Eudioxys

Taxonomy

Family: Megachilidae
Subfamily: Megachilinae
Tribe: Dioxyini
Genus: Eudioxys Mavromoustakis, 1963
Subgenera: none
Common name: none

Overview

Eudioxys ranges in length from 6.5–7 mm (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.). This genus is uncommon.

Diversity

Eudioxys consists of two 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
  produced to a large curved spine.
• Metanotum metanotum:
  the posterior dorsal segment of the thorax, behind the scutellum
  without median tubercletubercle:
  a small knob-like or rounded protuberance
  or tooth.
• Omaulus omaulus:
  angle between anterior and lateral surfaces of mesepisternum
  carinatecarinate:
  having keels or carinae
  .
• Pronotal lobe pronotal lobe:
  a part of the pronotum located dorsally on the posterior margin of the pronotum and overlaps the anterior thoracic spiracle
  carinatecarinate:
  having keels or carinae
  .
• Propodeum propodeum:
  the last segment of the thorax
  with strong row of pits basally and a strong posterior carinacarina:
  a clearly defined ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute; usually appears on bees as simply a raised line
  .
• Scutellum scutellum:
  shield shaped plate behind scutum
  with posteriorly directed laterallateral:
  relating, pertaining, or attached to the side
  tooth or spine.
• T1 with a carinacarina:
  a clearly defined ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute; usually appears on bees as simply a raised line
  where the dorsaldorsal:
  in general, the upper surface
  and anterioranterior:
  toward the head or on the head side of a segment being described
  surfaces meet (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.).
• 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 T5T5:
  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 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
  broader than long.
• 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
  is broadly rounded and extends slightly beyond 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

Eudioxys resembles Dioxys due to the carinatecarinate:
having keels or carinae
pronotum and omaulusomaulus:
angle between anterior and lateral surfaces of mesepisternum
, and similar male genitaliagenitalia:
all the genital structures collectively
(Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.). Eudioxys can be differentiated from all other Dioxyini by its axillaaxilla:
the triangular or rounded point on the thorax where thoracic muscles meet the forewing of an insect
, which are produced to large, curved spines. They are also the only member of the Dioxyini with the combination of spines on the scutellumscutellum:
shield shaped plate behind scutum
and the lack of a median spine on the metanotummetanotum:
the posterior dorsal segment of the thorax, behind the scutellum
.

Known invasives

There are no known invasives.

Host associations

Eudioxys 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 wide variety of flowers for nectar. Eudioxys 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

Eudioxys 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 parasite 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 it 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

Eudioxys occurs in Egypt and Iran (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. 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: 142-152.

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.