Megachile oenotherae

Megachile oenotherae
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Clade:	Euarthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Megachilidae
Genus:	Megachile
Species:	M. oenotherae
Binomial name
	Megachile oenotherae; (Mitchell, 1924)

Last updated April 23, 2019

Megachile oenotherae is a species of bee in the family Megachilidae.^[1] It was described by Mitchell in 1924.^[1]

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 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.

Description

Megachile oenotherae is a solitary,^[2] robust, non-metallic bee.^[3] The basal section of tergum is concave towards the front and is without ridges. The species is black in colour and its dorsal metathorax (metanotum) is almost perpendicular with the rear of its propodeum. The margin at the posterior is roughly straight and it has a broad scutellum. The bee's tubercles and pleura are without carinae (elevated ridges). It has linear notaulices. The front coxae of males are often spinose. The two recurrent veins of the front wings are attached to a submarginal cell. The species has dentate mandibles;^[3] these are large in females.^[2] It has four visible sternites (ventrites) as well as four sternites that are not visible. Megachile species have three maxillary palps, and male specimens have larger tarsi at the front.^[3]

A tergum is the dorsal ('upper') portion of an arthropod segment other than the head. The anterior edge is called the base and posterior edge is called the apex or margin. A given tergum may be divided into hardened plates or sclerites commonly referred to as tergites. For a detailed explanation of the terminology, see Kinorhynchs have tergal and sternal plates too, though seemingly not homologous with those of arthropods.

The metathorax is the posterior of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the third pair of legs. Its principal sclerites are the metanotum (dorsal), the metasternum (ventral), and the metapleuron (lateral) on each side. The metathorax is the segment that bears the hindwings in most winged insects, though sometimes these may be reduced or modified, as in the flies (diptera), in which they are reduced to form halteres, or flightless, as in beetles (coleoptera), in which they may be completely absent even though forewings are still present. All adult insects possess legs on the metathorax. In most groups of insects, the metanotum is reduced relative to the mesonotum. In the suborder apocrita of the hymenoptera, the first abdominal segment is fused to the metathorax, and is then called the propodeum.

The propodeum or propodium is the first abdominal segment in Apocrita Hymenoptera. It is fused with the thorax to form the mesosoma. It is a single large sclerite, not subdivided, and bears a pair of spiracles. It is strongly constricted posteriorly to form the articulation of the petiole, and gives apocritans their distinctive shape.

A female Megachile oenotherae takes pollen and nectar to its nest to create a "bee loaf" (saliva, pollen and nectar).^[4] Once this bee loaf is substantial, a female will deposit an egg upon this and chew up leaves to form a small, round cavity around the bee loaf and egg. The female will continue doing this until it completely fills its nest with eggs; it will then construct a thick wall around the nest from leaves. When the eggs hatch, the bees will feed on these bee loaves until they reach maturity, and will gnaw at the walls the following spring to leave the nest.^[4] Females carry pollen under their abdomina.^[4]

The abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the frontal part of the abdominal segment of the trunk, the dorsal part of this segment being the back of the abdomen. The region occupied by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity. In arthropods it is the posterior tagma of the body; it follows the thorax or cephalothorax. The abdomen stretches from the thorax at the thoracic diaphragm to the pelvis at the pelvic brim. The pelvic brim stretches from the lumbosacral joint to the pubic symphysis and is the edge of the pelvic inlet. The space above this inlet and under the thoracic diaphragm is termed the abdominal cavity. The boundary of the abdominal cavity is the abdominal wall in the front and the peritoneal surface at the rear.

As a leaf-cutter bee, females of Megachile oenotherae may cut sections of leaves in oval or circular shapes to line the cells of its nest. Alternatively, they might use dried plant resin to line nest cells, which it carries in its mandible. The species creates its nests in soil, in stems of plants, in twigs, or will tunnel through rotting wood to create nests.^[3] It does not produce honey and has a weak sting which it uses in defence. The species pollinates wild plants and crops and is a small or medium-sized bee.^[2] The genus name Megachile comes from Greek words mega (large; μεγας) and cheil (lips; χειλ), which refers to mouthparts of species in the genus.^[5]

The mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human face. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movable bone of the skull.

Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, native to Greece, Cyprus and other parts of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea. It has the longest documented history of any living Indo-European language, spanning more than 3000 years of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the major part of its history; other systems, such as Linear B and the Cypriot syllabary, were used previously. The alphabet arose from the Phoenician script and was in turn the basis of the Latin, Cyrillic, Armenian, Coptic, Gothic, and many other writing systems.

Insects have a range of mouthparts, adapted to particular modes of feeding. The earliest insects had chewing mouthparts. Specialization has mostly been for piercing and sucking, although a range of specializations exist, as these modes of feeding have evolved a number of times. In this page, the individual mouthparts are introduced for chewing insects. Specializations are generally described thereafter.

