Family: Megachilidae
Subfamily: Megachilinae
Tribe: Megachilini
Genus: Megachile Latreille, 1802
Subgenus: Zonomegachile Titus, 1906
Common name: none
Megachile (Zonomegachile) are moderately-sized bees with white apical hair bands on their abdomen, contrasting with their black integument. They can have white, tan, black, yellow, or reddish hair covering their body (Gonzalez et al. 2018). They range in body length from 9–14 mm (Michener 2007).
(modified from Michener 2007; Gonzalez et al. 2018)
Male Megachile (Zonomegachile) may be confused with bees within the subgenus Megachile (Chrysosarus) as they both have a three-toothed mandible, an enlarged front tarsus, a spine on the front coxa, and T6 preapical carina with a strong median emargination (Michener 2007). Male Megachile (Zonomegachile) can be differentiated from Megachile (Chrysosarus) by the strong, angular hypostomal projection behind the mandibular base (Michener 2007). Females can be differentiated by cutting edges between the mandibular teeth, which are large, although incomplete, in the second and third interspaces of Megachile (Zonomegachile) and absent or nearly absent in both interspaces in Megachile (Chrysosarus) (Gonzalez et al. 2018).
Megachile (Zonomegachile) have been observed collecting from flowers of Fabaceae (Gonzalez et al. 2018).
Megachile (Zonomegachile) construct nests out of leaf pieces in pre-existing cavities (Gonzalez et al. 2018).
Megachile (Zonomegachile) consists of eight species; none are known to occur in the U.S. or Canada (Gonzalez et al. 2018).
There are no known invasives.
Megachile (Zonomegachile) is a South American subgenus which has been observed in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, and Peru (Gonzalez et al. 2018).
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