Exoneura aterrima

Exoneura aterrima
Female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Apidae
Genus:	Exoneura
Species:	E. aterrima
Binomial name
Exoneura aterrima Cockerell, 1916 [1] [2]
Synonyms
Exoneura botanica aterrimaCockerell, 1916

Exoneura aterrima, or Exoneura (Brevineura) aterrima, is a species of reed bee in the tribe Allodapini. It is endemic to Australia. It was described in 1916 by British-American entomologist Theodore Dru Alison Cockerell. ^{[1] [2]}

Distribution and habitat

The species occurs in south-east Queensland. The type locality is Brisbane. ^[2]

Behaviour

The adults are flying mellivores with sedentary larvae. They nest in the dead, dry flowering stalks of Xanthorrhoea grasstrees. Two or more adult females may occupy one nest, though not all females lay eggs. All the immature stages are found in the communal chamber, with the larvae fed progressively. Flowering plants visited by the bees include Callistemon species. ^[2]

References

1. Cockerell, TDA (1916). "A collection of bees from Queensland". Memoirs of the Queensland Museum. 5: 197–204 [204].
2. "Species Exoneura (Brevineura) aterrima Cockerell, 1916". Australian Faunal Directory. Dept of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Australia. 2026. Retrieved 2026-01-10.