''Macropis'' is a genus of

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 ...

s in the family

Melittidae Melittidae is a small bee family, with over 200 described species in three subfamilies. The family has a limited distribution, with all described species restricted to Africa and the northern temperate zone. Fossil melittids have been found oc ...

Description

''Macropis'' species are of moderate size, not exceeding 15 mm. They have a livery predominantly black; males are characterized by conspicuous yellow markings on the head, but the females show morphological adaptations related to their foraging habits of flower oils, posterior tibiae with very developed, covered with a dense velvety hairs. Unlike most

, the wing has only two submarginal cells.

Biology

They are solitary bees that dig their nests in the ground. Most species are oligolectic and feed on pollen and floral oils of ''

Lysimachia ''Lysimachia'' () is a genus consisting of 193 accepted species of flowering plants traditionally classified in the family Primulaceae. Based on a molecular phylogenetic study it was transferred to the family Myrsinaceae, before this family wa ...

'' spp. They make a single generation per year. The males emerge from the ground in spring, just before the females, and await the females in the vicinity of the flowers of the host plant. After mating, the females dig a nest in the ground, ending with one or two rooms in which is collected the pollen, which is placed on the egg. The larvae, feeding on the pollen, develop rapidly, and within 10 days turn into pupae, spending the winter in this stage. ''Macropis'' nests are often parasitized by bee cleptoparasites such as '' Epeoloides''.Bogusch P. Biology of the Bee Cleptoparasitic Epeoloides coecutiens (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Osirini) . Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 2005, 78 (1): 1-12.

Species

* '' Macropis ciliata'' Patton, 1880 * '' Macropis dimidiata'' Yasumatsu & Hirashima, 1956 * ''

Macropis europaea ''Macropis europaea'' is a species of insect belonging to the family Melittidae Melittidae is a small bee family, with over 200 described species in three subfamilies. The family has a limited distribution, with all described species restric ...

'' Warncke, 1973 * '' Macropis frivaldszkyi'' Mocsáry, 1878 * ''

Macropis fulvipes ''Macropis'' is a genus of bees in the family Melittidae. Description ''Macropis'' species are of moderate size, not exceeding 15 mm. They have a livery predominantly black; males are characterized by conspicuous yellow markings on the head ...

'' (Fabricius, 1804) * '' Macropis hedini'' Alfken 1936 * '' Macropis immaculata'' Wu 1965 * '' Macropis kiangsuensis'' Wu, 1978 * '' Macropis micheneri'' Wu, 1992 * ''

Macropis nuda ''Macropis nuda'' is a ground nesting, univoltine bee native to northern parts of North America. Thus, this species cocoons as pupae and hibernates over the winter. The species is unusual as it is an oligolectic bee, foraging exclusively for flor ...

'' (Provancher, 1882) * '' Macropis omeiensis'' Wu, 1965 * '' Macropis orientalis'' Michez & Patiny, 2005 * '' Macropis patellata'' Patton, 1880 * '' Macropis steironematis'' Robertson, 1891 * '' Macropis tibialis'' Yasumatsu & Hirashima, 1956 * '' Macropis ussuriana'' (Popov, 1936)

References

Bee genera Melittidae {{Bee-stub