Melissodes apicatus

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Melissodes apicatus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Genus: Melissodes
Species:
M. apicatus
Binomial name
Melissodes apicatus
Cockerell & Lovell, 1906

Melissodes apicatus, the pickerelweed longhorn bee, is a species of long horned bee in the family Apidae. It is most commonly found in the eastern United States and southeastern parts of Canada. [1] [2] [3] [4] This species is native to the eastern United States and the farthest westward well known colony was spotted in Illinois, though they have been seen as far as Minnesota and Ontario Canada. [1] Being a part of the Eucerini tribe, this species' male has disproportionately long antennae. This species is a solitary bee, therefore, it does not create colonies or store honey, though some may form large aggregations with nests close to one another. [5]

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Location and habitat

Melissodes apicatus is native to eastern parts of the United States and can be currently found in North Carolina, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Vermont, Wisconsin, and parts of Minnesota. This bee has also been recognized in the southeastern provinces of Canada, Ontario and Quebec. [1] M. apicatus had been natively seen pollinating Pontederia . Males have also been spotted on Hydrocotyle , Melilotis and Stachys . [3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  2. "Pickerelweed Longhorn Bee (Melissodes apicatus)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  3. 1 2 "Melissodes apicatus - -- Discover Life". www.discoverlife.org. Archived from the original on 2017-10-04. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  4. "Melissodes apicatus Lovell & Cockerell, 1906". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2025-07-22.
  5. Dietz, Jonnie. "Long-horned bees". Florida Wildflower Foundation. Retrieved 2025-07-22.

Further reading