Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Megachile Latreille, 1802
Explanation of Names
Genus name
Megachile from Greek
mega (μεγας) large, plus
cheil/chil(-o, -us) (χειλος) lip
(1) (2). The original description of the genus (available from the Biodiversity Heritage Library
here, specifically pp.
412-
413) does seem to refer to characters of the mouthparts.
Numbers
Nearctica
(3) lists 134 species, and Arnett
(4) lists 17 subgenera.
Size
Typically 7-9 mm, a few to 12 mm or larger
(4).
Season
In the northeastern USA most fly May-Oct, but many species fly much earlier in spring in warm areas such as Florida and southern California
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:
Print References
Borror, entries for
mega,
chil(-o, -us) (1)
Eaton and Kaufman, pp. 342-343
(5)
Marshall, p. 531, photos pp. 564-565
(6)
The Century Dictionary--entry for
Megachile (2)
