Megachile (Chalicodomoides)

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Taxonomy

Family: Megachilidae
Subfamily: Megachilinae
Tribe: Megachilini
Genus: Megachile Latreille, 1802
Subgenus: Chalicodomoides Michener, 1962
Common name: none

Overview

Megachile (Chalicodomoides) are robust bees with black integument and mostly black hair (King and Exley 1985; Michener 2007; Gonzalez 2008). They range in body length from 13–18 mm (Michener 2007).

Diagnostic characteristics

(modified from Michener 2007; Gonzalez 2008)

• Preoccipital ridge carinate laterally.
• Female clypeus with apical edge produced and emarginate medially.
• Female mandible is shiny, slender, and three-toothed, the distance between first and second tooth longer than half the width of the mandible.
• Female with a sharp tooth on the hypostomal area just behind the base of the mandible.
• Male S1 apex is produced to a broad, nearly hairless, median sub-erect flap.
• Male T6 carina is weakly bilobed.

May be confused with

Megachile (Chalicodomoides) may be confused with bees within the subgenus Chalicodoma as both have slender mandibles with oblique apical margins (Michener 2007). Females can be differentiated from Chalicodoma by the three-toothed mandible and clypeus shape, and males by the unique sub-erect flap on S1 (Michener 2007).

Host associations

Megachile (Chalicodomoides) has been observed visiting Myrtaceae (King and Exley 1985a).

Nesting behavior

Megachile (Chalicodomoides), specifically Megachile aethiops, have been observed reusing the old nests of potter wasps (Abispa sp.) and mud dauber wasps (Sceliphron sp.), and then completely covering the nests with resin (Houston 2018; Matthews and Matthews 2009).

Diversity

Megachile (Chalicodomoides) consists of two species: M. aethiops and M. doddiana, (Michener 2007). None are known to occur in the U.S. or Canada.

Known invasives

There are no known invasives.

Distribution

Megachile (Chalicodomoides) is an Australian subgenus, and has been recorded across northern Australia from Queensland to the state of Western Australia (Michener 2007).

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