Megachile (Pseudomegachile) lanata Fabricius, 1775

Sardar, Sayan, Warrit, Natapot, Rameshkumar, A. & Kazmi, S. I., 2021, New distributional records of Megachile Latreille, 1802 (Apoidea: Megachilidae) from Indian States, Records of the Zoological Survey of India 121 (1), pp. 23-29 : 25-28

8. Megachile (Pseudomegachile) lanata Fabricius, 1775 ( Figure 2i, 2j )

1775. Apis lanata Fabricius, Syst. Entomol. : 385.

Material examined: 01 ♂, India, West Bengal, Hooghly, Dankuni , 05.i.1978, net sweep, coll. A.K. Roy; 01 ♂, India, Assam, Majuli Island, Garamur Satra , 26.9661°N , 94.0707°E, 14.iii.2019, YPT, coll. A. Rameshkumar ; 01 ♀, India, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Silvassa circuit house campus , 20.26°N, 72.97°E, 23.i.2018, YPT, coll. A. Rameshkumar.

Distribution: India, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat, Rajasthan ( Gupta, 1993), Karnataka, Jammu , Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh ( GBIF, 2020c), Uttarakhand ( Khan et al., 2016), West Bengal (new record), Assam (new record), Dadra and Nagar Haveli (new record).

Floral associations: Cajanus cajan , Crotalaria juncea , Medicago sativa , Parkinsonia sp. , Bauhinia latifolia , Derris pinnata , Pisum sp. , Lathyrus odoratum , Doliches lablab ( Fabaceae ), Grewia asiatica ( Malvaceae ), Tridax procumbens , Helianthus annuus ( Asteraceae ), Lagerstroemia indica ( Lythraceae ), Duranta sp. ( Verbenaceae ), Jacomentia sp. ( Nymphaeaceae ), Ipomoea palmatus ( Convolvulaceae ), Campsis radicans , Tecoma stans ( Bignoniaceae ), Murraya paniculata ( Rutaceae ), Vitex negundo ( Lamiaceae ), Nerium sp. ( Apocynaceae ), Adhathoda vasica ( Acanthaceae ), Jacaranda mimosifolia ( Bignoniaceae ), Justicia thyrsifolius ( Acanthaceae ), Boerhavia diffusa ( Nyctaginaceae ) ( Gupta, 1993).

Discusssion

The present study reveals the new distributional records of 7 Megachile species in 5 different states and 2 union territories of India. Megachile lanata Fabricius, 1775 is reported for the first time from North Eastern India (Assam) which comprises a major part of the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot. Species of Megachile are efficient pollinator of Fabaceae and Lamiaceae and hence can be commercially utilized in agricultural fields as an effective

Figures

Figure 2. Megachile species from India. (f) M. hera ♂ (dorsal view); (g.i) M. vera ♀ (dorsal view); (g.ii) M. vera ♀ (lateral view); (h) M. gathela ♀ (dorsal view); (i) M. lanata ♂ (dorsal view); (j) M. lanata ♀ (dorsal view).