Notanthidium

Taxonomy

Family: Megachilidae
Subfamily: Megachilinae
Tribe: Anthidiini
Genus: Notanthidium Isensee, 1927
Subgenera: Allanthidium, Chrisanthidium, Notanthidium
Common name: none

Overview

Notanthidium are bees with partly or entirely black pubescencepubescence:
short, fine hair
and black integumentintegument:
a tough, protective outer layer
on their head, thorax, and abdomen, with yellow or cream-colored maculations on their abdomen, and often with reddish coloration on their head and legs. They range in length from 7.5–11.5 mm (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.).

Diversity

Notanthidium contains 10 described and 1 undescribed species in 3 subgenera worldwide (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.); none are known to occur in the U.S. or Canada.

Diagnostic characteristics

(modified from Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.)

• Arolia present.
• Juxtantennal carinacarina:
  a clearly defined ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute; usually appears on bees as simply a raised line
  absent.
• Middle tibiatibia:
  the segment of the leg, between the femur and the tarsus
  with one apicalapical:
  near or at the apex or end of any structure
  spine.
• Omaulus omaulus:
  angle between anterior and lateral surfaces of mesepisternum
  without carinacarina:
  a clearly defined ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute; usually appears on bees as simply a raised line
  .
• Preoccipital carinacarina:
  a clearly defined ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute; usually appears on bees as simply a raised line
  absent.
• Pronotal lobe pronotal lobe:
  a part of the pronotum located dorsally on the posterior margin of the pronotum and overlaps the anterior thoracic spiracle
  carinatecarinate:
  having keels or carinae
  .
• Scutellum scutellum:
  shield shaped plate behind scutum
  is rounded and not carinatecarinate:
  having keels or carinae
  .
• Scutoscutellar suturesuture:
  a groove marking the line of fusion of two distinct plates on the body or face of a bee
  forming two distinct foveaefoveae:
  a depressed region of cuticle; in bees this depressed area is usually only very slightly hollow and usually on the face.
  with shiny bottom.
• Female mandiblemandible:
  bee teeth, so to speak, usually crossed and folded in front of the mouth
  with three to five teeth.
• Male T5T5:
  the segments on the top side of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, or T7
  and T6T6:
  the segments on the top side of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, or T7
  both without laterallateral:
  relating, pertaining, or attached to the side
  teeth.
• Male T7T7:
  the segments on the top side of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, or T7
  is curled forward and bilobed.

May be confused with

Notanthidium may be confused with other dark, elongate Anthidiini, such as Aztecanthidium and Anthodioctes, due to a similar rounded, thick body patterned with yellow or white; however, they can be differentiated by the diagnostic characteristics listed above (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.).

Known invasives

There are no known invasives.

Host associations

Notanthidium has been observed gathering pollen from flowers of Phacelia circinata, Quilaja saponaria, and Cereus (Rozen 2015Rozen 2015:
Rozen, J.G. 2015. Nest and immatures of the South American anthidiine bee Notanthidium ( Allanthidium ) chilense (Urban) (Apoidea: Megachilidae). American Museum Novitates 3826: 1ndash;12.).

Nesting behavior

Only three Notanthidium nests have been documented, each unique from one another (Rozen 2015Rozen 2015:
Rozen, J.G. 2015. Nest and immatures of the South American anthidiine bee Notanthidium ( Allanthidium ) chilense (Urban) (Apoidea: Megachilidae). American Museum Novitates 3826: 1ndash;12.). Two nests were made by N. (Notanthidium) steloides. One nest was made in a beetle gallery in a dry branch and consisted of several cells divided by resinous partitions (Claude-Joseph 1926Claude-Joseph 1926:
Claude-Joseph, F. 1926. Recherches biologiques sur les Hymeacute;noptegrave;res du Chili (Mellifegrave;res). In Annales des Sciences Naturelles, Zoologie 9 (10): 113ndash;268.). The other nest was found in a hollow piece of bamboo, and the cell partitions were made up of viscous matter from Gymnocladus pods (Claude-Joseph 1926Claude-Joseph 1926:
Claude-Joseph, F. 1926. Recherches biologiques sur les Hymeacute;noptegrave;res du Chili (Mellifegrave;res). In Annales des Sciences Naturelles, Zoologie 9 (10): 113ndash;268.). The most recently documented nest was made by N. (Allanthidium) bizonatum, and was made up of a resinous mass containing four cells and surrounding a thin Baccharis tola subsp. santelicis stem (Rozen 2015Rozen 2015:
Rozen, J.G. 2015. Nest and immatures of the South American anthidiine bee Notanthidium ( Allanthidium ) chilense (Urban) (Apoidea: Megachilidae). American Museum Novitates 3826: 1ndash;12.).

Distribution

Notanthidium is known only from the western coast of South America in Peru, Chile, and Argentina (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.).

​Distribution map generated by Discover Life -- click on map for details, credits, and terms of use.

References

Claude-Joseph, F. 1926. Recherches biologiques sur les Hyménoptères du Chili (Mellifères). In Annales des Sciences Naturelles, Zoologie Vol. 9, No. 10, pp. 113-268.

Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World. 2nd. Ed. Johns Hopkins, Baltimore and London, 953 pp

Rozen, J.G. 2015. Nest and immatures of the South American Anthidiine Bee Notanthidium (Allanthidium) chilense (Urban) (Apoidea: Megachilidae). American Museum Novitates 3826:1–12.