Neolarra is a genus of cuckoo bees in the family Apidae. There are about 16 described species in Neolarra, all from North America.[1][2][3][4] These bees are smaller than a grain of rice and are kleptoparasites of Perdita bees.
| Neolarra | |
|---|---|
| |
| Neolarra pruinosa female | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Apidae |
| Subfamily: | Nomadinae |
| Tribe: | Neolarrini |
| Genus: | Neolarra Ashmead, 1890 |
Description
editSmaller than a grain of rice, these bees lay eggs in the nests of Perdita bees; the Neolarra egg hatches and the larva eats the egg and food store (of pollen[5]) intended for a Perdita larva. It enters while the host bee is gone to avoid detection.[6]
It is likely that, in order to hide them from the returning Perdita bee, the eggs are inserted into the walls of brood cells (underground chambers).[5] In order to overpowers and kill the young Perdita egg or larva the Neolarra larva develops and uses a hard, sickle-shaped tooth.[5]
Taxonomy
editNeolarra was first described in 1890 by Ashmead, as a kind of wasp instead of a bee.[7] This was corrected by Baker in 1896.[7] The genus Phileremulus, created in 1895 when Neolarra was still considered to be a genus of wasp, was revised to be a subgenus of Neolarra by Charles Michener in 1939.[7]
Species
editThese 16 species belong to the genus Neolarra:
- Neolarra alba Cockerell, 1916 i c g
- Neolarra alexanderi Griswold & Parker, 1999 i c g
- Neolarra batrae Shanks, 1978 i c g
- Neolarra californica Michener, 1939 i c g b
- Neolarra clavigera Shanks, 1978 i c g
- Neolarra cockerelli (Crawford, 1916) i c g
- Neolarra hurdi Shanks, 1978 i c g
- Neolarra linsleyi Michener, 1939 i c g
- Neolarra orbiculata Shanks, 1978 i c g
- Neolarra penicula Shanks, 1978 i c g
- Neolarra pruinosa Ashmead, 1890 i c g
- Neolarra rozeni Shanks, 1978 i c g
- Neolarra ute Griswold & Parker, 1999 i c g
- Neolarra vandykei Michener, 1939 i c g
- Neolarra verbesinae (Cockerell, 1895) i c g b
- Neolarra vigilans (Cockerell, 1895) i c g b
Data sources: i = ITIS,[1] c = Catalogue of Life,[2] g = GBIF,[3] b = Bugguide.net[4]
References
edit- ^ a b "Neolarra Report". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
- ^ a b "Browse Neolarra". Catalogue of Life. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
- ^ a b "Neolarra". GBIF. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
- ^ a b "Neolarra Genus Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
- ^ a b c Best, Lincoln; Melathopoulos, Andony (December 2021). "Rare rabbitbrush fairy cuckoo bee discovered in Oregon". Oregon State University Extension Service.
- ^ Emry, Paige. Our Native Bees. p. 76.
- ^ a b c Michener, Charles D. (1939). "A Revision of the Genus Neolarra (Hymenoptera: Nomadidae)". Transactions of the American Entomological Society. 65 (4): 347–362. ISSN 0002-8320.
Further reading
edit- Ascher, J.S.; Pickering, J. (2019). "Discover Life bee species guide and world checklist (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila)". Retrieved 2019-07-02.
External links
edit
Media related to Neolarra at Wikimedia Commons
