Kingdom Animalia Genus Trachusa Phylum Arthropoda Rank Species | Family Megachilidae Scientific name Trachusa perdita Higher classification Trachusa Order Hymenopterans | |
Trachusa perdita, the California leafcutting bee, is a species of bee in the Megachilidae family.
Contents
Trachusa perdita inhabits semiarid hillsides with shrubbery or tall grass growth.
Description
The Trachusa perdita bee is dark grey with white bands of hairs on its abdomen. Its pollen basket is located under its abdomen, and the bee grows from one-half inch to three-eighths of an inch. Like most bees, Trachusa perdita feeds on nectar - only the larvae of this species feed on pollen.
Reproduction
Trachusa perdita nests are made when female bees burrow diagonal tunnels into hillsides, which branch off into the individual brood cells. Each brood cell is a small cell lined by leaves and provisioned with nectar and pollen. Once the cell is provisioned with the nectar and pollen, an egg is placed in the cell, where the bee will grow. The nests of T. perdita are lined only with the leaves of the Buckthorn Shrub.
The only other known North American bee in the Trachusa genus occurs in California as well.