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<melittid.htm> [For educational
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HYMENOPTERA, Melittidae (Apoidea). -- <Images>
& <Juveniles> Please refer also to the following link for details on this
group: Melittidae = Link
1 Description
Melittidae. -- Melittids are small, dark bees
that are not very often encountered, as they are relatively rare. They have similar nesting habits to the
Andrenidae. They are distinguished by having the jugal lobe of the hind wing shorter
than the submedian cell, and the segments of the labial palps are similar and
cylindrical. North American species nest in burrows in the soil.There were
more than 105 species of Melittidae known as of 2011. Some species of the American Dasypodinae (Hesperapis) differ from similar bees
in their softer integument. They have
two submarginal cells; the base of the second cell is at right angles to vein
M. The American Melittinae have
either 2 or 3 submarginal cells; those with 3 cells differ from similar bees
like Andrena in that the 3rd submarginal
cell (2Rs) is pointed at its apex on vein M.
This is a small bee
family, with some 60 species in 4 genera, restricted to Africa and the
northern temperate zone. Historically, the family has included the
Dasypodaidae and Meganomiidae as subfamilies, but recent molecular studies
indicate that Melittidae (sensu lato) was paraphyletic, so each of the
three historical subfamilies is now accorded family status, with Dasypodaidae
as the basal group of bees, followed by Meganomiids and Melittids, which are
sister taxa. Most species are small
to moderate-sized with bushy scopae, and are often oligolectic. A few species utilize floral oils as
larval food rather than pollen; e.g., Rediviva emdeorum, which is
unique by having forelegs longer than the entire body. These are adapted for
sponging the floral oil at the end of elongated corolla spurs of the host
plant, Diascia. Melittidae nest in soil crevices, and females transport
pollen on their hind legs, in a scopa that is restricted to the tibia. A key reference is Michener (1981). = = = =
= = = = = = = = = = = References: Please refer to <biology.ref.htm>, [Additional references
may be found at: MELVYL
Library] Danforth,
B.N., Sipes, S., Fang, J., Brady, S.G. (2006) The history of early bee
diversification based on five genes plus morphology. Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences 103: 15118-15123. Michener, C.D. 1974. The Social
Behavior of the Bees. Harvard University Press. 404 pp. Michener, C.D. 2000. The Bees of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press. 913 pp. |