| Tormentil mining bee | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Andrenidae |
| Genus: | Andrena |
| Species: | A. tarsata |
| Binomial name | |
| Andrena tarsata Nylander, 1848 | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
| |
The tormentil mining bee (Andrena tarsata) is a species of mining bee from the family Andrenidae which has a Palearctic distribution.
The tormentil mining bee is a smallish species of mining bee but a distinguishing feature on the females is that the hind legs have orange tibia and tarsi and the thorax is partially covered above with black hairs and the propodeum being covered in dense pale grey hairs at each side. The abdomen is black and shiny with each tergite having a thin pale edging along its rear margin. The females, uniquely among the British species of the genus Andrena , have a tridentate mandible. The males have a yellow front to their clypeus and can be told apart from other similar male mining bees by having black hairs on the thorax and tarsi which are partially orange in colour. The male also has a shiny black abdomen and thorax. [3]
The tormentil mining bee has been described as a boreo-alpine species which in Europe has a northerly distribution and which becomes rarer in the south. [4] Its range extends from Ireland to China, Mongolia and the Russian Far East. [1] In Great Britain it is widely distributed, although it is much rarer and more localised in Ireland and absent from the Channel Islands. [4]
The tormentil mining bee occurs in a variety habitats which have acidic soils and an abundance of tormentils Potentilla , alongside marsh cinquefoil and shrubby cinquefoil. They also prefer areas which receive sunlight but are sheltered to maximise the heat they receive in heaths, moors, acid grasslands, rushy pastures and clearings in woodlands. They will also colonise newly disturbed ground like cleared woodland plots and former quarries. They will use rides through woodland and the verges of roads as corridors which allow them to move between sites. This species prefers to nest on sunlit, bare banks of earth which face to the south. Pathways and tracks which have bare earth may also be used for nesting. The main requirement is that there should be dense stands of Potentilla within 250m of nest sites. The bees collect pollen from the Potentilla flowers which they use to provision their nests as a food source for the larva. Each bee excavates its own nest and they nest in aggregations. [5] The adults fly from June to late August and have been recorded nectaring on bramble, harebell, ling, wild angelica and yarrow but tormentils are required for the provisioning the nest cells. The tormentil nomad bee ( Nomada roberjeotiana ) and Nomada obtusifrons [1] are cleptoparasites of the tormentil mining bee and they have also been recorded as being host to Strepsipteran endoparasites. [4]
The IUCN list this species as being Data Deficient because there are gaps in the data about the population size and trends. In Europe it has been classified as rare, threatened or extinct in the National Red Lists of seven states. [1] In the United Kingdom it is described as nationally scarce and the causes of its decline are thought to be the loss, fragmentation and deterioration of habitat as a result of agricultural intensification, heathland loss, overgrazing and lack of grazing. [5]
Potentilla is a genus containing over 500 species of annual, biennial and perennial herbaceous flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae.
With over 850 species, the genus Nomada is one of the largest genera in the family Apidae, and the largest genus of cuckoo bees. Cuckoo bees are so named because they enter the nests of a host and lay eggs there, stealing resources that the host has already collected. The name "Nomada" is derived from the Greek word nomas, meaning "roaming" or "wandering."
Andrena is a genus of bees in the family Andrenidae. With over 1,500 species, it is one of the largest genera of animals. It is a strongly monophyletic group that is difficult to split into more manageable divisions; currently, Andrena is organized into 104 subgenera. It is nearly worldwide in distribution, with the notable exceptions of Oceania and South America. Bees in this genus are commonly known as mining bees due to their ground-nesting lifestyle.
The tawny mining bee, Andrena fulva, is a European species of the sand bee (Andrena) genus. The males are 10–12 mm (0.4–0.5 in) and the females 8–10 mm (0.3–0.4 in) long. The female is covered with fox-red hair on the dorsal surface of its thorax and abdomen and black hair on its head and ventral surface. The male is less distinctive, being clad in golden-brown or reddish-brown hairs, with some long white hairs on the face, and a tooth on each of the mandibles.
Andrena salicifloris, or the willow flower miner bee, is a miner bee in the genus Andrena. Another common name for this species is the willow mining bee. The bee ranges from Colorado to California and north to British Columbia, and often inhabits arid and alpine lands. The bee is often black or dark brown, and is sparsely coated with grayish hair on the thorax, legs and on the abdomen. The pollen basket is on most of the hind leg. The wings of the willow flower miner bee are smokey, and their veins are black.
Andrena marginata, sometimes called the small scabious mining bee is a species of the sand bee (Andrena) genus.
Andrena agilissima is a species of mining bee. They are present in most of Europe, the Near East and North Africa and can be found from April through July. Andrena agilissima is an oligolectic species, feeding only on the pollen of a few genera of Cruciferous vegetables.
Andrena hattorfiana is a species of mining bees belonging to the family Andrenidae subfamily Andreninae.
The ashy mining bee, also known as the Danubian miner or grey mining bee, is a species of sand bee found in Europe. Its distinctive black, grey and white colouring makes it one of the most easily recognized of the genus. They are generally considered safe around children and pets because they're relatively docile, and their stingers aren't long enough to penetrate human skin. They are generalists, they mostly pollinate fruit trees, daisies, buttercups, mustard plants and brambles.
Andrena scotica, the chocolate mining bee or hawthorn bee, is a species of mining bee from the family Andrenidae. It occurs in western Europe and is one of the most frequently encountered mining bees found in Great Britain, where it had been previously misidentified as Andrena carantonica.
Andrena trimmerana, Trimmer's mining bee, is a species of mining bee from the family Andrenidae. It occurs in the western Palearctic but its true status in some areas is muddled due to issues of taxonomy and misidentification.
Nomada marshamella, Marsham's nomad bee, is a species of Palearctic cuckoo bee which appears to be a wasp mimic and which is cleptoparasite on the mining bees of the genus Andrena, especially A. scotica and A. trimmerana.
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.
Andrena barbilabris, the bearded miner bee, is a species of miner bee in the family Andrenidae. It is found in Europe and Northern Asia and North America.
Halictus confusus, the southern bronze furrow bee or confused sweat bee, is a species of sweat bee in the family Halictidae. It is a primitively eusocial bee species found in open habitats in Eurasia and North America.
The Clark's miner bee is a species of miner bee in the family Andrenidae. Other common names include Clark's andrena and Clarke's mining bee. It is found in Europe and Northern Asia and North America.
Andrena bicolor, or Gwynne's mining bee, is a common and widespread Western Palearctic mining bee which is found over most of Europe as well as North Africa and the Middle East and which reaches eastwards into Siberia.
Colletes cunicularius, the vernal colletes or spring mining bee, is a species of solitary bee from the family Colletidae which is widespread in the Palearctic from Britain to the Pacific Ocean which nests in areas of open, sandy soil.
Andrena helvola , the coppice mining bee, is a Palearctic species of mining bee from the genus Andrena.
