| Sphecodes gibbus | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Halictidae |
| Genus: | Sphecodes |
| Species: | S. gibbus |
| Binomial name | |
| Sphecodes gibbus (Linnaeus, 1758) | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
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Sphecodes gibbus, the dark-winged blood bee, is a species of cleptoparasitic blood bee from the Palearctic. It is the type species of the genus Sphecodes and was first described by Carl Linnaeus as Sphex gibba in 1758.
Sphecodes gibbus is a relatively large Sphecodes species with a body length of around 10mm. Like other blood bees they are mainly black and red in colour. [2] S. gibbus is one in three species of similar sized blood bees in which the females have punctures, instead of merely rugosity, to the posterior of the ocelli. The female S. gibbus may be separated from the similar S. monilicornis by its wider, less square shaped head, the darker pubescence on the hind tibiae and thinner propodeum. The broader zone of punctures to the rear of the ocelli allow separation from S. reticulatus , S. gibbus having 5-6 irregular rows of punctures rather than the 2-3 shown by S. reticulatus, as well as possessing sparser punctures at the base of the fourth tergite. The wings of female S. gibbus also tend to be darker in color than those in other blood bees and tergites 1 and 3 are often partly darkened. The males are the only male Sphecodes with abundant punctures located in rows at the back of the ocelli, their genitalia are also distinctive. [3]
Sphecodes gibbus is found throughout the Palearctic, [2] although it is known from only two sites in Ireland. [4] In Europe it extends north to 63° N and its range extends into North Africa, [1] and east into China and Mongolia. [5]
Sphecodes gibbus uses the same habitat as its host species and is often seen flying over bare ground as it searches for the nests of its host bees. [2] It does prefer warmer open areas with bushes, especially in the more northerly parts of its range. [1]
Female Sphecodes gibbus can be found between April and September; early season females search for nests of their host species to parasitise, while late season females search for mates and subsequently for an overwintering site. The males are in flight from July to September. [2] The females are cleptoparasites on larger bees of the genera Halictus and Lasioglossum , entering the hosts' nests when the cells are completed, consuming the host egg and laying its own, with the new generation emerging in late summer to mate and overwinter. [2] It has been confirmed as using Halictus quadricinctus , H. rubicundus , H. sexcintus , H. simplex and H. maculatus as hosts, while it is also likely to parasitise Lasioglossum malachurum . The principal host in England and Belgium is H. rubicundus. [6] Other species have been claimed but not confirmed, including Andrena vaga and Colletes cunicularius both of which are regarded as unlikely hosts. However, with such a wide distribution a number of host species may be used. [1] The adults feed only on nectar, and seem to show a preference for flowers of the families Asteraceae and Apiaceae. [2]
Halictidae is the second-largest family of bees with nearly 4,500 species. Halictid species are an extremely diverse group that can vary greatly in appearance. These bees occur all over the world and are found on every continent except Antarctica. Usually dark-colored and often metallic, halictids are found in various sizes, colors and patterns. Several species are all or partly green and a few are red, purple, or blue. A number of them have yellow markings, especially the males, which commonly have yellow faces, a pattern widespread among the various families of bees. The family is one of many with short tongues and is best distinguished by the arcuate basal vein found on the wing. Females in this family tend to be larger than the males.
Halictus rubicundus, the orange-legged furrow bee, is a species of sweat bee found throughout the Northern Hemisphere. H. rubicundus was introduced into North America from the Old World during one of two main invasions of Halictus subgenera. These invasions likely occurred via the Bering land bridge at times of low sea level during the Pleistocene epoch.
Sphecodes albilabris is a solitary parasitic bee that is endemic to Central and Western Europe. It also occurs in North Africa and is thought to have been introduced to the United States and Australia by accident.
Within the insect order Hymenoptera, the Halictinae are the largest, most diverse, and most recently diverged of the four halictid subfamilies. They comprise over 2400 bee species belonging to the five taxonomic tribes Augochlorini, Thrinchostomini, Caenohalictini, Sphecodini, and Halictini, which some entomologists alternatively organize into the two tribes Augochlorini and Halictini.
Lasioglossum zephyrus is a sweat bee of the family Halictidae, found in the U.S. and Canada. It appears in the literature primarily under the misspelling "zephyrum". It is considered a primitively eusocial bee, although it may be facultatively solitary. The species nests in burrows in the soil.
