Bees of Canada Logo

Megachile campanulae (Robertson, 1903)

Properties

Scientific Name: Megachile campanulae (Robertson, 1903)

Common Name: Bellflower Resin Bee

Taxonomy

Oligotropus campanulae Robertson, 1903: 171 [♀, ♂].

     Lectotype ♂‚ designated by W.E. LaBerge, in Webb (1980: 118). USA, Illinois, Carlinville, 30 July 1888, by C. Robertson, on Campanula americana [INHS, Robertson no. 8320]

Oligotropus wilmingtoni Mitchell, 1924: 156 [♀, ♂]. Synonymy by Mitchell (1937: 391), as subspecies of Megachile campanulae (Robertson, 1903); synonymy by Snelling (1990: 13).

     Holotype ♀. USA, North Carolina, Wilmington, 2 August 1921, by T.B. Mitchell, on Strophostyles [USNM no. 28351].

 

Taxonomic notes: Cockerell (1908: 292) was the first to assign this species to the genus Megachile Latreille, 1802, though he believed that Oligotropus campanulae Robertson, 1903 was a synonymy of M. exilis Cresson, 1872.

Snelling (1990) placed Megachile campanulae (Robertson, 1903) (as Chalicodoma campanulae (Robertson) within the M. exilis Cresson, 1872 species group.

DNA Barcode Index Number (BIN): BOLD:AAD2929

Biology: This species builds its nest in pre-existing cavities in wood (Snelling 1990), accepts trap-nests (Krombein 1967), but will also nest in pre-existing cavities in clay banks (Rau 1926). Nests are attacked by Coelioxys modesta Smith (Krombein 1967). It is believed to be an oligolege of Campanula americana (Lovell 1912: 200). Plant resins are used for nest construction (Rau 1926: 202).

Distribution in Canada: Gibson 1917 [ON, BC, as M. exilis, subexilis Cockerell, 1908]; Snelling 1990 [QC]; Gibbs et al. 2023 [MB].

The records from Gibson (1917) from BC and ON as M. subexilis Cockerell, and M. exilis are suspected of being misidentifed specimens of M. angelarum and M. campanulae (Robertson, 1903), respectively, as neither of the former have been confirmed from Canada.

References

Mitchell TB (1924) New megachilid bees. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 40: 154-165.

Mitchell TB (1937) A revision of the genus Megachile in the Nearctic region. Part VIII. Taxonomy of the subgenus Chelostomoides, addenda and index (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). Transactions of the American Entomological Society 63(4): 381-421.https://www.jstor.org/stable/25077402

Robertson C (1903) Synopsis of Megachilidae and Bombinae. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 29: 163-178.

Snelling RR (1990) A review of the native North American bees of the genus Chalicodoma (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). Contributions in Science, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 421: 1-39.

Gibbs J, Hanuschuk E, Miller R, Dubois M, Martini M, Robinson S, Nakagawa P, Sheffield CS, Onuferko T (2023) A checklist of the bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) of Manitoba, Canada. The Canadian Entomologist 155: E3.https://doi.org/10.4039/tce.2022.45

Gibson A (1917) The entomological record, 1916. Annual Report of the Entomological Society of Ontario 47: 137-171.

Krombein KV (1967b) Trap-nesting wasps and bees: life histories, nests, and associates. Smithsonian Press, Washington, D.C. vi + 570 pp.

Lovell JH (1912) Bees which visit only one species of flower. The Popular Science Monthly 81: 197-203.

Rau P (1926) The ecology of a sheltered clay bank; a study in insect sociology. Transactions of the Academy of Science of St. Louis 25(7): 157-277.

Sociality: Solitary
Nesting: Cavity Renter
Pollen Specialization: Polylectic
Wintering Stage: Mature Larva

Crop Preference: Not Available
Non Crop Preference: Campanula sp.

Distribution: Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan
Ecozone: Mixwood Plains, Prairie

Distribution Map