| Euglossopteryx | |
|---|---|
 | |
| E. biesmeijeri holotype | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Apidae |
| Genus: | † Euglossopteryx Dehon & Engel, 2014 |
| Species: | †E. biesmeijeri |
| Binomial name | |
| †Euglossopteryx biesmeijeri De Meulemeester, Michez, & Engel, 2014 | |
Euglossopteryx is an extinct genus of bee in the family Apidae known from a fossil found in North America. There is one described species in the genus, Euglossopteryx biesmeijeri.
Euglossopteryx biesmeijeri was described from a solitary fossil, which is a compression-impression fossil preserved in layers of soft sedimentary rock. [1] Along with other well preserved insect fossils, the E. biesmeijeri specimen was collected from layers of the Middle Eocene Parachute Creek Member of the Green River Formation. The formation is a group of Late Paleocene to Late Eocene depositional basins in Wyoming and Utah. The Parachute Creek Member is a composed of oil shales from a shallow mountain lake that existed for around 20 million years. Study of the paleoflora preserved in the shales indicates the lake was around 1,500–2,900 metres (4,900–9,500 ft) in elevation surrounded by a tropical to subtropical environment that had a distinct dry season. [1]
At the time of study, the holotype was part of the Division of Entomology (Paleoentomology) collections, University of Kansas Natural History Museum. It was first studied by an international team of researchers headed by Manuel Dehon of the University of Mons, Belgium, with the teams 2014 type description of the genus and species was published in the natural sciences journal PLOS ONE . The genus name is a derived from a combination of the Euglossini type genus Euglossa combined with the Greek "pteryx" meaning wing. This is a reference to the similarity between Euglossopteryx biesmeijeri and species of Euglossa. The specific epithet biesmeijeri was coined as a patronym honoring the Belgian melittologist Jacobus Biesmeijer, who is a noted researcher of pollinator-plant interactions and pollinator declines. [1]
The body and wing structuring indicate a relationship to members of the bee clade Corbiculata, which encompasses the living tribes Apini, Bombini, Euglossini, Meliponini and the extinct tribes Melikertini, Electrapini, and Electrobombini. The preserved pollen basket on the metatibia excluded placement of E. biesmeijeri into a cleptoparasitic Cuckoo bee genus. Within Corbiculata, Apini has a distinct wing marginal cell and Meliponini has very reduced wing venation, neither features seen in E. biesmeijeri. The wing venation of the species is closest to that seen in Euglossini, however the metatibia is not highly expanded as seen in Euglossini. As such Dehon et al did not give any placement in the clade, leaving Euglossopteryx as Corbiculata incertae sedis . [1]
E. biesmeijeri is one of four bee species described by Dehon and team in the PLOS ONE article, the others being Andrena antoinei , Bombus cerdanyensis , and Protohabropoda pauli . [1]
The E. biesmeijeri fossil is a female preserved with a dorsal view of the body, out stretched wings, and missing its head. The overall body length is not determinable due to slight curling of the body and the missing head, though the mesosoma is 4.00 mm (0.157 in). The metatibia are about 4.23 mm (0.167 in) long, not flared and enlarged notably, and with a distinct corbiculate pollen basket formed of a fringe of long setae. [1] The original coloration and color pattering has been lost, so color pattern and if the color was metallic as in Euglossini species. The forewings have a one marginal cell and three cells below that called the submarginal cells. The marginal cell had a closed tip end that is notably rounded. The second and third submarginal cells together are longer than the first submarginal cell, which is the longest of the three cells. A pterostigma is present, but it incompletely preserved making observations difficult. [1]
Bees are insects with wings closely related to wasps and ants, known for their role in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea. They are presently considered a clade, called Anthophila. There are over 16,000 known species of bees in seven recognized biological families. Some species – including honey bees, bumblebees, and stingless bees – live socially in colonies while most species (>90%) – including mason bees, carpenter bees, leafcutter bees, and sweat bees – are solitary.
A bumblebee is any of over 250 species in the genus Bombus, part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct related genera are known from fossils. They are found primarily in higher altitudes or latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, although they are also found in South America, where a few lowland tropical species have been identified. European bumblebees have also been introduced to New Zealand and Tasmania. Female bumblebees can sting repeatedly, but generally ignore humans and other animals.
Halictidae is the second-largest family of bees. Halictid species occur all over the world and are usually dark-colored and often metallic in appearance. Several species are all or partly green and a few are red; a number of them have yellow markings, especially the males, which commonly have yellow faces, a pattern widespread among the various families of bees. The family is distinguished by the arcuate basal vein found on the wing.
The tribe Euglossini, in the subfamily Apinae, commonly known as orchid bees or euglossine bees, are the only group of corbiculate bees whose non-parasitic members do not all possess eusocial behavior.
