THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS SCIENCE BULLETIN Vol. 51, No. 14, pp. 463-482 September 26, 1978 A Comparative Anatomical Study of Mandibular Structure in Bees^ (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) Charles D. Michexer and Anne Fraser TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract 463 Introduction 463 Materials 464 Basic Structure and Terminology 466 Mandibular base 466 Mandibular surfaces 466 Outer surface 467 Distal margin 473 Summary and abbreviations 473 Comparative Study 474 Parasitic Anthophorids 476 Hyelaeinae and Xeromelissinae 477 Xylocopinae and Lithurginae 477 Megachilinae 478 Meliponinae and Apinae 479 Bombinae 479 Discussion and Conclusions 480 Acknowledgements 482 Literature Cited 482 ABSTRACT Mandibular structures, particularly the ridges and grooves of the outer and inner surfaces, were investigated and illustrated for all major groups of Apoidea. A nomenclature is provided for these structures, and homologies among apoid groups are indicated. A basic mandibular type is found among sphecoid wasps, all short tongued families of bees, and also the Antho-phoridae and Fideliidae. Various modifications are found within some of these groups, such as the parasitic anthophorids, the Hylaeinae and Xeromelissinae, and the Xylocopinae. Mark-edly modified mandibles characterize the Megachilidae and the Apidae. INTRODUCTION The taxonomic literature on bees con-emphasizing the distal parts of mandibles tains many descriptions and illustrations — the apical margins and teeth. These are features whose form is easily seen if the ^Contnbufon number 1663 from the Department mandibles are open and whose functions or tntomology, The University or Kansas, Lawrence, ' Kansas 66045, U.S.A. are sometimes obvious, e.g., cutting edges
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