''Stelis'' is a genus of
kleptoparasitic bees in the family
Megachilidae
Megachilidae is a cosmopolitan family of mostly solitary bees. Both that their pollen-carrying structure (called a '' scopa'') is restricted to the ventral surface of the abdomen (rather than mostly or exclusively on the hind legs as in other ...
. There are at least 100 described species in ''Stelis''.
Description
One study of the species ''
Stelis ater
''Stelis'', or leach orchids, is a large genus of orchids, with perhaps 500 species. The generic name ''Stelis'' is the Greek word for 'mistletoe', referring to the epiphytic habit of these species. These mainly epiphytic (rarely lithophytic) ...
'' found they differed a bit from other thieving bees by being hospicidal (host-killing) at all larval stages, and neither it nor its host larva move much, so it is simply a matter of chance when its growth brings it into contact with the host rather than with just the provisions. This is in contrast to other kleptoparasitic bees which usually have their more mobile first instar larva kill the host larva.
See also
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List of Stelis species
References
Further reading
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External links
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Megachilidae
Bee genera
{{Megachilidae-stub