''Megachile maritima'', common name coast leaf-cutter, is a species of leaf-cutter bees in the family
Megachilidae. It was described by
William Kirby in 1802.
Distribution
This species is present in most of Europe (
Austria,
Belgium,
United Kingdom,
Czech Republic,
Denmark,
Finland,
France,
Germany,
Hungary,
Italy,
Lithuania
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...
,
European Russia
European Russia (russian: Европейская Россия, russian: европейская часть России, label=none) is the western and most populated part of Russia. It is geographically situated in Europe, as opposed to the cou ...
,
Poland,
Slovakia,
Slovenia,
Spain and
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
), in the East
Palaearctic realm and in the
Oriental realm
The Indomalayan realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms. It extends across most of South and Southeast Asia and into the southern parts of East Asia.
Also called the Oriental realm by biogeographers, Indomalaya spreads all over the Ind ...
.
Habitat
These leaf-cutter bees can be found on lowland heaths and on chalk grassland, but they mainly occur on the coast (hence the species name), on coastal dunes with light, sandy soil and on soft-rock cliffs.
[G R Els]
Megachile maritima
BWARS - Bees, Wasps and Ants Recording Society
Description
''Megachile maritima'' can reach a body length of about , with a wing length of about . Head and thorax of these robust, very large leaf-cutters bees are generally black, thickly and minutely punctured and rather hairy. Mandible are very large, with four terminal teeth. Antennae are filiform. The oblong-quadrate abdomen is covered with reddish hairs in fresh individuals, but in older specimen it turns to silvery black. Wings are transparent, darkened at the apex. Hind tibiae and tarsi are strongly swollen. Males have whitish and strongly expanded front tarsi and bushy hair on the front feet.
[
]
Biology
Adults of this univoltine species fly from June to mid-August. They are used to collect pollen from flowers of ''Campanula trachelium
''Campanula trachelium'', the nettle-leaved bellflower, is a species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the large ...
'', ''Centaurea nigra
''Centaurea nigra'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names lesser knapweed, common knapweed and black knapweed. A local vernacular name is hardheads.
It is native to Europe but it is known on other ...
'', '' Cirsium vulgare'', '' Echium vulgare'', '' Erica'' species, '' Eryngium maritimum'', '' Heracleum sphondylium'', '' Lotus corniculatus'', '' Lotus pedunculatus'', '' Ononis'' species, '' Reseda'' species, '' Rubus fruticosus'' and '' Senecio'' species.[
The nest is usually excavated in the ground and the cells are made with cut sections of green leaves obtained from various plants (especially '' Salix'' species and '']Cynoglossum officinale
''Cynoglossum officinale'' (houndstongue, houndstooth, dog's tongue, gypsy flower, and rats and mice due to its smell) is a herbaceous plant of the family Boraginaceae.
Description
It can be either annual or biennial. Leaves are greyish and so ...
'').[Discover Life]
/ref>
This species appears to be parasitized by '' Coelioxys conoidea'' and '' Coelioxys mandibularis''.[
]
References
External links
Buzz about bees
Maritima
Insects described in 1802
{{megachile-stub