Anthophora retusa
| Anthophora retusa | ||||||||||||
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Head of Anthophora retusa |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Anthophora retusa | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
Anthophora retusa is a bee from the family of Apidae . The black color form of the females is similar to the females of Anthophora plumipes , the light color form and the males aresimilar to Anthophora aestivalis .
features
The bees are 14 to 15 millimeters long. The females have cheeks as long as the third antennae is wide in the middle. They come in two color forms. One of them has black hairs on the body, the splint brush (Scopa) is reddish. In the second color variant, the body is predominantly hairy yellow-brown. The back of the thorax and the discs of tergites two to six are hairy black. There are light, light bandages on the rear edge of the tergite. The splint brush is reddish yellow. The males resemble the lighter color form of the females, but they lack the distinct hair ties on the tergites and the face has a yellow mark. The heel peg (metatarsus) of the middle legs have long, black hair fringes on the rear edge, the claw peg is provided with a few black hairs on both sides. The seventh tergite has a pygidial plate .
Occurrence and way of life
The species is common in Europe. It flies from late March to late July. The females create their nests in sandy or loess-containing soil. Pollen is collected from different plant families. The cuckoo bee of the species is Melecta luctuosa .
supporting documents
- Felix Amiet, M. Herrmann, A. Müller, R. Neumeyer: Fauna Helvetica 20: Apidae 5 . Center Suisse de Cartographie de la Faune, 2007, ISBN 978-2-88414-032-4 .
Web links
- Anthophora retusa in Fauna Europaea. Retrieved June 28, 2011