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Megachile
| Megachile | |
|---|---|
| |
| Megachile lagopoda | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Megachilidae |
| Genus: | Megachile Latreille, 1802 |
| Subgenera | |
|
Over 50 subgenera and 1520 spp., see list | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
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The genus Megachile is a cosmopolitan group of solitary bees, often called leafcutter bees or leafcutting bees; it also includes the called resin bees and mortar bees. While other genera within the family Megachilidae may chew leaves or petals into fragments to build their nests, certain species within Megachile neatly cut pieces of leaves or petals, hence their common name. This is one of the largest genera of bees, with more than 1500 species[1] in over 50 subgenera.[2] The alfalfa leafcutter bee (Megachile rotundata) is managed on a commercial scale for crop pollination, and has been introduced by humans to various regions around the world.
- ^ Wedmann, Sonja; Wappler, Torsten; Engel, Michael S. (2009). "Direct and indirect fossil records of megachilid bees from the Paleogene of Central Europe (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae)". Naturwissenschaften. 96 (6): 703–712. Bibcode:2009NW.....96..703W. doi:10.1007/s00114-009-0525-x. PMID 19296064.
- ^ Michener, Charles Duncan (2000). The Bees of the World. Baltimore: JHU Press. p. 556.
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