Taxonomy
Family: Megachilidae
Subfamily: Megachilinae
Tribe: Osmiini
Genus: Bekilia Benoist, 1962
Subgenera: none
Common name: none
Overview
Bekilia is monotypic:
B. mimetica is the only species known. It is presumed to be parasitic due to its lack of
scopascopa:
modified hairs for carrying pollen; often branched and dense hairs on the hind-leg, or on the ventral surface of the abdomen in Megachilidae
. The
holotypeholotype:
the type specimen used to describe a species
has been lost, so its taxonomic placement is not certain, and it is not included in the key. It is even possible that it is a
cleptoparasiticcleptoparasitic:
bees that lay their eggs in the nest cells of bees in other genera. Their larvae depend on the pollen provided by their host. Since cleptoparasitic bees don't provision their own nests, and instead depend on the pollen collected by their host, the females lack pollen collecting hairs. This often gives them a wasp-like appearance.
Anthidiini rather than Osmiini (
Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.).
Diversity
Only one species known; not known to occur in the U.S. or Canada (
Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.).
Diagnostic characteristics
(from Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.)
- Body slender as in Heriades.
- Lacks scopal hairscopal hair:
modified hairs for carrying pollen; often branched and dense hairs on the hind-leg, or on the ventral surface of the abdomen in Megachilidae
.
May be confused with
not known
Known invasives
There are no known invasives.
Host associations
Floral associations are unknown. If
Bekilia is found to be parasitic, then the pollen provisions of hosts are used for its
larvaelarvae:
active immature form of an insect, especially one that differs greatly from the adult and forms the stage between egg and pupa
(
Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.).
Nesting behavior
Nesting behavior is unknown.
Distribution
Bekilia is known only from Madagascar (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.).
Distribution map generated by Discover Life -- click on map for details, credits, and terms of use.
References
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.
