''Amegilla'' is a large

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of bees in the

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...

Anthophorini The Anthophorini are a large tribe in the subfamily Apinae of the family Apidae. Species in this tribe are often referred to as digger bees, although this common name is sometimes also applied to members of the tribe Centridini. It contains over ...

. It has been split into many subgenera, including '' Asaropoda'', ''Micramegilla,'' ''

Notomegilla ''Notomegilla'' is a subgenus of the bee 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' ...

'' and '' Zonamegilla''.

Description

''Amegilla'' are generally medium-sized to very large bees, about 10-12mm of robust form. The body and legs are hairy, and the tongue and

proboscis A proboscis () is an elongated appendage from the head of an animal, either a vertebrate or an invertebrate. In invertebrates, the term usually refers to tubular arthropod mouthparts, mouthparts used for feeding and sucking. In vertebrates, a pr ...

are long. All ''Amegilla'' species burrow to make nests and 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" Bands may differ with the sex, with males having more bands than females.

Range and habitat

The genus occurs all around the world, but very few live above 45° North. ''Amegilla'' are associated with arid and subarid biomes,

matorral 300px, Springtime in Santiago.html" ;"title="Chilean matorral a few kilometers north of Santiago">Chilean matorral a few kilometers north of Santiago along the Pan-American Highway Matorral is a Spanish language, Spanish word, along with ''tomil ...

steppe In physical geography, a steppe () is an ecoregion characterized by grassland plains without closed forests except near rivers and lakes. Steppe biomes may include: * the montane grasslands and shrublands biome * the tropical and subtropica ...

s, sub-deserts and deserts. They also commonly occur in farmlands, especially those that border their preferred habitats. They are very fast, agile flyers, and because of this, some taxa are close to impossible to catch. This in combination with the fact that some species are known from only a few specimens means that their abundance and distribution is believed to be underestimated.

Ecology and behavior

Several ''Amegilla'' species, specifically ''

Amegilla nigritar ''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 ...

'' and ''

Amegilla zonata ''Amegilla zonata'' is a species of blue-banded bees belonging to the family Apidae, widely distributed in Southeast Asia, where it is often confused with the Australian species ''Amegilla cingulata ''Amegilla cingulata'' is a species of bl ...

'', pollinate the orchid species ''

Phalaenopsis pulcherrima ''Phalaenopsis pulcherrima'' is a species of orchid found from Hainan Island to western Malesia Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the Equator and the boundaries of the Indomalayan and Australasian realms. It is a phytogeograp ...

''.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-zHu, 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. Females are adept at buzz-pollination, and some species have proven or potential value as pollinators of greenhouse tomatoes. At a glance, they may be confused with honeybees. However, they do not produce harvestable honey or live in colonies. ''Amegilla'' bees also carry their pollen between hairs on the hind legs, whereas in honeybees the hind leg has a smooth, spoon-shaped area where pollen is collected.

Selected species

* ''

Amegilla albiceps ''Amegilla albiceps'' is a species of bee native to Australia. It has a southern temperate distribution, with records from South Australia and Victoria. A member of the genus ''Amegilla'', it was described in 1951 by Tarlton Rayment. Adults have ...

'' ( Rayment, 1951) * ''

Amegilla asserta ''Amegilla asserta'' is a species of bee endemic to Australia, belonging to the family Apidae subfamily Apinae. Females forage by performing buzz pollination Buzz pollination or sonication is a technique used by some bees, such as solitary bee ...

'' (

Cockerell Cockerell is a surname, and may refer to: People * Allan Cockerell (1891–1975), New Zealand soldier and politician * Catherine Cockerell Cobb (1903–1995), British jeweler, silversmith, daughter of Douglas *Charles Robert Cockerell (1788–1863 ...

, 1926) * '' Amegilla bombiformis'' (

Smith Smith may refer to: People and fictional characters * Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals * Smith (given name) * Smith (surname), a family name originating in England ** List of people ...

, 1854) * ''

Amegilla calceifera ''Amegilla calceifera'' is a species of anthophorine bee 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, incl ...

'' (

, 1911) * '' Amegilla calens'' ( Lepeletier, 1841) * '' Amegilla canifrons'' (Smith, 1854) * ''

Amegilla cingulata ''Amegilla cingulata'' is a species of blue-banded bees, bee native to Australia. Currently, several scientific organizations are conducting research on how ''A. cingulata'' benefits agriculture through its distinctive "buzz pollination". Ta ...

'' (

Fabricius Fabricius (, ) is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *people from the Ancient Roman Fabricia gens, gens Fabricia: **Gaius Fabricius Luscinus, the first of the Fabricii to move to Rome * Johann Goldsmid (1587–1616), known by his ...

, 1775) * ''

Amegilla cingulifera ''Amegilla cingulifera'', is a species of bee belonging to the family Apidae subfamily Apinae The Apinae are the subfamily that includes the majority of bees in the family Apidae. It includes the familiar "pollen basket, corbiculate" (pollen b ...

'' (Cockerell, 1910) * ''

Amegilla comberi ''Amegilla comberi'', is a species of bee belonging to the family Apidae subfamily Apinae The Apinae are the subfamily that includes the majority of bees in the family Apidae. It includes the familiar "pollen basket, corbiculate" (pollen baske ...

'' (Cockerell, 1911) * '' Amegilla confusa'' (Smith, 1854) * ''

Amegilla dawsoni ''Amegilla dawsoni'', sometimes called the Dawson's burrowing bee, is a species of bee that nests by the thousands in arid claypans in Western Australia. It is a long tongued bee, of the tribe Anthophorini and genus ''Amegilla,'' the second ...

'' (Rayment, 1951) * '' Amegilla fallax'' (Smith, 1879) * '' Amegilla mucorea'' ( Klug, 1845) * '' Amegilla niveocincta'' (Smith, 1854) * '' Amegilla puttalama'' (

Strand Strand or The Strand may refer to: Topography *The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a: ** Beach ** Shoreline * Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida Places Africa * Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa * ...

, 1913) * '' Amegilla quadrifasciata'' ( Devillers, 1789) * '' Amegilla subcoerulea'' (Lepeletier, 1841) * '' Amegilla subinsularis'' (Strand, 1910) * '' Amegilla violacea'' (Lepeletier, 1841) * ''

'' (

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

1758 Events January–March * January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the starting point of modern zoologic ...

)

References

* Pierre Rasmont, ''Bees of Europe'' (2019) * * ITIS
Genus ''Amegilla''
{{Authority control Apinae Bee genera

Description

Range and habitat

Ecology and behavior

Selected species

See also

References