Exoneura tau

Exoneura tau
Female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Apidae
Genus:	Exoneura
Species:	E. tau
Binomial name
Exoneura tau Cockerell, 1905 [1] [2]

Exoneura tau, or Exoneura (Brevineura) tau, is a species of reed bee in the tribe Allodapini. It is endemic to Australia. It was described in 1905 by British-American entomologist Theodore Dru Alison Cockerell. ^{[1] [2]}

Distribution and habitat

The species occurs in eastern Australia. The type locality is thought to be Mosman Bay, Sydney. ^[2]

Behaviour

The adults are flying mellivores with sedentary larvae. They nest in dead, dry plant stems. Two or more adult females may occupy one nest, though not all females lay eggs. All the immature stages may be found in the communal chamber, with the larvae fed progressively. Flowering plants visited by the bees include Angophora , Jacksonia , Leptospermum and Pultenaea species. ^[2]

Male

References

1. Cockerell, TDA (1905). "Descriptions and records of bees. V". Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 7 (16): 465–477 [466].
2. "Species Exoneura (Brevineura) tau Cockerell, 1905". Australian Faunal Directory. Dept of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Australia. 2026. Retrieved 2026-01-08.