''Eucera longicornis'' is a species of bee in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Apidae Apidae is the largest family within the superfamily Apoidea, containing at least 5700 species of bees. The family includes some of the most commonly seen bees, including bumblebees and honey bees, but also includes stingless bees (also used for ...

, subfamily

Apinae The Apinae are the subfamily that includes the majority of bees in the family Apidae. It includes the familiar " corbiculate" (pollen basket) bees—bumblebees, honey bees, orchid bees, stingless bees, Africanized bees, and the extinct genus '' ...

, and tribe

Eucerini The Eucerini (often called long-horned bees) are the most diverse tribe in the family Apidae, with over 32 genera worldwide that were previously classified as members of the family Anthophoridae. All species are solitary, though many nest in lar ...

, the long-horned bees.

Description

The head, thorax and abdomen of this species are black, the thorax being clad in pale brown, downy hairs on its upper surface, graduating to yellowish down on the sides and pale grey down underneath. In the male, the clypeus and labrum are yellow, and the antennae are very long, being as long as the head and body combined. The female's antennae are shorter.

Distribution and habitat

This bee occurs in the

Palearctic realm The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Sibe ...

, ranging from Western Europe to as far east as Siberia and China. In Britain it is patchily distributed in southern England and Wales. In favoured locations it can be quite numerous and tends to nest in aggregations. It typically is present near the coast in bare areas and short turf, in open grassy areas in woodland and sometimes on heathlands.

Ecology

The adult female prepares a burrow, usually in clay soil, kneading the walls to make them smooth. The nest is provisioned with a mixture of

pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by seed plants. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm cells). Pollen grains have a hard coat made of sporopollenin that protects the gametophyt ...

and

honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of plants (primar ...

made into a paste and an egg is laid on this. The larva feeds on the paste when it hatches. The winter is usually spent as a pre-pupa in the burrow, pupating the following spring and emerging from the burrow as an adult soon thereafter. On leaving the burrow, the male passes its long antennae through a notch on the tarsus (first leg segment), by which means any adhering membranes are scraped off. However some individuals may pass the winter in the adult state. The bees are on the wing between May and July. In the Mediterranean region, the male is a pollinator of the bee orchid ''

Ophrys apifera ''Ophrys apifera'', known in Europe as the bee orchid, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the family Orchidaceae. It serves as an example of sexually deceptive pollination and floral mimicry, as well as of a highly selective and highly evolved ...

''.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q144959 Apinae Hymenoptera of Asia Hymenoptera of Europe Bees described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Articles containing video clips