Bathanthidium

Taxonomy

Family: Megachilidae
Subfamily: Megachilinae
Tribe: Anthidiini
Genus: Bathanthidium Mavromoustakis, 1953
Subgenera: Bathanthidium, Manthidium, Stenanthidiellum
Common name: none

Overview

Bathanthidium are small bees ranging in body length from 5.5–9 mm. Their coloration varies from all black to black with yellow medially broken bandsbands:
usually referring to bands of hair or bands of color that traverse across an abdominal segment
on the tergaterga:
the segments on the top side of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, or T7
(Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.).

Diversity

Bathanthidium contains 13 species within 3 subgenera (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.; Ascher and Pickering 2016bAscher and Pickering 2016b:
Ascher, J.S. and J. Pickering. 2016. Discover Life bee species guide and world checklist: Bathanthidium. Discover Life. https://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Bathanthidium); none are known to occur in the U.S. or Canada.

Diagnostic characteristics

(modified from Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.)

• Arolia is present.
• Fovea fovea:
  a depressed region of cuticle; in bees this depressed area is usually only very slightly hollow and usually on the face.
  behind propodeal spiraclepropodeal spiracle:
  the spiracle bordering the posterior margin of the propodeum
  present and defined by carinacarina:
  a clearly defined ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute; usually appears on bees as simply a raised line
  .
• Hind tibiatibia:
  the segment of the leg, between the femur and the tarsus
  with inner surface convexconvex:
  curved outward
  .
• Juxtantennal carinacarina:
  a clearly defined ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute; usually appears on bees as simply a raised line
  absent.
• Mid tibiatibia:
  the segment of the leg, between the femur and the tarsus
  with only one apicalapical:
  near or at the apex or end of any structure
  spine.
• Omaular carinacarina:
  a clearly defined ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute; usually appears on bees as simply a raised line
  absent.
• Pronotal lobe pronotal lobe:
  a part of the pronotum located dorsally on the posterior margin of the pronotum and overlaps the anterior thoracic spiracle
  is weakly carinatecarinate:
  having keels or carinae
  .
• Preoccipital ridge preoccipital ridge:
  the carina that dorsolaterally surrounds the back of the head
  is not carinatecarinate:
  having keels or carinae
  .
• Scutellum scutellum:
  shield shaped plate behind scutum
  is rounded or medially emarginated and distinctly overhanging metanotummetanotum:
  the posterior dorsal segment of the thorax, behind the scutellum
  .
• Scutoscutellar suturesuture:
  a groove marking the line of fusion of two distinct plates on the body or face of a bee
  forms two distinct foveafovea:
  a depressed region of cuticle; in bees this depressed area is usually only very slightly hollow and usually on the face.
  .
• Subantennal suture subantennal suture:
  the groove extending from each antennal socket down to the epistomal suture
  straight.
• Female T6T6:
  the segments on the top side of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, or T7
  with apicalapical:
  near or at the apex or end of any structure
  margin simple.
• Male T6T6:
  the segments on the top side of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, or T7
  is simple, and T7T7:
  the segments on the top side of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, or T7
  ranges from simple to trilobed.

May be confused with

Bathanthidium may be confused with Rhodanthidium and some Trachusa due to a number of shared characters; however, Bathanthidium can be differentiated from these genera by the presence of foveafovea:
a depressed region of cuticle; in bees this depressed area is usually only very slightly hollow and usually on the face.
behind the propodeal spiraclepropodeal spiracle:
the spiracle bordering the posterior margin of the propodeum
(these foveafovea:
a depressed region of cuticle; in bees this depressed area is usually only very slightly hollow and usually on the face.
can be small in the subgenus Manthidium (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.).

Known invasives

There are no known invasives.

Host associations

Bathanthidium has been observed visiting Lactuca sibirica, Sedum aizoon, and Lespedeza bicolor (Игнатенко 2012Игнатенко 2012:
Игнатенко, E.B. 2012. Кормовые связи пчёл (Hymenoptera: Apiformes) с цветковыми растениями в амурской области. Амурский зоологический журнал 9: 69ndash;75.).

Nesting behavior

Bathanthidium have been observed creating nests out of resin in preexisting burrows in wood and plant stems (Romankova 1988Romankova 1988:
Romankova, T.G. 1988. A new far-eastern bee of the tribe Anthidiini. Vestnik Zoologii 4: 25ndash;30.).

Distribution

Bathanthidium is an Asiatic genus that occurs in China, Taiwan, Burma, Laos, eastern Siberia, and Korea (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.; Soh et al. 2016Soh et al. 2016:
Soh, E.J.Y., Z.W.W. Soh, S.X. Chui, and J.S. Ascher. 2016. The bee tribe Anthidiini in Singapore (Anthophila: Megachilidae: Anthidiini) with notes on the regional fauna. Nature in Singapore 9: 49ndash;62.).

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

References

Ascher, J.S. and J. Pickering. 2016. Discover Life bee species guide and world checklist: Bathanthidium. Discover Life. http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Bathanthidium
 
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World. 2nd ed. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.
 

Игнатенко, E.B. 2012. Кормовые связи пчёл (Hymenoptera: Apiformes) с цветковыми растениями в амурской области. Амурский зоологический журнал 9: 69–75.
 
Romankova, T.G. 1988. A new far-eastern bee of the tribe Anthidiini. Vestnik Zoologii 4:25-30.
 
Soh, E.J.Y., Z.W.W. Soh, S.X. Chui, and J.S. Ascher. 2016. The bee tribe Anthidiini in Singapore (Anthophila: Megachilidae: Anthidiini) with notes on the regional fauna. Nature in Singapore 9:49-62.