leafcutter bees, and carder bees.
Megachile abacula is a species of bee in the Megachilidae family.
Megachile zombae is a species of bee in the Megachilidae family. Natively endemic to Malawi and identified in 1977, these are solitary bees. The name derives from Greek mega 'large' + cheil- (χειλ) 'lip' and a district Zomba, in Malawi.
Coelioxys, common name leaf-cutting cuckoo bees or sharp-tailed bees, is a genus of solitary kleptoparasitic cuckoo bees belonging to the family Megachilidae.
Megachile texana, the Texas leafcutter bee, is a species of bee in the family Megachilidae. It was first described by the American entomologist Ezra Townsend Cresson in 1878. It is native to the United States and southern Canada.
Heriades is a genus of bees in the family Megachilidae. Fairly small and usually black, they are found all over the world. There are more than 130 species worldwide, roughly 25 species in North and Central America, but only 3 species are native east of the Rocky Mountains. European species such as H. truncorum can be found on the east coast of the US. Like other bees in the tribe Osmiini, Hoplitis and Ashmeadiella, they nest in cavities in wood excavated by other insects, or perhaps occasionally pine cones. They separate the cells of their nest with resin .
Anthidiini is a tribe of insects in the family Megachilidae. There are at least 40 genera and 840 described species in Anthidiini. There is strong evidence that the tribe is monophyletic.
Stelis is a genus of kleptoparasitic cuckoo bees in the family Megachilidae. There are at least 100 described species in Stelis.
Ashmeadiella is a genus of bees in the family Megachilidae. There are more than 60 described species in Ashmeadiella.
Hoplitis is a genus of bees in the family Megachilidae. There are more than 380 described species in Hoplitis.
Ochreriades is a genus within Megachilidae. This taxon has been considered the sister lineage "to a clade consisting of the “core” Osmiini, the tribe Megachilini and the genera Pseudoheriades and Afroheriades."
Memecylon caeruleum is a shrub or tree species in the Melastomataceae family. It is found from New Guinea, west through Southeast Asia to Tibet, Zhōngguó/China. It has become an invasive weed in the Seychelles. It has some local use for wood and food.