PROC. ENTOMOL. SOC. WASH. 97(1), 1995, pp. 86-89 NOTES ON THE BEHAVIOR AND TAXONOMY OF MEGACHILE (XEROMEGACHILE) BRIMLEYI MITCHELL AND ITS PROBABLE CLEPTOPARASITE, COELIOXYS (XEROCOELIOXYS) GALACTIAE MITCHELL (HYMENOPTERA: MEGACHILIDAE) Karl V. Krombein and Beth B. Norden Department of Entomology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20560. Abstract. — Megachile brimleyi Mitchell and its probable cleptoparasite, Coelioxys gal-actiae Mitchell, were studied in south central Florida during August, 1 992. Foraging adults were collected along with other bees and wasps attracted to the flowers ofGalactia regularis and Tephwsia chrysophila. Excavation of two active M. brimleyi nests provided details of nest structure and cell construction. Difficulties in keying both female and male C galactiae are discussed, and revised couplets are provided for females. Key Words: Megachile, nest, Coelioxys, cleptoparasite A brief visit to the Archbold Biological Station (ABS), Highlands County, Florida, provided an opportunity to observe and col-lect Megachile brimleyi Mitchell and its probable cleptoparasite, Coelioxys galactiae Mitchell. Bees were collected 14-16 August 1992, and two active nests were dug up on the 15th. Plants visited by the bees were collected and pressed. Voucher insect and plant specimens are deposited in the Na-tional Museum of Natural History, Smith-sonian Institution (USNM) and the Arch-bold Biological Station (ABS). Study Site Bees were studied along a firebreak cut-ting through sand pine scrub near the south-em end of the Lake Wales Ridge. This nar-row, north-south ridge of sandy uplands is part of the ancient line of dunes that re-mained above water during Pleistocene in-undations. The substrate is composed of loose, small grained, white quartz sand and particles of charred organic material, the residue from repeated scrub fires. The ster-ile, sandy soil is well drained but moist be-low the surface. Materials and Methods Adult bees were collected on plants, and observed as they excavated nests. Plant specimens were put in plastic bags and transferred later to a plant press. The two bee nests were examined after blowing plas-ter-of-Paris into the nest openings to trace their paths, and then carefully removing sand grains from around the tunnels with a tablespoon, penknife, and small paint brush. Nest contents were preserved in Kahle's so-lution, then examined and measured in the laboratory. The bees were identified using Mitchell (1962, 1973) and by comparison with specimens identified by him in USNM. Results and Discussion Nest architecture.— Nesting data have been reported for only one other species of the subgenus Xeromegachile, M. rubi Mitchell in North Carolina (Sivik 1 954) and Georgia (Eickwort et al. 1981). We found
NOTES ON THE BEHAVIOR AND TAXONOMY OF MEGACHILE (XEROMEGACHILE) BRIMLEYI MITCHELL AND ITS PROBABLE CLEPTOPARASITE, COELIOXYS (XEROCOELIOXYS) GALACTIAE MITCHELL (HYMENOPTERA : MEGACHILIDAE)
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