Ensliniana

Taxonomy

Family: Megachilidae
Subfamily: Megachilinae
Tribe: Dioxyini
Genus: Ensliniana Alfken, 1938
Subgenera: none
Common name: none

Overview

Diversity

Ensliniana consists of three species (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.); 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. unless otherwise stated)

• Arolia absent.
• Axilla axilla:
  the triangular or rounded point on the thorax where thoracic muscles meet the forewing of an insect
  without tooth or spine.
• Labrum labrum:
  part of the head abutting the clypeus, folds down in front of the mouthparts
  more than twice as long as wide (Michener 1996Michener 1996:
  Michener, C.D. 1996. The first South African dioxyine bee and a generic review of the tribe Dioxyini (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae). Contributions on Hymenoptera and Associated Insects Dedicated to Karl V. Krombein, Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Washington 17: 142ndash;152.).
• Large tegulaetegulae:
  the usually oval, small shield-like structure carried at the extreme base of the wing where it attaches to the body
  .
• Metanotum metanotum:
  the posterior dorsal segment of the thorax, behind the scutellum
  lacks median tubercletubercle:
  a small knob-like or rounded protuberance
  or tooth.
• Posterior laterallateral:
  relating, pertaining, or attached to the side
  angle of scutumscutum:
  the large segment on top of the thorax located between the wings and behind the head
  not produced.
• Scutellum scutellum:
  shield shaped plate behind scutum
  without laterallateral:
  relating, pertaining, or attached to the side
  tooth or spine.
• Female lacks scopal hairs.
• Female mandiblemandible:
  bee teeth, so to speak, usually crossed and folded in front of the mouth
  slender and bidentatebidentate:
  having two teeth
  .
• Female tarsal claws bifurcatebifurcate:
  divided into two branches; forked
  .
• Female S5S5:
  the plates on the underside of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, or S8
  with a preapicalpreapical:
  referring to a section of a bee that is physically found just before the outermost (or apical) end of the section or segment
  tooth on each side of base of S6S6:
  the plates on the underside of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, or S8
  .
• Female S6S6:
  the plates on the underside of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, or S8
  about as long as S5S5:
  the plates on the underside of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, or S8
  , sharply pointed, and greatly exceeding the apicalapical:
  near or at the apex or end of any structure
  margin of 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
  .

May be confused with

Ensliniana resembles Allodioxys in body form but can be differentiated by the lack of tubercles or spines on the metanotummetanotum:
the posterior dorsal segment of the thorax, behind the scutellum
. Additionally, 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
and S6S6:
the plates on the underside of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, or S8
of female Ensliniana are nearly hairless, curved downward, and more elongate and slender than those of Allodioxys.

Known invasives

There are no known invasives.

Host associations

Ensliniana are cleptoparasiticcleptoparasitic:
bees that lay their eggs in the nest cells of bees in other genera. Their larvae depend on the pollen provided by their host. Since cleptoparasitic bees don't provision their own nests, and instead depend on the pollen collected by their host, the females lack pollen collecting hairs. This often gives them a wasp-like appearance.
bees, and females do not gather pollen from flowers since the larvaelarvae:
active immature form of an insect, especially one that differs greatly from the adult and forms the stage between egg and pupa
develop parasitically on their host’s pollen provisions (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.). They will, however, visit a wider variety of flowers for nectar. Ensliniana are known to parasitize other bees in the family Megachilidae (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.).

Nesting behavior

Ensliniana are known cleptoparasites of bees in the family Megachilidae (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.). Host selection boundaries, however, are not well understood. In general, for bees within the Dioxyini tribe, the female Ensliniana often spends time around the preferred floral resources of its host to locate them. Once a host nest is found, an egg is laid inside a cell as it is being provisioned by the host female (Rozen and Favreau 1967Rozen and Favreau 1967:
Rozen Jr. J.G. and M.S. Favreau. 1967. Biological notes on Dioxys pomonae pomonae and on its host, Osmia nigrobarbata (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). Journal of the New York Entomological Society 75: 197ndash;203.), or is injected into the cell after it has been sealed off (Rozen and ​Özbek 2005). After hatching from the egg, the larvalarva:
active immature form of an insect, especially one that differs greatly from the adult and forms the stage between egg and pupa
is active and has pointed mandibles that are used to destroy the host egg or larvalarva:
active immature form of an insect, especially one that differs greatly from the adult and forms the stage between egg and pupa
(Rozen and Özbek 2004). The larvalarva:
active immature form of an insect, especially one that differs greatly from the adult and forms the stage between egg and pupa
retains the somewhat modified “ hospicidalhospicidal:
the early instars of clepoparasitic bees, which have been oviposited into complete brood cells of another species. When the early instars develop, they kill off the developing individual that was originally occupying the brood cell.
” body form for multiple instars before molting into a more ordinary grub-like form where it feeds on the pollen stores of its host (Rozen and Özbek 2004).

Distribution

Ensliniana ranges from Algeria, Tunisia, Israel, and Syria to Turkmenistan (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.).

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

References

Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.
 
Rozen Jr. J.G., and M.S. Favreau. 1967. Biological notes on Dioxys pomonae pomonae and on its host, Osmia nigrobarbata (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). Journal of the New York Entomological Society 75:197-203.
 
Rozen Jr., J.G. and H. Özbek. 2004. Immature Stages of the cleptoparasiticcleptoparasitic:
bees that lay their eggs in the nest cells of bees in other genera. Their larvae depend on the pollen provided by their host. Since cleptoparasitic bees don't provision their own nests, and instead depend on the pollen collected by their host, the females lack pollen collecting hairs. This often gives them a wasp-like appearance.
bee Dioxys cincta (Apoidea: Megachilidae: Megachilinae: Dioxyini). American Museum Novitates 3443:1-12.
 
Rozen Jr. J.G. and H. Özbek. 2005. Egg deposition of the cleptoparasiticcleptoparasitic:
bees that lay their eggs in the nest cells of bees in other genera. Their larvae depend on the pollen provided by their host. Since cleptoparasitic bees don't provision their own nests, and instead depend on the pollen collected by their host, the females lack pollen collecting hairs. This often gives them a wasp-like appearance.
bee Dioxys cincta (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Megachilidae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 78: 221-226.