''Amegilla bombiformis'', commonly known as the teddy bear bee or golden haired mortar bee, is an

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

native

bee 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 ...

in the family

Apidae Apidae is the largest family within the superfamily Apoidea, containing at least 5700 species of bees. The family includes some of the most commonly seen bees, including bumblebees and honey bees, but also includes stingless bees (also used for ...

. It was originally described by F. Smith in 1854 as ''Saropoda bombiformis'' from a collection near the

Richmond River The Richmond River is a river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may ...

in New South Wales, before being reclassified in the genus ''

Amegilla ''Amegilla'' is a large genus of bees in the tribe Anthophorini. It has been split into many subgenera, including '' Asaropoda'', ''Micramegilla,'' '' Notomegilla'' and '' Zonamegilla''. Description ''Amegilla'' are generally medium-sized to ...

'' in 1965. Its specific epithet ''bombiformis'' is

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

for "form of a bumblebee". ''Amegilla bombiformis'' is a stocky bee which resembles a

bumblebee A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only Extant taxon, extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct r ...

in shape, and is covered in orange-brown fur. The abdomen has several dark hairless bands, seven in the case of males, six for females. It is similar in size to a

European honeybee The western honey bee or European honey bee (''Apis mellifera'') is the most common of the 7–12 species of honey bees worldwide. The genus name ''Apis'' is Latin for 'bee', and ''mellifera'' is the Latin for 'honey-bearing' or 'honey-carrying', ...

. Teddy bear bees have been recorded visiting ''

Abelia ''Abelia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae. The genus currently includes six species native to China, Taiwan, and Vietnam. The genus previously contained about 30 species and hybrids. Molecular phylogen ...

'', ''

Buddleja ''Buddleja'' (; ''Buddleia''; also historically given as ''Buddlea'') is a genus comprising over 140 species of flowering plants endemicity, endemic to Asia, Africa, and the Americas. The generic name bestowed by Carl Linnaeus, Linnaeus posthu ...

'', and blue flax lily (''

Dianella caerulea ''Dianella caerulea'', commonly known as the blue flax-lily, blueberry lily, or paroo lily, is a perennial herb of the family Asphodelaceae, subfamily Hemerocallidoideae, found across the eastern states of Australia and Tasmania. It is a hardy p ...

'') flowers in the garden; males rest overnight attached to plant stems. They are found in eastern Australia, from Queensland through New South Wales and into Victoria, and as well as

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

and the

Aru Islands Aru or ARU may refer to: Education * Alpha Rho Upsilon, a defunct fraternity in the United States * Anglia Ruskin University, a university in England * Ardhi University, a Tanzanian public university Places * Aru Islands Regency, a group of i ...

to the north. In 2017, A new species of teddy bear bee (Asarapoda) was discovered in the small town of

Laura, Queensland Laura is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Cook, Queensland, Australia. It is the centre for the largest collection of prehistoric rock art in the world, including Quinkan Country which is on the Australian National Heritage List. In ...

. Identifiable by its unique bands that cover the bees abdomen. Most other species in this group do not have clear hair bands but are almost entirely fluffy orange-brown. The nest consists of several urn-shaped cells at the end of a 10 cm (4 in) long burrow, located in soil or earth, such as a creek bank in natural areas, or rubble in gardens, with some overhanging shelter. The cells themselves are 2 cm (0.8 in) long and lined with a waterproof material. The teddy bear bee adds an egg to each with a food supply of pollen and nectar paste. Nesting individuals of species are stalked by the domino cuckoo bee ('' Thyreus lugubris''), which hovers silently and observes before entering unattended burrows and laying its own egg, the grub of which consumes the supplies meant for the teddy bear bee larvae. A research study published in 2010 by the Australian Journal of Entomology conducted research on the microbial pathogens that contribute to colony death among ''A. bombiformis'', as well as other Australian bee species. They concluded that fungal microbial pathogens are a likely contributor to colony deaths among the various species. Through primarily spore germination, fungal pathogens may have been agents of the social evolution among Australian bee species.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2480719 Apinae Hymenoptera of Australia Insects described in 1854