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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Bees, Ants, and Stinging Wasps » Anthophila (Apoidea) - Bees » Leaf-cutter Bees, Mason Bees, and allies (Megachilidae) » Megachilinae » Megachilini » Leaf-cutting and Resin Bees (Megachile)

Genus Megachile - Leaf-cutting and Resin Bees

Classification · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Season · Food · Life Cycle · See Also · Internet References · Works Cited
Bee - Megachile mendica - female Bee - Megachile - male Bee ID Please - Megachile - female bee - Megachile texana Megachile ? - Megachile Leaf-cutter Bee with Leaf - Megachile Bee on Cirsium pitcheri - Megachile latimanus - female Giant Resin Bee - Megachile sculpturalis
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)
No Taxon (Aculeata - Bees, Ants, and Stinging Wasps)
No Taxon (Anthophila (Apoidea) - Bees)
Family Megachilidae (Leaf-cutter Bees, Mason Bees, and allies)
Subfamily Megachilinae
Tribe Megachilini
Genus Megachile (Leaf-cutting and Resin Bees)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Megachile Latreille 1802
Explanation of Names
Greek mega (μεγας) 'large' + cheil- (χειλ) 'lip'(1)(2) (refers to the mouthparts)
Numbers
~130 spp. in 16 subgenera in our area, 1520 spp. in 56 subgenera worldwide(3)
Size
Typically 7-9 mm, a few to 12 mm or larger(4)
Identification
OVERVIEW OF SPECIES OF Megachile

Subgenus Acentron
Species albitarsis
♀      ♂     

Subgenus Argyropile
Species parallela
♀      ♂

Subgenus Callomegachile
Species sculpturalis - Giant Resin Bee
♀      ♂

Subgenus Chelostomoides
Species angelarum
♀     
Species campanulae
♀      ♂
Species chilopsidis
♀

Subgenus Eutricharaea
♀      ♂
Species rotundata -Alfalfa leafcutter bee
♀

Subgenus Leptorachis
Species petulans
♀

Subgenus Litomegachile
Species brevis
♀     
Species gentilis
♀
Species mendica
♀      ♂
Species texana
Images needed

Subgenus Megachile
Species centuncularis
♀      ♂
Species inermis
♀     
Species montivaga
♀     
Species relativa
♀     

Subgenus Megachiloides
♀      ♂

Subgenus Melanosarus
Species bahamensis
♂
Species xylocopoides - Carpenter-mimic Leafcutter
♀      ♂

Subgenus Pseudocentron
Species pruina
♀

Subgenus Pseudomegachile
Species lanata
♂

Subgenus Sayapis
Species fidelis
♀      ♂
Species inimica
♀      ♂
Species newberryae
♀     
Species policaris
♀      ♂
Species pugnata
♀      ♂

Subgenus Xanthosarus
Species frigida
♀      ♂
Species gemula
♂
Species latimanus
♀      ♂
Species melanophaea
♀     
Species perihirta
♀      ♂
Range
Cosmopolitan [map(3)]
Season
In ne. US most fly May-Oct, but many fly much earlier in warm areas (FL, so. CA)
Food
Polylectic, that is larvae feed on wide variety of pollens.
Life Cycle
Most nest in pre-existent holes in wood. Female typically cuts neat, more-or-less round pieces out of leaves to serve as separators between cells of nest:
See Also
Coelioxys--tapered abdomen, lacks pollen basket underneath
Internet References
Fact sheets: U. of Fla., U. of Alberta
Key to FL subgenera
Works Cited
1.Dictionary of Word Roots and Combining Forms
By Donald J. Borror
2.The Century Dictionary: an encyclopedic lexicon of the English language
3.Apoidea (Bees; Sphecoid wasps) on discoverlife.org
4.American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico
By Ross H. Arnett
Contributed by Richard Leung on 8 October, 2004 - 10:44pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Beatriz Moisset, Lynette, John S. Ascher, v belov, Harsi S. Parker
Last updated 23 April, 2011 - 8:26am

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