Halictus ligatus is a species of sweat bee from the family Halictidae, among the species that mine or burrow into the ground to create their nests. H. ligatus, like Lasioglossum zephyrus, is a primitively eusocial bee species, in which aggression is one of the most influential behaviors for establishing hierarchy within the colony, and H. ligatus exhibits both reproductive division of labor and overlapping generations.
Lasioglossum cressonii is a species in the sweat bee genus Lasioglossum, family Halictidae. Halictidae exhibit eusocial hierarchy behavior which is interesting given that eusociality in this group is hard to evolve and easy to lose. L. cressonii is found throughout North America. L. cressonii have been shown to be important pollinators for apple trees and many other North American native plants.
Lasioglossum vierecki, also known as Dialictus vierecki and Halictus vierecki, is a sand sweat bee and is part of the family Halictidae of the order Hymenoptera. It is found in the eastern half of North America from Minnesota to the New England States down to Georgia and Louisiana and up in Manitoba and Ontario. Commonly found in sandy areas, it pollinates various flowers such as grass-leaved goldenrod and rattlesnake master.
Lasioglossum figueresi, formerly known as Dialictus figueresi, is a solitary sweat bee that is part of the family Halictidae of the order Hymenoptera. Found in Central America, it nests in vertical earthen banks which are normally inhabited by one, though sometimes two or even three, females. Females die before their larvae hatch. It was named after José Figueres Ferrer, a famous Costa Rican patriot, and studies of its behavior are now general models for social behavior studies.
Lasioglossum aeneiventre, also known as Dialictus aeneiventre, is a social sweat bee and is part of the family Halictidae of the order Hymenoptera. Found in Central America, it nests mostly on flat ground though sometimes in vertical banks. It is often compared to L. figueresi.
Lasioglossum leucozonium, also known as Lasioglossum similis, is a widespread solitary sweat bee found in North America, Europe, Asia, and parts of northern Africa. While now a common bee in North America, population genetic analysis has shown that it is actually an introduced species in this region. This population was most likely founded by a single female bee.
Halictus sexcinctus, commonly referred to as the six-banded furrow bee, is a species of sweat bee found throughout Europe and as far east as Asian Turkey and Iraq.The H. sexcinctus can be easily confused with the closely related species, Halictus scabiosae, due to very similar morphological features. H. sexcinctus show a social polymorphism in which different colonies can exhibit solitary, communal, or eusocial structure. Due to this large variance in social organization, it was suspected that it was not one species at all, but rather multiple, cryptic species. However, genetic analysis was able to confirm these varying populations as one species. H. sexcinctus will forage from multiple flower species, but prefers plant species with wide-open flowers. Their nests can be found dug into the ground in loamy or sandy soil.
Bombylius canescens, is a species of bee-fly belonging to the family Bombyliidae.
Sphecodes schenckii is a solitary cleptoparasitic bee which is found in southern and eastern Europe and the Middle East. Its host is Lasioglossum discum and possibly Halictus simplex where L. discum does not occur such as in southern Germany and Switzerland. It is rare and there are only a few records from each country from which it has been recorded. It prefers warm open areas, such as grasslands and Mediterranean scrub, and may be threatened by reafforestation and vegetation succession. The specific name schenckii is in honour of the German Hymenopterist Adolph Schenck.
Sphecodes is a genus of bees from the family Halictidae, the majority of which are black and red in colour and are colloquially known as blood bees. Sphecodes bees are kleptoparasitic on other bees, especially bees in the genera Lasioglossum, Halictus and Andrena. The adults consume nectar, but because they use other bees' provisions to feed their offspring they do not collect pollen.
Andrena vaga, the grey-backed mining bee, is a species of solitary bee which is found in most of Europe but which is very rare in Great Britain, where it may be recolonizing in the south-east after previously being extirpated. It specialises in feeding on the pollen of willows.
Dialictus is a subgenus of sweat bees belonging to the genus Lasioglossum. Most of the members of this subgenus have a metallic appearance, while some are non-metallic. There are over 630 species worldwide. They are commonly found in the Northern Hemisphere and are found in abundance in North America. Members of this subgenus also have very diverse forms of social structure making them model organisms for studying the social behavior of bees.