BIOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS OF BEES IN THE GENUS CTENOCOLLETES (HYMENOPTERA STENOTRITIDAE)

WA Museum Records and Supplements | Updated 1 decade ago

Abstract
Ctenocolletes consists of chiefly vernal species which forage at plants in several families. Some species appear to prefer particular kinds of nectar and pollen but not necessarily of the same plant genera.

Males either patrol flowers in search of females or (in C. smaragdinus) hover in territories near flowers. Prolonged mating and conjugate flight were observed in three species. In C. smaragdinus and C. tigris, females mounted by males continued to forage and some gathered full loads of pollen.

Two roosting aggregations of smaragdinus males were observed to disperse in the mornings and re-form each evening at fixed sites on foliage. Males of C. tigris roosted solitarily.

Nests of C. ordensis were found loosely aggregated in level ground and each was tended by a single female. Details of the site, nest architecture, provisions, adult activity at nests and associated organisms are provided. Features of nests were their entrance pit and complex cell closure which incorporated a pair of 'false cell-base' partitions. Nests were frequented by gasteruptiid wasps of the genera Crassifoenus and Hyptiogaster.

Adults of C. centralis, C. nicholsoni and C. trieolor frequently carry hypopiaI mites (Acarina: Acaridae). On females the hypopi are normally secreted in unusual cavities beneath the lateral portions of two metasomal terga. Triungulins (Coleoptera: Meloidae) were found attached to adults.