Trachusa perdita

Trachusa perdita, the California leafcutting bee, is a species of bee in the family Megachilidae.

Trachusa perdita
California leafcutting bee
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Hymenoptera
Family:
Megachilidae
Genus:
Trachusa
Species:
T. perdita
Binomial name
Trachusa perdita

Trachusa perdita inhabits semiarid hillsides with shrubbery or tall grass growth.

Description

Trachusa perdita is a dark grey bee with white bands of hairs on its abdomen. Its pollen basket is located under its abdomen, and the bee grows from one-half inch to three-eighths of an inch. Like most bees, Trachusa perdita feeds on nectar - only the larvae of this species feed on pollen.[2]

Reproduction

T. perdita nests are made when female bees burrow diagonal tunnels into hillsides, which branch off into the individual brood cells. Each brood cell is a small cell lined by leaves and provisioned with nectar and pollen. Once the cell is provisioned with the nectar and pollen, an egg is placed in the cell, where the bee will grow. The nests of T. perdita are lined only with the leaves of the Buckthorn Shrub.[2]

The only other known North American bee in the genus Trachusa occurs in California as well.[1][2]

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See also
  • Megachilidae Family — its genera are most commonly known as mason bees and leafcutter bees, reflecting the materials they build their nest cells from (soil or leaves, respectively)
  • Hymenoptera — one of the largest orders of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants

References
  1. "Trachusa perdita Cockerell, 1904". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
  2. Milne, Lorus; Margery Milne (2000). National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects & Spiders. Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-394-50763-0.


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