Megachile campanulae
| Bellflower resin bee | |
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| Male M. campanulae | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Megachilidae |
| Subfamily: | Megachilinae |
| Tribe: | Megachilini |
| Genus: | Megachile |
| Subgenus: | Chelostomoides |
| Species: | M. campanulae |
| Binomial name | |
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Megachile campanulae (Robertson, 1903) |
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| Subspecies | |
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| Distribution of M. campanulae | |
| Synonyms | |
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Oligotropus campanulae |
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Oligotropus campanulae
Robertson, 1903
Oligotropus wilmingtoni
Mitchell, 1924
Megachile (Chelostomoides) campanulae var. wilmingtoni
Mitchell, 1937
Megachile campanulae, known as the bellflower resin bee, is a species of bee in the family Megachilidae. Described in 1903, these solitary bees are endemic to eastern North America. Studies in 2013 placed them among the first insect species to use synthetic materials for making nests. They are considered mason bees, which is a common descriptor of bees in several families, including Megachilidae. Within the genus Megachile, frequently also referred to as leafcutter bees, M. campanulae is a member of the subgenus Chelostomoides, which do not construct nests from cut leaves, but rather from plant resins and other materials. Females lay eggs in nests constructed with individual cell compartments for each egg. Once hatched, the eggs progress through larval stages and subsequently will overwinter as pupae. The bees are susceptible to parasitism from several other bee species, which act as brood parasites. They are medium-sized bees and the female adults are typically larger than the males. They are important pollinators of numerous native plant species throughout their range.
Megachile campanulae was originally described in 1903 under the name Oligotropus campanulae by Charles Robertson, an American entomologist from Carlinville, Illinois.Megachile translates from Greek () 'large' + cheil- (χειλ) 'lip'. In Latin, translates as "small bell". M. campanulae has been documented to frequent flowers in the genus Campanula, several species of which are commonly referred to as bellflowers. Subspecies include M. campanulae campanulae and M. campanulae wilmingtoni. The genus Megachile is a cosmopolitan group of solitary bees, often called leafcutter bees and resin bees. It is one of the largest genera of bees, with 1520 species in 56 subgenera worldwide.
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