Agapostemon
| Agapostemon | |
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| Agapostemon texanus | |
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| Genus: | Agapostemon Guérin-Méneville, 1844
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The genus Agapostemon is a common group of Western Hemisphere sweat bees, most of which are known as metallic green sweat bees for their color.
They are of generally green or blue appearance (head and thorax almost always, sometimes also the abdomen in females, most males have the abdomen yellow banded on a black or metallic background).
Some 42 species are in the genus, which ranges from Canada to Argentina. They superficially resemble various members of another tribe, Augochlorini, which are also typically metallic greenish in appearance.
All species nest in the ground, sometimes in dense aggregations. Some species are communal, i.e. multiple females share the same nest entrance but beneath the common entrance burrow construct their own portion of the nest, dig their own brood cells and collect pollen and nectar to fashion the pollen ball upon which they will lay an egg.
Unlike many other social bees, there is no reproductive division of labour. The advantage of this form of sociality seems to be that cleptoparasitic Nomada bees have greater difficulty gaining access to the nest and brood cells when there are multiple females inside.
In cool temperate regions at least, there is one generation a year with females being active in early summer and males and pre-diapausing females active in late summer. Only mated females survive the winter. Males can often be seen in large numbers flying around shrubs with large flowers, such as Rose of Sharon.
Species[1]
- Agapostemon aenigma
- Agapostemon alayoi
- Agapostemon angelicus
- Agapostemon ascius
- Agapostemon atrocaeruleus
- Agapostemon boliviensis
- Agapostemon centratus
- Agapostemon chapadensis
- Agapostemon chiriquiensis
- Agapostemon coloradinus
- Agapostemon columbi
- Agapostemon cubensis
- Agapostemon cyaneus
- Agapostemon erebus
- Agapostemon femoratus
- Agapostemon heterurus
- Agapostemon inca
- Agapostemon insularis
- Agapostemon intermedius
- Agapostemon jamaicensis
- Agapostemon kohliellus
- Agapostemon krugii
- Agapostemon lanosus
- Agapostemon leunculus
- Agapostemon melliventris
- Agapostemon mexicanus
- Agapostemon mourei
- Agapostemon nasutus
- Agapostemon obliquus
- Agapostemon obscuratus
- Agapostemon ochromops
- Agapostemon peninsularis
- Agapostemon poeyi
- Agapostemon rhopalocerus
- Agapostemon sapphirinus
- Agapostemon semimelleus
- Agapostemon sericeus
- Agapostemon splendens
- Agapostemon swainsonae
- Agapostemon texanus
- Agapostemon tyleri
- Agapostemon viequesensis
- Agapostemon virescens
- Agapostemon viridulus
References
- ^ Bisby F.A.; Roskov Y.R.; Orrell T.M.; Nicolson D.; Paglinawan L.E.; Bailly N.; Kirk P.M.; Bourgoin T.; Baillargeon G.; Ouvrard D. (2011). "Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist". Species 2000: Reading, UK. Retrieved September 24, 2012.
External links
Media related to Agapostemon at Wikimedia Commons- Agapostemon identification guide
- List of species
- Worldwide species map
- Genus Agapostemon on BugGuide
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