David Element
Wildlife
Photography and Digital Video Images
_________________________________________________________________________________________ Hymenoptera 9 – Patchwork
Leaf-cutter Bees
PATCHWORK LEAF-CUTTER BEE Megachile centuncularis (m)
PATCHWORK LEAF-CUTTER BEE Megachile centuncularis (f)
PATCHWORK LEAF-CUTTER BEE Megachile centuncularis (f)
PATCHWORK LEAF-CUTTER BEE Megachile centuncularis (f)
PATCHWORK LEAF-CUTTER BEE Megachile centuncularis (f)
PATCHWORK LEAF-CUTTER BEE Megachile centuncularis (f)
PATCHWORK LEAF-CUTTER BEE Megachile centuncularis (f)
PATCHWORK LEAF-CUTTER BEE Megachile centuncularis (f)
PATCHWORK LEAF-CUTTER BEE Megachile centuncularis (f)
PATCHWORK LEAF-CUTTER BEE Megachile centuncularis (f)
PATCHWORK LEAF-CUTTER BEE Megachile centuncularis (f)
PATCHWORK LEAF-CUTTER BEE Megachile centuncularis (m)
PATCHWORK
LEAF-CUTTER BEE Megachile
centuncularis (f)
·
The
most distinctive feature of the attractive Patchwork Leaf-cutter Bee Megachile centuncularis
is the entirely orange pollen-brush underneath the abdomen of the female.
However, there are several similar species in the genus so it may be necessary
to observe bees without any pollen load to confirm that there are no black
hairs towards the tip of the abdomen, a characteristic of some other Megachile species, and of course in the field
this is not always easy to see as the bees are active and mobile, even though
the abdomen is often raised as they are feeding. Fortunately, most of the above photographs of
females show this feature clearly. The final image shows a bee laden with
pollen. Males lack the pollen-brushes, and their antennae possess 13 segments
(those of females have 12). Although the pale hairs on the abdomen assist with
the recognition of freshly emerged bees these may be worn away in older
specimens.
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