Amegilla

Amegilla is a large genus of bees in the tribe Anthophorini. The genus occurs all around the world, but very few live above 45° North.[1] Amegilla are associated with arid and subarid biomes, matorrals, steppes, sub-deserts and deserts.[2]

Amegilla
A. cingulata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Tribe: Anthophorini
Genus: Amegilla
Friese, 1897
Species

See text.

Diversity
c. 260 species

Amegilla are generally medium-sized to very large bees of robust form.[3] The body and legs are hairy, and the tongue and proboscis are long.[3] All Amegilla species burrow to make nests,[3] hence they are commonly referred to as "digger bees". Several species have blue metallic bands on the abdomen, and are referred to as "blue-banded bees".

All Amegilla are solitary species. They are very fast, agile flyers, and because of this, some taxa are close to impossible to catch.[2] Females are adept at buzz-pollination, and some species have proven or potential value as pollinators of greenhouse tomatoes.[4]

Selected species

Ecology

Pollination

Several Amegilla species, specifically Amegilla nigritar and Amegilla zonata, pollinate the orchid species Phalaenopsis pulcherrima.[5][6]

See also

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Amegilla.
  1. "Atlas Hymenoptera". www.atlashymenoptera.net. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  2. Denis Michez, Pierre Rasmont, Michaël Terzo [et autres] (2019). Abeilles d'Europe. Vol. 1. Verrières-le-Buisson: NAP éditions. ISBN 978-2-913688-33-9. OCLC 1140375362.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. Houston, Terry (August 2018). A Guide to Native Bees of Australia. CSIRO Publishing. pp. 216–223. ISBN 9781486304066.
  4. Hogendoorn, K; Gross, CL; Sedgley, M; Keller, MA (2006). "Increased Tomato Yield Through Pollination by Native Australian Amegilla chlorocyanea (Hymenoptera: Anthophoridae)". Journal of Economic Entomology. 99 (3): 828–833. doi:10.1093/jee/99.3.828. PMID 16813318 – via Oxford Academic.
  5. Pramanik, D., Dorst, N., Meesters, N. et al. Evolution and development of three highly specialized floral structures of bee-pollinated Phalaenopsis species. EvoDevo 11, 16 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13227-020-00160-z
  6. Hu, X., Lan, S., Song, X., Yang, F., Zhang, Z., Peng, D., & Ren, M. (2021). "Genetic divergence between two sympatric ecotypes of Phalaenopsis pulcherrima on Hainan island." Diversity, 13(9), 446.


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