Megachile inimica

Last updated

Megachile inimica
Megachile inimica female sunflower.jpg
Female on sunflower
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Euarthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Megachilidae
Genus: Megachile
Species:
M. inimica
Binomial name
Megachile inimica
Cresson, 1872
Megachile inimica Megachile inimica, U, side, Maryland, Anne Arundel County 2013-03-27-14.24.44 ZS PMax (8614497153).jpg
Megachile inimica

Megachile inimica (common name: hostile leaf-cutter bee [1] ) is a species of bee in the family Megachilidae. [2] It was described by Cresson in 1872. [2]

Bee clade of insects

Bees are flying insects 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 and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea and are presently considered a clade, called Anthophila. There are over 16,000 known species of bees in seven recognized biological families. They are found on every continent except Antarctica, in every habitat on the planet that contains insect-pollinated flowering plants.

Megachilidae Family of insects

Megachilidae is a cosmopolitan family of mostly solitary bees whose pollen-carrying structure is restricted to the ventral surface of the abdomen. 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.

Distribution

Megachile inimica is native to North and Central America, being found in Mexico, Guatemala and the southern United States.

Related Research Articles

<i>Megachile pluto</i> Largest known species of bee

Megachile pluto, also known as Wallace's giant bee or raja ofu/rotu ofu, is a very large Indonesian resin bee. It is the largest known living bee species. It was believed to be extinct until several specimens were discovered in 1981. There were no further confirmed sightings until two were collected and sold on eBay in 2018. A live female was found and filmed for the first time in 2019.

<i>Megachile</i> Genus of bee

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. North America has many native Megachile species. The introduced alfalfa leafcutter bee is managed for crop pollination.

Megachile angelarum 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 (μεγας) 'large' + cheil- (χειλ) 'lip' and a district Zomba, in Malawi.

Megachile cypricola is a species of bee in the family Megachilidae. It was described by Mavromoustakis in 1938. This species has not been observed since 1950, and may be extinct.

<i>Megachile gentilis</i> Species of leafcutter bee (Megachile)

Megachile gentilis is a species of bee in the family Megachilidae. It was described by Cresson in 1872.

Megachile illustris is a species of bee in the family Megachilidae. It was described by Mitchell in 1930.

<i>Megachile luteociliata</i> Species of leafcutter bee (Megachile)

Megachile Luteociliata is a species of bee in the family Megachilidae. It was discovered by Pasteels in 1965 in Kenya, describing it as a leaf-cutter bee. The species is only found in Kenya.

Megachile octosignata is a species of bee in the family Megachilidae. It was described by Nylander in 1852. Native to Europe, the bees nest in rock crevices and make their cells out of leaf scraps.

Megachile policaris is a species of bee in the family Megachilidae. It was described by Say in 1831.

Megachile rubi is a species of leaf cutting bee in the family Megachilidae, found in the eastern United States. First described by Mitchell in 1924, it is placed in the subgenus Xeromegachile, members of which are most often found in sandy areas and have distinct preferences in the petals and leaves they use in their nests.

Megachile venusta is a species of bee in the family Megachilidae. It was described by Smith in 1853.

<i>Megachile xylocopoides</i> Species of leafcutter bee (Megachile)

Megachile xylocopoides, the carpenter-mimic leafcutter bee, is a species of bee in the family Megachilidae. It was described by Smith in 1853, and named for its superficial similarity to the carpenter bee genus Xylocopa

<i>Megachile centuncularis</i> species of insect

Megachile centuncularis, commonly known as the patchwork leafcutter bee, is a species of bee in the family Megachilidae. It was first described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758.

<i>Megachile mystaceana</i> Species of leafcutter bee (Megachile)

Megachile mystaceana, the fire-tailed resin bee, is a species of bee in the family Megachilidae. It was described by Michener in 1962.

<i>Megachile oenotherae</i> species of insect

Megachile oenotherae is a species of bee in the family Megachilidae. It was described by Mitchell in 1924.

Megachile umatillensis is a species of bee in the family Megachilidae. It was described by Mitchell in 1927.

<i>Megachile willughbiella</i> Species of leafcutter bee (Megachile)

Megachile willughbiella, Willughby's leaf-cutter bee is a species of bee in the family Megachilidae. It was described by the English entomologist William Kirby in 1802; he named it in honour of the ornithologist Francis Willughby.

References

  1. ↑ "Comprehensive Report Species - Megachile inimica". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 2017-07-21.
  2. 1 2 "Megachile". BioLib. 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2014.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.