Andrena, commonly called the mining bee, is the largest genus in the family Andrenidae, and is nearly worldwide in distribution, with the notable exceptions of Oceania and South America. With over 1,300 species, it is one of the largest of all bee genera. Species are often brown to black with whitish abdominal hair bands, though other colors are possible, most commonly reddish, but also including metallic blue or green.
The Bombini are a tribe of large bristly apid bees which feed on pollen or nectar. Many species are social, forming nests of up to a few hundred individuals; other species, formerly classified as Psithyrus cuckoo bees, are brood parasites of nest-making species. The tribe contains a single living genus, Bombus, the bumblebees, and some extinct genera such as Calyptapis and Oligobombus. The tribe was described by Pierre André Latreille in 1802.
Euglossa hyacinthina, is a species of the orchid bee tribe Euglossini in the family Apidae. With a tongue that can get up to as long as 4 cm, this orchid bee species is found in Central America. Living in a neotropical climate, E.hyacinthina has adapted to hot and humid weather. The bee has darkly shaded, translucent wings and a metallic, glossy blue skeleton.
Euglossa dilemma, the green orchid bee or dilemma orchid bee, is a species of solitary euglossine bee native to a broad area of Central America, and recently introduced to Florida in the United States. It was first detected in Broward County, Florida in 2003, and initially identified as Euglossa viridissima, but further study revealed that E. viridissima as previously defined consisted of two cryptic species, and the one present in Florida was new to science.
Eulaema meriana is a large-bodied bee species in the tribe Euglossini, otherwise known as the orchid bees. The species is a solitary bee and is native to tropical Central and South America. The male collects fragrances from orchid flowers, which it stores in hollows in its hind legs. Orchids can be deceptive by mimicking the form of a female and her sex pheromone, thus luring male bees or wasps. Pollination will take place as the males attempt to mate with the labellum, or the tip petal of the flower. Male E. meriana are territorial and have a particular perch on a tree trunk where it displays to attract a female. After mating, the female builds a nest with urn-shaped cells made with mud, feces, and plant resin, and provisions these with nectar and pollen before laying an egg in each. These bees also have complex foraging and wing buzzing behaviors and are part of a mimicry complex.
Usomyrma is an extinct genus of ant in the formicid subfamily Dolichoderinae. The genus contains a single described species, Usomyrma mirabilis, that is known from two Middle Eocene fossils which were found in Scandinavian amber in Denmark.
Bombus cerdanyensis is an extinct species of bumble bee in the family Apidae known from a fossil found in Europe.
Euglossa cordata is a primitively eusocial orchid bee of the American tropics. The species is known for its green body color and ability to fly distances of over 50 km. Males mostly disperse and leave their home nests, while females have been observed to possess philopatric behavior. Because of this, sightings are rare and little is known about the species. However, it has been observed that adults who pollinate certain species of orchids will become intoxicated during the pollination.
Trigona corvina is a species of stingless bee that lives primarily in Central and South America. In Panama, they are sometimes known as zagañas. They live in protective nests high in the trees, but they can be extremely aggressive and territorial over their resources. They use their pheromones to protect their food sources and to signal their location to nest mates. This black stingless bees of the tribe Meliponini can be parasitic toward citrus trees but also helpful for crop pollination.
Euglossa imperialis is a bee species in the family Apidae. It is considered to be one of the most important pollinators to many Neotropical orchid species in mainland tropical America. It is also one of the most common non-parasitic euglossine species in lowland Panama. E. imperialis, unlike many other bee species, is not a social bee in the sense that there is no apparent morphological or physiological division within the species to distinguish individual bees to be part of a worker or reproductive caste.
Protohabropoda is an extinct genus of bees in the family Apidae known from a fossil found in Europe. The genus currently contains a single described species Protohabropoda pauli.
Andrena antoinei is an extinct species of mining bee in the family Andrenidae described from a single fossil found in a Late Oligocene lake in present-day France that existed in semi-arid conditions.
Gyaclavator is an extinct genus of lace bug in the family Tingidae known from a fossil found in North America. The genus contains a single species, Gyaclavator kohlsi.
Bombus trophonius is an extinct species of bumble bee known from a Miocene fossil found in Europe. It belongs to the Bombus subgenus Cullumanobombus and is considered most similar to the living species Bombus rufocinctus of North America.
Euglossa mixta, the mixed orchid bee, is a species of orchid bee native to Central America and South America, it is a member of the genus Euglossa a group of brilliant green and blue bees specialized in pollinating certain species of orchids.
Palaeopsychops is an extinct genus of lacewing in the moth lacewings family Ithonidae. The genus is known from Early Eocene fossils found in Europe, and North America and is composed of ten species. The ten species can be informally separated into two species groups based on veination of the forewings, the "European" and "North American" groups. When first described, the genus was placed in the family Psychopsidae, but later was moved to Polystoechotidae, which itself is now considered a subgroup of the moth lacewings.
Media related to Euglossopteryx at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Euglossopteryx at Wikispecies