Bee

Description:

This Bee looks superficially like a honey bee, the right size and with a similar colored and banded abdomen. However, it is not. The thorax and head are a metallic bronze-green and the hair pattern is not the same. It has 3 very large oscelli, which would implicate it in vespertine or nocturnal foraging activity and more than one came to my ultraviolet light during the 3 nights I ran it. I think this is a Halictid Bee because of the curved basal cell of the wings and that is is of the genus Megalopta (http://www.pbase.com/splluk/image/150333...). The bees of this genus are known for nocturnal activity and their eyes are many times more sensitive to low light than diurnal bees.

Habitat:

Came to an ultraviolet light, Finca Argovia, Ruta de Café, Soconusco area of Southern Chiapas, about 1 hour northeast of Tapachula.

Notes:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalopta_... http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?searc... http://www.pbase.com/splluk/image/150333...