Images

A small crisp little parasitic bee from South America, one of only 3 species, and all apparent nest parasites on their sister taxa Tetrapedia. From the Packer Lab.

A lovely nest parasite of Megachile (leaf-cutter bees)....from Franklin County, Virginia. Picture taken by Brooke Alexander. Photography Information: Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Stackshot Sled, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash in Styrofoam Cooler, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200.

A lovely nest parasite of Megachile (leaf-cutter bees)....from Franklin County, Virginia. Picture taken by Brooke Alexander. Photography Information: Canon Mark II 5D, Zerene Stacker, Stackshot Sled, 65mm Canon MP-E 1-5X macro lens, Twin Macro Flash in Styrofoam Cooler, F5.0, ISO 100, Shutter Speed 200.

Coelioxys alternata, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, collected by Stephanie Wilson at the Morris Arboretum

Coelioxys alternata, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, collected by Stephanie Wilson at the Morris Arboretum

Interesting and very uncommon bee. Meet Coelioxys banksi. I have only seen a couple, both from NJ, I think. What bee is their host? There are specimens from the East Coast and from the West with a hiatus in the middle. Are they different species or are we simply lousy at finding them? What ever is going on , a pretty slick looking bee.

Interesting and very uncommon bee. Meet Coelioxys banksi. I have only seen a couple, both from NJ, I think. What bee is their host? There are specimens from the East Coast and from the West with a hiatus in the middle. Are they different species or are we simply lousy at finding them? What ever is going on , a pretty slick looking bee.

A lovely Coelioxys from Argentina...note the hair emerging from the eyeballs..one of the few groups of bee species to have this characteristic. (honey bees being the most famous hairy eyeball bees). A nest parasite of Megachile, this female is typical in shape of the abdomen, long and sharp designed to insert eggs into the walls of the other bee's nests.

A lovely Coelioxys from Argentina...note the hair emerging from the eyeballs..one of the few groups of bee species to have this characteristic. (honey bees being the most famous hairy eyeball bees). A nest parasite of Megachile, this female is typical in shape of the abdomen, long and sharp designed to insert eggs into the walls of the other bee's nests.

Coelioxys coturnix, male, Cumberland, July 2012, Maryland

Most Coelioxys look similar (don't you agree?), dulled gray black, heavily pitted, with strong patterns of popping white hair bands. Ah, but here, we have one arrayed in batmobile colors, glossy, midnight black with reduced pitting and purple/black wings.

Most Coelioxys look similar (don't you agree?), dulled gray black, heavily pitted, with strong patterns of popping white hair bands. Ah, but here, we have one arrayed in batmobile colors, glossy, midnight black with reduced pitting and purple/black wings.

Most Coelioxys look similar (don't you agree?), dulled gray black, heavily pitted, with strong patterns of popping white hair bands. Ah, but here, we have one arrayed in batmobile colors, glossy, midnight black with reduced pitting and purple/black wings.

Most Coelioxys look similar (don't you agree?), dulled gray black, heavily pitted, with strong patterns of popping white hair bands. Ah, but here, we have one arrayed in batmobile colors, glossy, midnight black with reduced pitting and purple/black wings.

The dark and mysterious nest parasite of Megachile xylocopoides, one of the few records for the state of Maryland, but more are expected as M. xylocopoides spreads northward. This specimen from Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge, Kent County.

First Maryland state record for this species as represented by this male from Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge on a wee island in the Chesapeake Bay. As a Coelioxys it is going to be a nest parasite of Megachile...in this case it is going after Megachile petulans....a species with a more southern distribution.

First Maryland state record for this species as represented by this male from Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge on a wee island in the Chesapeake Bay. As a Coelioxys it is going to be a nest parasite of Megachile...in this case it is going after Megachile petulans....a species with a more southern distribution.

The taper looks of a nest parasite of Megachile. This is Coelioxys gilensis. Found in Yosemite National park and collected for a project done by Lauren Ponisio examining the effect of fire diversity on bees (Ponisio et al. Global Change Biol. 2016).

Still catching up...Here is the face of the Male of Coelioxys gilensis that was posted a while back. Note the fuzzy hairs on the compound eyes...good signature of the genus.

This bee, Coelioxys immaculata, is an uncommon nest parasite of other bees. Almost by definition it must be less common since the young C. immaculata usurps a cell of a leaf-cutter bee, kills the host baby bee and eats its food before emerging the next year. Note the interesting pattern of lobes on its tail end. Mysterious.

I think this was the first confirmed state record (Maryland) for this species (Coelioxys immaculata). It was found in Caroline County in a sandy area. Not clear what it is a nest parasite of (almost certainly a Megachile). Something for someone to do....good amateur project. Picture by Amanda Hong.