''Macrotera'' is a genus of
bees native to North America, particularly diverse in the desert regions of the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
and
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
.
According to Wilson and Carril, there are "around 30" species of ''Macrotera''.
''Macrotera'' are small to medium sized (2.0 mm to 16.0 mm) and often black or reddish in coloration. The genus was treated by
P.H. Timberlake who, in addition to
T.D.A. Cockerell, described most of the known species. ''Macrotera'' used to be considered part of the genus ''
Perdita'' but was split apart by
C.D. Michener in 2000. Most species are extreme specialists (
oligolege
The term oligolecty is used in pollination ecology to refer to bees that exhibit a narrow, specialized preference for pollen sources, typically to a single family or genus of flowering plants. The preference may occasionally extend broadly to mu ...
s) with respect to pollen and will only collect pollen from a few closely related species or genera of plants, particularly the plant genus ''
Sphaeralcea
''Sphaeralcea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family (Malvaceae). There are about 40-60 species, including annuals, perennials, and shrubs. Most originate in the drier regions of North America, with some known from South America. ...
'' and various
Cactaceae
A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Gree ...
.
Species
These 31 species belong to the genus ''Macrotera'':
* ''
Macrotera anthracina''
(Timberlake, 1980) i c g
* ''
Macrotera arcuata''
(Fox, 1893) i c g
* ''
Macrotera azteca''
(Timberlake, 1954) i c g
* ''
Macrotera bicolor''
Smith, 1853 i c g
* ''
Macrotera bidenticauda''
(Timberlake, 1953) i c g
* ''
Macrotera carinata
''Macrotera'' is a genus of bees native to North America, particularly diverse in the desert regions of the United States and Mexico. According to Wilson and Carril, there are "around 30" species of ''Macrotera''. ''Macrotera'' are small to med ...
''
(Timberlake, 1968) i c g
* ''
Macrotera crassa''
(Timberlake, 1958) i c g
* ''
Macrotera echinocacti
''Macrotera echinocacti'', the barrel cactus macrotera, is a species of bee in the family Andrenidae
The Andrenidae (commonly known as mining bees) are a large, nearly cosmopolitan family of solitary, ground-nesting bees. Most of the family's ...
''
(Timberlake, 1954) i c g b (barrel cactus macrotera)
* ''
Macrotera haplura''
(Cockerell, 1922) i c g
* ''
Macrotera knulli''
(Timberlake, 1960) i c g
* ''
Macrotera laticauda
''Macrotera'' is a genus of bees native to North America, particularly diverse in the desert regions of the United States and Mexico. According to Wilson and Carril, there are "around 30" species of ''Macrotera''. ''Macrotera'' are small to med ...
''
(Timberlake, 1953) i c g
* ''
Macrotera latior
''Macrotera latior'' is a species of bee in the family Andrenidae
The Andrenidae (commonly known as mining bees) are a large, nearly cosmopolitan family of solitary, ground-nesting bees. Most of the family's diversity is located in temperate ...
''
(Cockerell, 1896) i c g b
* ''
Macrotera lobata
''Macrotera'' is a genus of bees native to North America, particularly diverse in the desert regions of the United States and Mexico. According to Wilson and Carril, there are "around 30" species of ''Macrotera''. ''Macrotera'' are small to med ...
''
(Timberlake, 1953) i c g
* ''
Macrotera magniceps
''Macrotera'' is a genus of bees native to North America, particularly diverse in the desert regions of the United States and Mexico. According to Wilson and Carril, there are "around 30" species of ''Macrotera''. ''Macrotera'' are small to med ...
''
(Timberlake, 1960) i c g
* ''
Macrotera mellea
''Macrotera'' is a genus of bees native to North America, particularly diverse in the desert regions of the United States and Mexico. According to Wilson and Carril, there are "around 30" species of ''Macrotera''. ''Macrotera'' are small to med ...
''
(Timberlake, 1954) i c g
* ''
Macrotera mortuaria
''Macrotera'' is a genus of bees native to North America, particularly diverse in the desert regions of the United States and Mexico. According to Wilson and Carril, there are "around 30" species of ''Macrotera''. ''Macrotera'' are small to med ...
''
(Timberlake, 1954) i c g
* ''
Macrotera nahua
''Macrotera'' is a genus of bees native to North America, particularly diverse in the desert regions of the United States and Mexico. According to Wilson and Carril, there are "around 30" species of ''Macrotera''. ''Macrotera'' are small to med ...
''
(Snelling & Danforth, 1992) i c g
* ''
Macrotera nigrella
''Macrotera'' is a genus of bees native to North America, particularly diverse in the desert regions of the United States and Mexico. According to Wilson and Carril, there are "around 30" species of ''Macrotera''. ''Macrotera'' are small to med ...
''
(Timberlake, 1954) i c g
* ''
Macrotera opacella
''Macrotera'' is a genus of bees native to North America, particularly diverse in the desert regions of the United States and Mexico. According to Wilson and Carril, there are "around 30" species of ''Macrotera''. ''Macrotera'' are small to med ...
''
(Timberlake, 1956) i c g
* ''
Macrotera opuntiae
''Macrotera opuntiae'', the sandstone mining bee, is a species of bee in the family Andrenidae
The Andrenidae (commonly known as mining bees) are a large, nearly cosmopolitan family of solitary, ground-nesting bees. Most of the family's diver ...
''
(Cockerell, 1922) i c g b (sandstone mining bee)
* ''
Macrotera parkeri
''Macrotera'' is a genus of bees native to North America, particularly diverse in the desert regions of the United States and Mexico. According to Wilson and Carril, there are "around 30" species of ''Macrotera''. ''Macrotera'' are small to med ...
''
(Timberlake, 1980) i c g
* ''
Macrotera peninsularis
''Macrotera'' is a genus of bees native to North America, particularly diverse in the desert regions of the United States and Mexico. According to Wilson and Carril, there are "around 30" species of ''Macrotera''. ''Macrotera'' are small to med ...
''
(Timberlake, 1968) i c g
* ''
Macrotera pipiyolin
''Macrotera'' is a genus of bees native to North America, particularly diverse in the desert regions of the United States and Mexico. According to Wilson and Carril, there are "around 30" species of ''Macrotera''. ''Macrotera'' are small to med ...
''
(Snelling & Danforth, 1992) i c g
* ''
Macrotera portalis
''Macrotera portalis'' is a species of communal, ground nesting, partially bivoltine bees found in arid grasslands and desert regions of North America. An oligolectic bee, ''M. portalis'' gathers pollen only from plants in the genus ''Sphaeralc ...
''
(Timberlake, 1954) i c g
* ''
Macrotera robertsi''
(Timberlake, 1968) i c g
* ''
Macrotera rubida''
(Timberlake, 1968) i c g
* ''
Macrotera seminigra''
(Timberlake, 1956) i c g
* ''
Macrotera sinaloana''
(Timberlake, 1958) i c g
* ''
Macrotera solitaria''
(Cockerell, 1897) i c g
* ''
Macrotera texana''
Cresson, 1878 i c g b (Texas macrotera)
* ''
Macrotera tristella''
(Timberlake, 1954) i c g
Data sources: i = ITIS,[ c = Catalogue of Life,][ g = GBIF,][ b = Bugguide.net]
References
External links
List of SpeciesBugguide
{{Taxonbar, from=Q14491781
Andrenidae
Bee genera