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Afrotropical Megachilidae

Leaf Cutting bees, Membrane bees of Africa and Madagascar

(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 & 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.

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

Credits

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)

Copyright 2004-2012 Iziko Museums

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