Tribe Anthophorini Higher classification Anthophora Order Hymenopterans | Subphylum Hexapoda Subfamily Apinae Genus Anthophora Rank Species | |
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Similar Anthophora, Bee, Insect, Hymenopterans, Melecta | ||
Hairy footed flower bee anthophora plumipes male performing ablutions
The Hairy-Footed Flower Bee (Anthophora plumipes) is a species of bee belonging to the family Apidae.
Contents
- Hairy footed flower bee anthophora plumipes male performing ablutions
- Hairy footed flower bees anthophora plumipes
- References
They are present in most of Europe, in the Near East and in North Africa. In the 20th century, the species has been introduced into the U.S.
The adults grow up to 13–15 millimetres (0.51–0.59 in) long and can be encountered from March to June, feeding and collecting pollen and nectar on early flowering plants, mainly on (Primulaceae species (Primula veris, Primula acaulis, etc.), Boraginaceae species (Pulmonaria officinalis, Borago officinalis, etc.), Lamiaceae species (Lamium purpureum) and Fumariaceae (Corydalis sp.).
The body is densely hairy, most often gray in males and black or brown in females, but there are numerous color forms over the species' geographic range, which have resulted in this species being described under many different names. The middle legs of males are very elongated with long tufts of black hairs on the tarsi (hence the Latin word plumipes), used as a visual signal during mating. Males are also distinguished from females by having the integument of the lower face yellow, rather than black.
These solitary bees do not build colonies. The females usually make nests in clay slopes and steep walls of mud, where they excavate cells, which they fill with pollen and nectar (as food for the larvae), laying a single egg on each pollen mass.
