Megachile (Zonomegachile)

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Taxonomy

Family: Megachilidae
Subfamily: Megachilinae
Tribe: Megachilini
Genus: Megachile Latreille, 1802
Subgenus: Zonomegachile Titus, 1906
Common name: none

Overview

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).

Diagnostic characteristics

(modified from Michener 2007; Gonzalez et al. 2018)

• Preoccipital margin is carinate or sharply angled.
• Female mandible is four-toothed with large, incomplete cutting edges in the second and third interspaces.
• Female sterna with apical hairbands under scopa.
• Female T1–T5 with white apical hair bands.
• Male mandible is three-toothed without an inferior projection.
• Male hypostomal area with an angular projection.
• Male front coxa with a spine.
• Male front tarsus is enlarged.
• Male T6 preapical carina with a strong median emargination.

May be confused with

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).

Host associations

Megachile (Zonomegachile) have been observed collecting from flowers of Fabaceae (Gonzalez et al. 2018).

Nesting behavior

Megachile (Zonomegachile) construct nests out of leaf pieces in pre-existing cavities (Gonzalez et al. 2018).

Diversity

Megachile (Zonomegachile) consists of eight species; none are known to occur in the U.S. or Canada (Gonzalez et al. 2018).

Known invasives

There are no known invasives.

Distribution

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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