Notanthidium

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Taxonomy

Family: Megachilidae
Subfamily: Megachilinae
Tribe: Anthidiini
Genus: Notanthidium Isensee, 1927
Subgenera: Allanthidium, Chrisanthidium, Notanthidium
Common name: none

Overview

Notanthidium are bees with partly or entirely black pubescence and black integument on their head, thorax, and abdomen, with yellow or cream-colored maculations on their abdomen, and often with reddish coloration on their head and legs. They range in length from 7.5–11.5 mm (Michener 2007).

Diversity

Diagnostic characteristics

(modified from Michener 2007)

• Arolia present.
• Juxtantennal carina absent.
• Middle tibia with one apical spine.
• Omaulus without carina.
• Preoccipital carina absent.
• Pronotal lobe carinate.
• Scutellum is rounded and not carinate.
• Scutoscutellar suture forming two distinct foveae with shiny bottom.
• Female mandible with three to five teeth.
• Male T5 and T6 both without lateral teeth.
• Male T7 is curled forward and bilobed.

May be confused with

Notanthidium may be confused with other dark, elongate Anthidiini, such as Aztecanthidium and Anthodioctes, due to a similar rounded, thick body patterned with yellow or white; however, they can be differentiated by the diagnostic characteristics listed above (Michener 2007).

Known invasives

There are no known invasives.

Host associations

Notanthidium has been observed gathering pollen from flowers of Phacelia circinata, Quilaja saponaria, and Cereus (Rozen 2015).

Nesting behavior

Only three Notanthidium nests have been documented, each unique from one another (Rozen 2015). Two nests were made by N. (Notanthidium) steloides. One nest was made in a beetle gallery in a dry branch and consisted of several cells divided by resinous partitions (Claude-Joseph 1926). The other nest was found in a hollow piece of bamboo, and the cell partitions were made up of viscous matter from Gymnocladus pods (Claude-Joseph 1926). The most recently documented nest was made by N. (Allanthidium) bizonatum, and was made up of a resinous mass containing four cells and surrounding a thin Baccharis tola subsp. santelicis stem (Rozen 2015).

Distribution

Notanthidium is known only from the western coast of South America in Peru, Chile, and Argentina (Michener 2007).

​Distribution map generated by Discover Life -- click on map for details, credits, and terms of use.