''Exomalopsis'' is a genus of
bees in the family
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 ...
. They occur in the
Western Hemisphere
The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the prime meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the antimeridian. The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Politically, the te ...
(
Neotropical
The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone.
Definition
In bioge ...
and
Nearctic realms).
[Velez-Ruiz, R. I. and A. H. Smith-Pardo. (2013)]
New species of ''Exomalopsis'' and its associated cleptoparasite ''Nomada'' from Colombia with description of the nest (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila: Apidae).
''ISRN Entomology'' 2013 865059 10 pp.
Biology
Bees of this genus build communal nests. Several examples have been documented in the literature. ''E. aburraensis'', for example, has been known to build its nest alongside the
beekeepers' honeybee hives. It excavates a tunnel over a meter deep which then branches into many underground pathways that lead to cells where
larva
A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle.
...
e hatch and develop.
[ The ]California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
species ''E. nitens'' enters cracks in dry soil and digs chambers underground. There it creates a pile of food provisions and lays eggs on top. The larvae eat the food pile and then pupa
A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in thei ...
te.[Rozen, J. G. and R. R. Snelling. (1986)]
Ethology of the bee ''Exomalopsis nitens'' and its cleptoparasite (Hymenoptera: Anthophoridae).
''Journal of the New York Entomological Society'' 94(4) 480-88. Both ''E. globosa'' and ''E. similis'' have been noted nesting in dirt roads made of gritty red clay. The gravid female piles food in a terminal cell and then molds it into a neat loaf. She lays an egg on it and then seals the cell to allow the larva to develop within.[Raw, A. (1977)]
The biology of two ''Exomalopsis'' species (Hymenoptera: Anthophoridae) with remarks on sociality in bees.
''Rev Biol Trop'' 25(1) 1-11.
Several ''Exomalopsis'' are associated with kleptoparasites, especially cuckoo bee
The term cuckoo bee is used for a variety of different bee lineages which have evolved the kleptoparasitic behaviour of laying their eggs in the nests of other bees, reminiscent of the behavior of cuckoo birds. The name is perhaps best applied to ...
s. Kleptoparasitic cuckoo bees of the genera ''Brachynomada
''Brachynomada'' is a genus of cuckoo bees in the family 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 bumblebe ...
'', ''Nomada
With over 850 species, the genus ''Nomada'' is one of the largest genera in the family Apidae, and the largest genus of kleptoparasitic "cuckoo bees." Kleptoparasitic bees are so named because they enter the nests of a host and lay eggs there, st ...
'', ''Paranomada
''Paranomada'' is a genus of cuckoo bees in the family Apidae. There are at least three described species in ''Paranomada''.
Species
These three species belong to the genus ''Paranomada'':
* ''Paranomada californica'' Linsley, 1945
* ''Paranoma ...
'', and ''Triopasites
''Triopasites'' is a genus of cuckoo bees in the family Apidae. There are at least two described species in ''Triopasites''.
Species
These two species belong to the genus ''Triopasites'':
* ''Triopasites penniger'' (Cockerell, 1894)
* ''T ...
'' have been found using ''Exomalopsis'' nests. The newly described cuckoo bee '' Nomada medellinenses'' moves into the nests of ''E. aburraensis'' and lays its eggs there.[
Some species are hosts for ]parasitoid wasp
Parasitoid wasps are a large group of hymenopteran superfamilies, with all but the wood wasps (Orussoidea) being in the wasp-waisted Apocrita. As parasitoids, they lay their eggs on or in the bodies of other arthropods, sooner or later causin ...
s of the family Mutillidae
The Mutillidae are a family of more than 7,000 species of wasps whose wingless females resemble large, hairy ants. Their common name velvet ant refers to their dense pile of hair, which most often is bright scarlet or orange, but may also be ...
. ''E. solani'' is parasitized by the wasp '' Pseudomethoca bethae'' and ''E. fulvofasciata'' is host to at least two species of '' Timulla''.
Taxonomy
As of 2007 there were nearly 90 described species in the genus. There are many more species known that are still undescribed.[
Species include:''Exomalopsis''.]
Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)
*'' Exomalopsis aburraensis''[
*'' Exomalopsis aequabilis''
*'' Exomalopsis aequalis''
*'' Exomalopsis affabilis''
*'' Exomalopsis alexanderi''
*'' Exomalopsis amoena''
*'' Exomalopsis analis''
*'' Exomalopsis apicalis''
*'' Exomalopsis arcuata''
*'' Exomalopsis atlantica''
*'' Exomalopsis aureosericea''
*'' Exomalopsis auropilosa''
*'' Exomalopsis badioventris''
*'' Exomalopsis bahamica''
*'' Exomalopsis bakeri''
*'' Exomalopsis bartschi''
*'' Exomalopsis bechteli''
*'' Exomalopsis bicellularis''
*'' Exomalopsis binotata''
*'' Exomalopsis birkmanni''
*'' Exomalopsis boharti''
*'' Exomalopsis bomanii''
*'' Exomalopsis bruesi''
*'' Exomalopsis byersi''
*'' Exomalopsis callura''
*'' Exomalopsis campestris''
*'' Exomalopsis collaris''
*'' Exomalopsis comitanensis''
*'' Exomalopsis compta''
*'' Exomalopsis dasypoda''
*'' Exomalopsis digressa''
*'' Exomalopsis dimidiata''
*'' Exomalopsis diminuta''
*'' Exomalopsis fernandoi''
*'' Exomalopsis fulvihirta''
*'' Exomalopsis fulvipennis''
*'' Exomalopsis fulvofasciata''
*'' Exomalopsis fumipennis''
*'' Exomalopsis heteropilosa''
*'' Exomalopsis hurdi''
*'' Exomalopsis iridipennis''
*'' Exomalopsis jenseni''
*'' Exomalopsis limata''
*'' Exomalopsis lissotera''
*'' Exomalopsis mellipes''
*'' Exomalopsis mexicana''
*'' Exomalopsis minor''
*'' Exomalopsis morelosensis''
*'' Exomalopsis mourei''
*'' Exomalopsis neglecta''
*'' Exomalopsis nigrihirta''
*'' Exomalopsis nigrior''
*'' Exomalopsis notabilis''
*'' Exomalopsis otomita''
*'' Exomalopsis paitensis''
*'' Exomalopsis paraguayensis''
*'' Exomalopsis pilosa''
*'' Exomalopsis planiceps''
*'' Exomalopsis pubescens''
*'' Exomalopsis pueblana''
*'' Exomalopsis pulchella''
*'' Exomalopsis robertsi''
*'' Exomalopsis rufipes''
*'' Exomalopsis rufitarsis''
*'']Exomalopsis similis
''Exomalopsis'' is a genus of bees in the family Apidae. They occur in the Western Hemisphere (Neotropical realm, Neotropical and Nearctic realms).Velez-Ruiz, R. I. and A. H. Smith-Pardo. (2013)New species of ''Exomalopsis'' and its associated cl ...
''
*'' Exomalopsis snowi''
*'' Exomalopsis solani''
*'' Exomalopsis solidaginis''
*'' Exomalopsis solitaria''
*'' Exomalopsis sororcula''
*'' Exomalopsis spangleri''
*'' Exomalopsis subtilis''
*'' Exomalopsis tarsalis''
*'' Exomalopsis tepaneca''
*'' Exomalopsis testacea''
*'' Exomalopsis testaceinervis''
*'' Exomalopsis tibialis''
*'' Exomalopsis tomentosa''
*'' Exomalopsis trifasciata''
*'' Exomalopsis vernoniae''
*'' Exomalopsis vincentana''
*'' Exomalopsis ypirangensis''
References
Further reading
Timberlake, P. H. ''Review of North American'' Exomalopsis ''(Hymenoptera, Anthophoridae)''. University of California Press. 1980.
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4038441
Apinae
Bee genera
Hymenoptera of North America
Hymenoptera of South America
Insects of Central America
Insects of Canada
Insects of Mexico
Insects of the United States