Genus of bees
Anthidium is a genus of bees often called carder or potter bees, who do not cut leaves, but use conifer resin, plant hairs, mud, or a mix of them to build nests. Like other members of the family Megachilidae (most of which are called "leafcutter bees"), they are solitary bees with pollen-carrying scopa that are only located on the ventral surface of the abdomen (other bee families have pollen-carrying structures on the hind legs). The ~80 species are distributed primarily in the Northern Hemisphere, and South America.
Description
Most Anthidium species have cream to yellow abdominal bands, typically interrupted in the middle. There is no lobe (arolium) between their claws. Anthidium manicatum, commonly known as the wool carder bee, uses comblike mandibles to "comb" plant fibers into its brood cell walls. It has spread from Europe to North and South America. The males are much larger (ca. 18 mm) than the females (ca.12 mm) which is not uncommon among Megachilidae, but very rare among other bee families. Anthidium manicatum males also have three "thorns" at their abdominal apex which they use as weapons when defending their territory. Anthidium florentinum is one of the more common European species; this species flies all summer and makes nests in holes in the ground, walls or trees, with hairs plucked from plants.
Members of Anthidium and several related genera are unusual among solitary bees, in that there are more females than males, males are territorial and bigger than females, and the sexes fly at the same times of year. It has been suggested that this pattern is explained by the prolonged sexual receptivity of the females, along with the males' use of readily defended resources in their territories.[2]
Extant species (selected)
Fossil species
Four species have been described from the fossil record. The oldest species date from the Priabonian to Rupelian deposits of the Florissant Formation, Colorado.[3][4]
Notes
References
- Chinery, Michael - Insects of Britain and Western Europe. Domino Guides, A & C Black, London, 1986
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Anthidium.
