Interesting flies, out and about.

Trap Nesting

Checked my traps today. So far, they are fascinating to ants, spiders, pillbugs, earwigs, and a slug. No Apoidea. Oh well. I put out series 2 (bamboo) and rescued two nests from rain and ant investation. I'll reapply paraffin wax to them and re-set them next week.

In other news, here is a sawfly.

Meanwhile I continue to prepare my proposal, and work on my databasing.

My Subgenus: Litomegachile

The difficulty of identifying and differentiating among these species justifies attention paid to the subgenus Litomegachile. M. brevis and others are often very common bees, and therefore are often encountered by researchers and collectors in the field. Most of the species have broad ranges that may overlap with other species’ ranges. By identifying material in collections and entering locality into the Bee database, the ranges for the species will be better defined. It is probable that each species has a different ecological role, in terms of which plants they visit and where they nest. There are also five subspecies which may be distinct species. I aim to revise this subgenus to determine how many species there actually are, what their life histories are, and how to tell them apart. Knowing how many species exist, and how they maintain distinct populations despite overlapping ranges will be an important advancement in the field of biogeography and the species concept.

Hissing Cockroach Pets

I have a special affection for hissing cockroaches. I started with two roaches: Squeamish and Bowser

Who then spawned a whole colony of offspring.

I also have a colony of Tiger hissers.

One of these offspring is "Switchback" so named for her abnormal abdominal tergite arrangement.

She has the special distinction of having survived

a trip through a washing machine,

with a load of soapy laundry...

Foraging Litomegachile

A film from last summer (July 2010) taken at Blandy State Arboretum. Megachile female, busy foraging on flowers.

The Systematics and Biology of Litomegachile (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae)

The subgenus Litomegachile is part of the large genus Megachile, the leafcutter and resin bees, so named for their habit of using leaf pieces and other plant materials to construct their nests. Litomegachile are some of the most common bees in North America, but they are notoriously difficult to identify to species. Each of the species has a unique range that may overlap with other species’ ranges. It is possible that they have different ecological roles, in terms of which plants they visit and where they nest. There are also five subspecies which may be distinct species. I aim to revise this subgenus to determine how many species there actually are, how to tell them apart, and reveal their importance as pollinators. It is my goal to provide a complete account of the biology, distribution, and morphology of all of the species of this group. I plan to use this information, in combination with an analysis of molecular data to create a phylogeny for Litomegachile. This will be a significant work in addressing not only this group of bees, but results could be useful in addressing other questions, such as how species remain separate when their ranges overlap.

My illustrations are published:

http://www.amazon.com/Honey-Bee-Hobbyist-Keeping-Hobby/dp/1933958944/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

I continue my quest to revise the subgenus Litomegachilidae. It's busy these days, but busy is good. Spring approaches and I am setting out trap nests...