Systematic and biological studies of the family Andrenidae of Japan (Hymenoptera, Apoidea) Part Ⅰ. Biology

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  • Systematic and biological studies of the family Andrenidae of Japan(Hymenoptera,Apoidea),1

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Bishoff (1927, p. 224) stated that "In der grossen Gattung Andrena herrscht, soweit bisher bekannt, eine rechte Einförmigkeit im Nestbau." This is true so far as my observations are concerned. Thus, the nest of Andrena is always dug in the ground and consists of a main burrow with short lateral tunnels leading to the brood cells. The cells are placed usually subhorizontally to subvertically (see Figs. 4, 8,9, etc.), not as "nearly or quite vertically" as stated by Lanham (1949, p. 190). The cells are usually lined internally with a very thin coating of transparent membrane, and provided with a pollen cake on which an egg is depos ited. The pollen cake is, as already seen in previous chapters, quite spherical in Andrena (Chrysolldrcna) Imulhi Alfken, but it is condensed dorsa-ventrally in Alldrena (Gymnandrena) parathoracica Hirashima. It is of interest to note that the pollen cake of Atldrena parathoracica is ringed with liquid honey just as in Andrena ovina Klug reported by Malyshev (1926). So far as I know, this nature is only rarely observed in Andrena. A chain of brood cells is, usually less than five in number, found at the end of the lateral tunnels in the nests of Andrena. In Andrena parathoracica, for example, usually four cells are placed in a line as shown in Fig. 11. On rare occasions, however, only a single cell is constructed at the end of the lateral tunne ls in certain species of Andrena. Bohart (1952, p. 112) shows the nest of Andrena subauslralist in such a condition and Kawamura (1961, p. 21) that of Andrena prostomias Perez. The latter named species belongs, so far as my investigation goes, to a new subgenus which will be described in Part Ⅱ of this paper and is considered to be primitive in the hierarchy of Andrena. As can be seen from Figs. 16-21, interestingly, the nest of Panurginus crawfordi Cockerell belongs to the same type. Rozen (1958. p. 43) shows the nests of Nomadopsis anthidius (of the type of Panurginus crawfordi) and Nomadopsis euphorbiae (of the type of most of Andrena), both of which belong to the subfamily Panurginae in the family Andrenidae. Thus, now it is clear that there exist two types of nest construction among the bees of Andrenidae, even in the genus Alldrella.

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