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Dialictus
''Dialictus'' is a subgenus of sweat bees belonging to the genus ''Lasioglossum''. Most of the members of this subgenus have a metallic appearance, while some are non-metallic. There are over 630 species worldwide. They are commonly found in the Northern Hemisphere and are found in abundance in North America. Members of this subgenus also have very diverse forms of social structure making them model organisms for studying the social behavior of bees. Morphology Members of ''Lasioglossum (Dialictus)'' are small, about 3.4–8.1 mm in size, and distinguished from other halictids by weakened distal veins on the forewings. Distinguishing between some of the species in ''Lasioglossum (Dialictus)'' proves to be difficult due to their “monotonous” morphology and subtle differences. Some species have been named based on geographic distribution and ecological niche rather than using any distinguishing morphological features. Molecular Genetic barcoding has developed into a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lasioglossum Figueresi
''Lasioglossum figueresi'', formerly known as ''Dialictus figueresi'', is a solitary sweat beeWcislo, W. T. (1997). Social interactions and behavioral context in a largely solitary bee, ''Lasioglossum (Dialictus) figueresi'' (Hymenoptera, Halictidae), 44, 199–208. Retrieved fro/ref> that is part of the family Halictidae of the order Hymenoptera. Found in Central America, it nests in vertical earthen banks which are normally inhabited by one, though sometimes two or even three, females. Females die before their larvae hatch.Wcislo, W. T., Wille, A., Orozco, E. (1993). Nesting biology of tropical solitary and social sweat bees, ''Lasioglossum (Dialictus) figueresi'' Wcislo and ''L. (D.) aeneiventre'' (Friese) (Hymenoptera: Halictidae). 40, 21–40. Retrieved fro It was named after José Figueres Ferrer, a famous Costa Rican patriot, and studies of its behavior are now general models for social behavior studies.Wcislo, W. T. (1991). Natural History, Learning, And Social Behavior i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lasioglossum
The sweat bee genus ''Lasioglossum'' is the largest of all bee genera, containing over 1800 species in numerous subgenera worldwide.Gibbs, J., et al. (2012)Phylogeny of halictine bees supports a shared origin of eusociality for ''Halictus'' and ''Lasioglossum'' (Apoidea: Anthophila: Halictidae).''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' 65(3), 926-39. They are highly variable in size, coloration, and sculpture; among the more unusual variants, some are cleptoparasites, some are nocturnal, and some are oligolectic. Most ''Lasioglossum'' species nest in the ground, but some nest in rotten logs. Social behavior among species of ''Lasioglossum'' is extraordinarily variable; species are known to exhibit solitary nesting, primitive eusociality, and social parasitism. Colony sizes vary widely, from small colonies of a single queen and four or fewer workers to large colonies of >400 workers and perennial life cycles. The genus ''Lasioglossum'' can be divided into two informal series ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charles Robertson (entomologist)
Charles Robertson (1858–1935) was an American entomologist specializing in bees Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamil .... He carried out what is still the single most intensive study of flower-visiting insects of a single locality, culminating in a 221-page book published in 1928 under the title ''Flowers and Insects''. Personal life Charles Robertson was born to parents Dr. William Robertson (1803 -1880) and Nancy Robertson, née Halliday (b.1821), married October 18, 1842. His father, William, was a physician turned farmer and general merchandiser, and his mother, Nancy, was the daughter of a reverend. Charles married Alice McDonald Venable in November 1879 and they had one child, Mary. Robertson died 17 June 1935 in Carlinville, Illinois. Work Charles Robertson ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Halictidae
Halictidae is the second-largest family of bees (clade Anthophila) with nearly 4,500 species. They are commonly called sweat bees (especially the smaller species), as they are often attracted to perspiration. Halictid species are an extremely diverse group that can vary greatly in appearance. These bees occur all over the world and are found on every continent except Antarctica. Usually dark-colored (frequently brown or black) and often metallic, halictids are found in various sizes, colors and patterns. Several species are all or partly green and a few are red, purple, or blue. A number of them have yellow markings, especially the males, which commonly have yellow faces, a pattern widespread among the various families of bees. The family is one of many with short tongues and is best distinguished by the arcuate (strongly curved) basal vein found on the wing. Females in this family tend to be larger than the males. They are the group for which the term 'eusocial' was first coined b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined by humans as being in the same celestial sphere, celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the Solar System as Earth's North Pole. Due to Earth's axial tilt of 23.439281°, there is a seasonal variation in the lengths of the day and night. There is also a seasonal variation in temperatures, which lags the variation in day and night. Conventionally, winter in the Northern Hemisphere is taken as the period from the December solstice (typically December 21 UTC) to the March equinox (typically March 20 UTC), while summer is taken as the period from the June solstice through to the September equinox (typically on 23 September UTC). The dates vary each year due to the difference between the calendar year and the Year#Astronomical years, astronomical year. Within the Northern Hemisphere, oceanic currents can change the weather patterns that aff ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
DNA Barcoding
DNA barcoding is a method of species identification using a short section of DNA from a specific gene or genes. The premise of DNA barcoding is that by comparison with a reference library of such DNA sections (also called " sequences"), an individual sequence can be used to uniquely identify an organism to species, just as a supermarket scanner uses the familiar black stripes of the UPC barcode to identify an item in its stock against its reference database. These "barcodes" are sometimes used in an effort to identify unknown species or parts of an organism, simply to catalog as many taxa as possible, or to compare with traditional taxonomy in an effort to determine species boundaries. Different gene regions are used to identify the different organismal groups using barcoding. The most commonly used barcode region for animals and some protists is a portion of the cytochrome ''c'' oxidase I (COI or COX1) gene, found in mitochondrial DNA. Other genes suitable for DNA barcoding a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kleptoparasitism
Kleptoparasitism (originally spelt clepto-parasitism, meaning "parasitism by theft") is a form of feeding in which one animal deliberately takes food from another. The strategy is evolutionarily stable when stealing is less costly than direct feeding, such as when food is scarce or when victims are abundant. Many kleptoparasites are arthropods, especially bees and wasps, but including some true flies, dung beetles, bugs, and spiders. Cuckoo bees are specialized kleptoparasites which lay their eggs either on the pollen masses made by other bees, or on the insect hosts of parasitoid wasps. They are an instance of Emery's rule, which states that insect social parasites tend to be closely related to their hosts. The behavior occurs, too, in vertebrates including birds such as skuas, which persistently chase other seabirds until they disgorge their food, and carnivorous mammals such as spotted hyenas and lions. Other species opportunistically indulge in kleptoparasitism. Strate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
