Family: Megachilidae
Subfamily: Megachilinae
Tribe: Anthidiini
Genus: Hypanthidioides Moure, 1947
Subgenera: Anthidulum, Ctenanthidium, Dichanthidium, Dicranthidium, Hypanthidioides, Larocanthidium, Michanthidium, Mielkeanthidium, Moureanthidium, Saranthidium
Common name: none
Hypanthidioides are black or brown bees, most of which have limited yellow to pale yellow markings (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.). A small number have prevalent yellow coloration, like in the Anthidulum subgenus. They range in body length from 4.5–10 mm and have body forms that vary from slender to moderately robust (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.).
(modified from Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.)
Hypanthidioides may be confused with multiple small-sized anthidiine genera due to their similar colorations or body form. Hypanthidioides can be differentiated from Hypanthidium by the presence of juxtantennal carinae. Anthodioctes differs by possessing laterallateral:
relating, pertaining, or attached to the side
preoccipital carinae. Austrostelis also looks similar, but the female lacks scopae (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.).
There are no known invasives.
Floral resources of Hypanthidioides are relatively unknown. Hypanthidioides ferrugineum is reported to show a preference for Cuphea sp. (Lythraceae) (Gonzalez and Griswold 2011Gonzalez and Griswold 2011:
Gonzalez, V.H. and T.L. Griswold. 2011. Taxonomic notes on the small resin bees Hypanthidioides subgenus Michanthidium (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae). ZooKeys 177: 5ndash;58.; Urban and Parizotto 2011Urban and Parizotto 2011:
Urban, D. and D.R. Parizotto. 2011. Michanthidium almeidai , a new species from northeastern Brazil (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae. ZooKeys 132: 65ndash;73.). Hypanthidioides bifasciata appears to be a generalist. Members of the Michanthidium, Larocanthidium, and Ctenanthidium subgenera have modified mouthpart hairs, which may be a specialized adaptation for pollen collection from an unknown floral association (Urban 1997Urban 1997:
Urban, D. 1997. Larocanthidium gen. n. de Anthidiinae do Brasil (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae). Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 14: 299ndash;317.; Urban and Parizotto 2011Urban and Parizotto 2011:
Urban, D. and D.R. Parizotto. 2011. Michanthidium almeidai , a new species from northeastern Brazil (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae. ZooKeys 132: 65ndash;73.; Alvarez et al. 2015Alvarez et al. 2015:
Alvarez, L.J., M. Lucia, S.P. Durante, L.M. Passarelli, and V.H. Gonzalez. 2015. Description of the male, new geographical record, and biological notes on the small resin bee Hypanthidioides ( Ctenanthidium ) bifasciata (Urban, 1993) (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). The Pan-Pacific Entomologist 91: 184ndash;188.).
The nesting habits of Hypanthidioides are mostly unknown. Hypanthidioides flavofasciata forms aerial nests of multiple, resinous cells (Schrottky 1902Schrottky 1902:
Schrottky, C. 1902. Ensaio sobre as abelhas solitarias do Brazil. Revista do Museo Paulista 5: 330ndash;613.). Hypanthidioides arenaria build nests within small cavities, including abandoned eumenine wasp nests of one or more resinous cells (Laroca and Rosado-Neto 1975Laroca and Rosado-Neto 1975:
Laroca S. and G.H. Rosado-Neto. 1975. Notas bionomicas: Hypanthidioides arenaria (Hymenoptera, Apoidea). Revista brasileira de biologia.). Hypanthidioides bifasciata has been found nesting in trap nests and forms cell partitions and linings from resin (Alvarez et al. 2015Alvarez et al. 2015:
Alvarez, L.J., M. Lucia, S.P. Durante, L.M. Passarelli, and V.H. Gonzalez. 2015. Description of the male, new geographical record, and biological notes on the small resin bee Hypanthidioides ( Ctenanthidium ) bifasciata (Urban, 1993) (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). The Pan-Pacific Entomologist 91: 184ndash;188.). Hypanthidioides luciae and H. arenarium nests found in traps consist of one row, or occasionally two rows, of cells made of pale brown resin (Urban 1992Urban 1992:
Urban, D. 1992. Consideraccedil;otilde;es sobre Anthidulum Michener, stat. n. e Dicranthidium Moure amp; Urban, stat.n. e descriccedil;otilde;es de espeacute;cies novas (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae). Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 9: 11ndash;28.; Aguiar et al. 2005Aguiar et al. 2005:
Aguiar, C.M., C.A. Garafaacute;lo, and G.F. Almeida. 2005. Trap-nesting bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) in areas of dry semideciduous forest and caatinga, Bahia, Brazil. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 22: 1030ndash;1038.).
Hypanthidioides is restricted to the neotropicalNeotropical:
biogeographic region that includes South and Central America, the Caribbean Islands, southern Florida, and the southern Mexican lowlands
Central and South America. The subgenus Anthidulum occurs from Costa Rica south through Columbia to Paraná, Brazil and Tucumán and Misiones in northern Argentina (Smith-Pardo 2003Smith-Pardo 2003:
Smith-Pardo, A.H. 2003. A preliminary account of the bees of Colombia (Hymenoptera: Apoidea): present knowledge and future directions. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 76: 335-341.; Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.). Ctenanthidium occurs from Bolivia south to Paraná, Brazil; Uruguay; and Córdoba, Argentina. Dichanthidium occurs from Salta, Argentina; Santa Cruz, Bolivia; Minas Gerias and Matto Grosso du Sul, Brazil (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.; Parizotto and Urban 2010Parizotto and Urban 2010:
Parizotto, D.R. and D. Urban. 2010. A new species of Dichanthidium (Hymenoptera, Megachilinae) and first records of the genus in Brazil. Revista Brasileira de Entomologia 54: 419-422.). Dicranthidium occurs from Paraná and Paraíba, Brazil; Valle, Colombia; and Trinidad (Urban 2002Urban 2002:
Urban, D. 2002. Duas espeacute;cies novas de Dicranthidium Moure amp; Urban (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae) e chave para a identificaccedil;atilde;o das espeacute;cies. Revista Brasileira de Zoologia 19: 637-643.; Smith-Pardo 2003Smith-Pardo 2003:
Smith-Pardo, A.H. 2003. A preliminary account of the bees of Colombia (Hymenoptera: Apoidea): present knowledge and future directions. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 76: 335-341.). Hypanthidioides occurs from Paraíba to Rio Grande du Sol, Brazil (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.). Larocanthidium occurs from Pará south to Paraná, Brazil west to Bolivia. Michanthidium occurs from Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sol, Brazil and south to Misiones and Tucumán, Argentina (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.). It may also be found in Costa Rica, although it is unlikely. Mielkeanthidium occurs from Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sol, Brazil. Moureanthidium occurs from Santa Catarina to Bahía, Brazil. Saranthidium occurs from Oaxaca and Veracruz, Mexico south through Colombia to Paraguay and Santa Catarina, Brazil (Smith-Pardo 2003Smith-Pardo 2003:
Smith-Pardo, A.H. 2003. A preliminary account of the bees of Colombia (Hymenoptera: Apoidea): present knowledge and future directions. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 76: 335-341.; Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.).
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