Related Research Articles

Megachile rotundata, the alfalfa leafcutter bee or leafcutter bee is a European bee that has been introduced to various regions around the world. As a solitary bee species, it does not build colonies or store honey, but is a very efficient pollinator of alfalfa, carrots, other vegetables and some fruits. Because of this, farmers often use M. rotundata as a pollination aid by distributing M. rotundata prepupae around their crops. Each female will construct and provision her own nest, which is built in old trees or log tunnels. Being a leafcutter bee, these nests are lined with cut leaves. These bees feed on pollen and nectar and display sexual dimorphism. This species has been known to bite and sting, however it poses no overall danger unless it is threatened or harmed and its sting has been described as half as painful as a honey bee's.

Nomadinae is a subfamily of bees in the family Apidae. They are known commonly as cuckoo bees.

With over 850 species, the genus Nomada is one of the largest genera in the family Apidae, and the largest genus of kleptoparasitic "cuckoo bees". Kleptoparasitic bees are so named because they enter the nests of a host and lay eggs there, stealing resources that the host has already collected. They occur worldwide, including Holartic, Central and South America, sub-Saharan Africa, and parts of Asia. A more detailed map of Nomada sightings can be found in this citation. Nomada parasitize many different types of bees as hosts, primarily the genus Andrena, but also Agopostemon, Melitta, Eucera and Exomalopsis. As parasites, they lack a pollen-carrying scopa, and are mostly hairless, as they do not collect pollen to feed their offspring. Like non-parasitic bees, they visit flowers to feed on nectar. They are often extraordinarily wasp-like in appearance, with red, black, and yellow colors prevailing, and with smoky (infuscated) wings or wing tips.

The genus Megachile is a cosmopolitan group of solitary bees, often called leafcutter bees or leafcutting 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 almost 1500 species in over 50 subgenera. North America has many native Megachile species. The introduced alfalfa leafcutter bee is managed for crop pollination.

Trachusa perdita, the California leafcutting bee, is a species of bee in the family Megachilidae.

Megachile campanulae, known as the bellflower resin bee, is a species of bee in the family Megachilidae. Described in 1903, these solitary bees are endemic to eastern North America. Studies in 2013 placed them among the first insect species to use synthetic materials for making nests. They are considered mason bees, which is a common descriptor of bees in several families, including Megachilidae. Within the genus Megachile, frequently also referred to as leafcutter bees, M. campanulae is a member of the subgenus Chelostomoides, which do not construct nests from cut leaves, but rather from plant resins and other materials. Females lay eggs in nests constructed with individual cell compartments for each egg. Once hatched, the eggs progress through larval stages and subsequently will overwinter as pupae. The bees are susceptible to parasitism from several other bee species, which act as brood parasites. They are medium-sized bees and the female adults are typically larger than the males. They are important pollinators of numerous native plant species throughout their range.

Coelioxys, common name leaf-cutting cuckoo bees or sharp-tailed bees , is a genus of solitary kleptoparasitic or brood parasitic bees, belonging to the family Megachilidae.

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.

Megachile melanophaea is a species of leaf-cutter bee in the family Megachilidae. It was first described by the British zoologist Frederick Smith in 1853. It is native to North America.

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 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.

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.

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

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.

The Oriental carpenter bee, Xylocopa nasalis, or Xylocopa (Biluna) nasalis, is a species of carpenter bee. It is widely distributed in Southeast Asian countries. It is a major pollinator within its ecosystem, and is often mistaken for a bumblebee. The species leads a solitary lifestyle with a highly female-biased colony in the nest.

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.

Xylocopa pubescens is a species of large carpenter bee. Females form nests by excavation with their mandibles, often in dead or soft wood. X. pubescens is commonly found in areas extending from India to Northeast and West Africa. It must reside in these warm climates because it requires a minimum ambient temperature of 18 degrees Celsius in order to forage.

References

1 2 "Megachile". BioLib. 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
1 2 3 "Megachile bees - Factsheet". BioNET-EAFRINET. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
1 2 3 4 Mitchell, Theodore B. (1962). Bees of the Eastern United States. 2. North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station. p. 557.
1 2 3 "Megachile bees". Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
↑ "Genus Megachile - Leaf-cutter bees". BugGuide, Iowa State University. Retrieved 28 August 2015.

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[biolib-1] 1 2 "Megachile". BioLib. 2014. Retrieved 19 October 2014.

[BioNET-2] 1 2 3 "Megachile bees - Factsheet". BioNET-EAFRINET. Retrieved 28 August 2015.

[Mitchell1962-3] 1 2 3 4 Mitchell, Theodore B. (1962). Bees of the Eastern United States. 2. North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station. p. 557.

[ForestService-4] 1 2 3 "Megachile bees". Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 28 August 2015.

[BugGuide-5] "Genus Megachile - Leaf-cutter bees". BugGuide, Iowa State University. Retrieved 28 August 2015.