Anthidium (Turkanthidium)

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Taxonomy

Family: Megachilidae
Subfamily: Megachilinae
Tribe: Anthidiini
Genus: Anthidium Fabricius, 1804
Subgenus: Turkanthidium Pasteels, 1969
Common name: none

Overview

Anthidium (Turkanthidium) are robust bees with a spherical abdomen. They may be black with extensive yellow to reddish-brown coloration or primarily yellow (Michener 2007). They range in body length from 5–7 mm (Michener 2007).

Diagnostic characteristics

(modified from Michener 2007)

• Pronotal lobe lamellate.
• Scutellum is extended posteriorly and carinate laterally, with a median emargination that is not carinate.
• Scutellum margin is gradually curved at each site to the axillar margin.
• Female hind basitarsus is extremely wide; in some species it is as wide as the tibia.
• Male T7 is bilobed, and sometimes has a small median spine.

May be confused with

Anthidium (Turkanthidium) may be confused with bees in the subgenus A. (Proanthidium) due to the lack of a thickened clypeal margin (Michener 2007). However, A. (Turkanthidium) can be differentiated from A. (Proanthidium) by the shape of the female scutellum and the length of the hind basitarsus (Michener 2007).

Host associations

Floral associations are unknown.

Nesting behavior

Nesting behavior is unknown.

Diversity

Anthidium (Turkanthidium) consists of five species (Michener 2007); none are known to occur in the U.S. or Canada.

Known invasives

There are no known invasives.

Distribution

Anthidium (Turkanthidium) occur in Central Asia and Afghanistan (Michener 2007).

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