Rhodanthidium infuscatum (Erichson, 1835)

Hostinska, Lucie, Kunes, Petr, Hadrava, Jiri, Bosch, Jordi, Scaramozzino, Pier Luigi & Bogusch, Petr, 2021, Comparative biology of four Rhodanthidium species (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae) that nest in snail shells, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 85, pp. 11-28 : 11

Rhodanthidium infuscatum

Material examined.

Four nests from Spain. We found one nest in the city park in Castelldefels ( Spain). The snail shell was found in a stone wall, and there were two cocoons, with hatched bees and partitioning in the nest. The structure of the nest was similar to that of the nest of R. septemdentatum but did not contain filling in the first empty cell. The other three records were collected in Spain by P. L. Scaramozzino. Two nests contained two individuals, and the third nest contained four individuals (mean 2.5 ± 0.5 SD).

Nest structure.

The nests contained 2-4 brood cells and one vestibular cell. Both the brood cells and the vestibular cells were delimited by resin partitions (Fig. 2H ). The vestibular cell was not filled with debris. The closing plug was made of resin mixed with small sand particles. Overall, we obtained 8 adult bees, 6 males and 2 females.

Shell choice.

The nest found in Castelldefels was built in an Iberellus sp. shell and nests from Llanca (Girona) in E. vermiculata shells.

Nest associates.

No nest associates were recorded for this species.

Figures

Figure 2. Photos and schematic drawings of nests of four species of Rhodanthidium. Rhodanthidium septemdentatum A shell of Caucasotachea vindobonensis with closing plug made of resin B schematic drawing of the inner nest structure in the shell. Rhodanthidium sticticum C shell of Eobania vermiculata with closing plug made of resin and soil particles D schematic drawing of the inner nest structure in the shell E photo of the shell with larva, pollen and filling of stones and plant partitions. Rhodanthidium siculum F shell of Eobania vermiculata with closing plug made of resin, sand and shell particles G schematic drawing of the inner nest structure in the shell. Rhodanthidium infuscatum H schematic drawing of the inner nest structure in the shell.