Hylaeus alcyoneus
| Banksia bee | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Hylaeus alcyoneus male | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Colletidae |
| Genus: | Hylaeus |
| Species: | H. alcyoneus |
| Binomial name | |
| Hylaeus alcyoneus Erichson, 1842 | |
Hylaeus alcyoneus, commonly known as the banksia bee, is a bee species endemic to Australia where it is commonly found in the coastal heaths of eastern and southern Western Australia. This bee is an important pollinator of Banksia species.
Taxonomy
[edit]The banksia bee was originally described by German entomologist Wilhelm Ferdinand Erichson in 1842.[1] Its specific epithet is derived from the Ancient Greek halcyon (meaning “kingfisher”), relating to the kingfisher-blue colour of the abdomen.[2] The common name refers to the species’ particular fondness for visiting banksia flowers.[3] It is the only species in the subgenus Macrohylaeus, as proposed by Charles Michener in 1965.[1]
Description
[edit]This is a relatively large and robustly-built species of bee, measuring 8.5-12mm in length.[4] On average, males are significantly larger than females, which is unusual amongst hymenopterans.[5] Both sexes have a black head and thorax, black legs and a metallic blue abdomen.[4] Females have three vertical yellow marks on the face, while in males the face is more extensively yellow.[6] The tubercle next to each wing socket is yellow, and males have a yellow stripe across the front of the thorax (just behind the head).[4]
There is a sparse covering of moderately long hair over most of the body and legs. The hair is dark on top of the head, top of the thorax and end of the abdomen, but white everywhere else. Males tend to have denser and more conspicuous hair. Large males have hairier abdomens than smaller males – an example of allometry.[4]
Large males have a pair of spines on the underside of the abdomen. These spines are reduced or absent in smaller males, and absent in females.[4] The antennae are black on the upper side and brownish on the underside.[7] In males the first antennal segments (scapes) are slightly expanded and they bear epidermal glands.[8] The mandibles have three teeth in females, two in males.[6]
Distribution and habitat
[edit]The banksia bee is endemic to Australia, with records from Western Australia, South Australia (including Kangaroo Island), Victoria, Tasmania, New South Wales and Queensland.[9] It prefers a temperate climate, but also extends into subtropical zones.[6] It is common in coastal heaths.[5]
Behaviour and ecology
[edit]
Males of different sizes have been shown to display different feeding behaviour. Large males perch and defend Banksia inflorescences that are in high positions on the shrub where they feed; small males feed closer to the ground and patrol circuits including several inflorescences. Displacement of large males from the perches is almost always by an even larger male.[10]
Western Australian banksias which the bee has been recorded visiting include Banksia ashbyi, B. coccinea, B. hookeriana, B. ilicifolia, B. menziesii, B. prionotes, B. sessilis, and B. speciosa. Other species include Allocasuarina campestris, Grevillea cagiana, G. eriostachya, Isopogon dubius, and Xanthorrhoea species.[11]
The Banksia bee faces competition from the introduced European honey bee (Apis mellifera). In sites where the species coexist, the Banksia bee has significantly fewer nests than it has on sites where there is no competition.[12] A banksia bee nest consists of several cavities or cells within hollowed pieces of wood. A parent bee places provisions of pollen and nectar in each cell, along with a single egg.[2]
References
[edit]- 1 2 Michener, Charles D. (2007). The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 209. ISBN 978-0-8018-8573-0.
- 1 2 Dollin, Anne; Batley, Michael; Robinson, Martyn; Faulkner, Brian (2017). Native Bees of the Sydney Region (3rd ed.). North Richmond, NSW: Australian Native Bee Research Centre. pp. 35, 64. ISBN 978-1-876307-23-3.
- ↑ "The secret lives of blue banksia bees". Taxonomy Australia. 2020-11-15. Archived from the original on 2026-06-06. Retrieved 2026-08-01.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Houston, TF (September 1981). "A revision of the Australian hylaeine bees (Hymenoptera : Colletidae). II". Australian Journal of Zoology Supplementary Series. 29 (80): 1–128. doi:10.1071/AJZS080.
- 1 2 Paini, Dean R.; Bailey, Winston J. (December 2002). "Seasonal sex ratio and unbalanced investment sex ratio in the Banksia bee Hylaeus alcyoneus". Ecological Entomology. 27 (6): 713–719. Bibcode:2002EcoEn..27..713P. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2311.2002.00459.x.
- 1 2 3 Jacobi, Bernhard (2025). Native Bees of Australia. Reed New Holland Publishers. pp. 154–155. ISBN 9781760796372.
- ↑ Smith, Frederick (1853). Catalogue of hymenopterous insects in the collection of the British museum. p. 29. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.20858.
- ↑ Houston, TF (August 1975). "A revision of the Australian hylaeine bees (Hymenoptera : Colletidae). I. Introductory material and the genera Heterapoides Sandhouse, Gephyrohylaeus Michener, Huleoides Smith, Pharohylaeus Michener, Hemirhiza Michener, Amphylaeus Michener and Meroglossa". Australian Journal of Zoology Supplementary Series. 23 (36): 1–135. doi:10.1071/AJZS036.
- ↑ "PaDIL". www.padil.gov.au. Retrieved 2026-08-01.
- ↑ Alcock, John (1994). "Body size and its effect on male-male competition in Hylaeus alcyoneus (Hymenoptera: Colletidae)". Journal of Insect Behavior. 8 (2): 149–159. Bibcode:1994JIBeh...8..149A. doi:10.1007/BF01988901.
- ↑ Houston, Terry F. (June 2000). Native Bees on Wildflowers in Western Australia. Perth, WA: Western Australian Museum. p. 41. ISBN 0-646-39816-4.
- ↑ Paini, Dean R.; Roberts, J. Dale (May 2005). "Commercial honey bees (Apis mellifera) reduce the fecundity of an Australian native bee (Hylaeus alcyoneus)". Biological Conservation. 123 (1): 103–112. Bibcode:2005BCons.123..103P. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2004.11.001.