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Megachilidae

Leaf Cutting bees, Membrane bees the Afrotropical Region

(Life: Kingdom: Metazoa (animals); Phylum: Arthropoda; Class: Hexapoda; Order: Hymenoptera; Superfamily: Apoidea)

Classification

Fideliinae

Megachilinae

Distribution

Worldwide.

Biology

Provision the nest with pollen and nectar. Some species are cleptoparasites laying their egg on the pollen stores collected by other megachilid bees.

References

Brothers D.J. 1999. Phylogeny and evolution of wasps, ants and bees (Hymenoptera, Chrysidoidea, Vespoidea and Apoidea) Zoologica Scripta 28: 233–250.

Eardley C. 2012. A taxonomic revision of the southern African species of dauber bees in the genus Megachile Latreille (Apoidea: Megachilidae). Zootaxa 3460: 1–139. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3460.1.1

Eardley C. 2013. A taxonomic revision of the southern African leaf-cutter bees, Megachile Latreille sensu stricto and Heriadopsis Cockerell (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Megachilidae). Zootaxa 3601: 1-134. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3601.1.1

Eardley, C & Urban, R. 2010. Catalogue of Afrotropical bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Apiformes). Zootaxa 2455: 1-548.

Eardley, C, Finnamore, A.T. & Michener, C.D. 1993. Superfamily Apoidea (pp. 279-357). In GOULET, H. & HUBER, J. (eds). Hymenoptera of the World: an identification guide to families. Research Branch, Agriculture Canada, Ottawa, Canada, 668 pp.

Eardley C.,Kuhlmann M., Pauly A. 2010. The Bee Genera and Subgenera of sub-Saharan Africa. Abc Taxa vol 7: i-vi, 138 pp.

Latreille, P.A. 1809. Genera Crustaceorum et Insectorum Secundum Ordinem Naturalem in Familias Disposita, Iconibus Exemplisque Plurimis Explicata. Tome 4. 399 pp. König, Paris et Argentorati.

Michener, C.D. 2000. The Bees of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press. 953 pp.

Sharkey, M., 2007. Phylogeny and classification of Hymenoptera. Zootaxa 1668: 521–548.

Sharkey, M. J., Carpenter, J. M., Vilhelmsen, L., Heraty, J., Liljeblad, J., Dowling, A. P.G., Schulmeister, S., Murray, D., Deans, A. R., Ronquist, F., Krogmann, L. and Wheeler, W. C. 2012. Phylogenetic relationships among superfamilies of Hymenoptera. Cladistics 28: 80–112. doi: 10.1111/j.1096-0031.2011.00366.x

Smith, F. 1853. Catalogue of Hymenopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum. London, Part I, Andrenidae and Apidae. 197 pp., pls. I-VI. British Museum, London

Credits

Photographs by © Simon van Noort (Iziko Museums of South Africa) or photograph by Sheila Dumesh (PCYU - Packer Collection York University) © Laurence Packer's website: Bee Tribes of the World


Web author Simon van Noort (Iziko South African Museum)

 

Citation: van Noort, S. 2024. WaspWeb: Hymenoptera of the World. URL: www.waspweb.org (accessed on <day/month/year>).

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