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Megachile sp.
Megachilid genera are most commonly known as mason bees and leafcutter bees, recollect the materials from which they build their nest cells. This one was rubbing its abdomen against the male structures of the flower for collecting pollen.
This family of bees is very special because most of the bees collect pollen in their legs, these bees, instead, collect pollen in the abdomen hairs. Many Megachile species use cut leaves to line the cells of their nests. It is thought that the leaf discs help prevent the desiccation of the larva's food supply.
Spotted on May 30, 2014
Submitted on May 30, 2014
12 Comments
Congratulations on the nomination for SOTW, Ismael Chaves, thank you for sharing and good luck!! : )
Your spotting has been nominated for the Spotting of the Week. The winner will be chosen by the Project Noah Rangers based on a combination of factors including: uniqueness of the shot, status of the organism (for example, rare or endangered), quality of the information provided in the habitat and description sections. There is a subjective element, of course; the spotting with the highest number of Ranger votes is chosen. Congratulations on being nominated!
Thank you Mark and James
Awesome
Super shot !!
Listo muchas gracias juan
Gracias juan voy a copiar y pegar la info por que no soy muy bueno aun con el ingles y voy a buscar mas en internet tambien
Hola Ismael. Voy a postular tu spot para Spot te la semana. Para que tengas más chance de ganar te sugiero que incorpores la información del comportamiento que te expliqué en las notas/descripción de la foto
si me di cuenta de ello pense q era raro o inusual, gracias por aclararmelo
This is a very interesting behavior. This bee is rubbing its abdomen against the male structures of the flower. This family of bees is very special because most of the bees collect pollen in their legs, these bees, instead, collect pollen in the abdomen hairs.
Muchas gracias juan, por cierto muy buena tu foto de perfil jaja
Amazing picture!, is a perfect example how bees pollinate flowers. By the way, this is a Leaf cutter bee (Megachile sp.)