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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies (Hymenoptera) » Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps » Apoidea (clade Anthophila) - Bees » Leafcutter, Mason, and Resin Bees, and allies (Megachilidae) » Leafcutter, Resin, Mortar, Sharptail, Mason, and Woolcarder bees and relatives (Megachilinae) » Leafcutter, Resin, Mortar, and Sharptail bees (Megachilini) » Sharptail Bees (Coelioxys) Genus Coelioxys - Sharptail Bees
Classification Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)
No Taxon (Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps)
No Taxon (Apoidea (clade Anthophila) - Bees)
Family Megachilidae (Leafcutter, Mason, and Resin Bees, and allies)
Subfamily Megachilinae (Leafcutter, Resin, Mortar, Sharptail, Mason, and Woolcarder bees and relatives)
Tribe Megachilini (Leafcutter, Resin, Mortar, and Sharptail bees)
Genus Coelioxys (Sharptail Bees)
Other Common Names Cuckoo Leaf-cutting Bees, Cuckoo Leaf-cutter Bees
Pronunciation seal-ee-OX-ees
Explanation of Names Greek coelia 'belly' + oxys 'sharp' (1) (refers to the sharp ovipositor and tapered female abdomen)
Numbers 46 spp. in 9 subgenera in our area, ~500 spp. in 15 subgenera worldwide (2)
Identification Abdomen conical, pointed in female, armed with teeth or spines in male (3); lack pollen baskets under abdomen, otherwise resemble a Megachile
Habitat Seen at flowers in fields, etc.
Season Typically Jun-Sep in NC (4)
Food Adults take nectar at flowers. (They must be eating for themselves, because they do not provision a nest.)
Life Cycle Cleptoparasites, usually of Megachile (other hosts known outside our area). Using their sharp abdomen, the female breaks into Megachile nests (and removes eggs?) laying its own eggs on the provisions (stored pollen) (5)(6)
Print References Baker J.R. (1975) Taxonomy of five nearctic subgenera of Coelioxys (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). U. Kans. Sci. Bull. 50: 649-730.
Works Cited 1. | Dictionary of Word Roots and Combining Forms Donald J. Borror. 1960. Mayfield Publishing Company. | |
4. | Insects of North Carolina C.S. Brimley. 1938. North Carolina Department of Agriculture. | |
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