Leioproctus huakiwi
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| Leioproctus huakiwi | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Colletidae |
| Genus: | Leioproctus |
| Species: | L. huakiwi |
| Binomial name | |
| Leioproctus huakiwi Donovan 2007[1] | |
Leioproctus huakiwi is a species of bee in the family Colletidae family.[1] This species was first described in 2007 and is endemic to New Zealand. L. huakiwi is a solitary bee, small and mainly black in appearance. It nests in the ground in bare, dry and fine soil. This species has been the subject of a successful translocation in Canterbury in 2005.
This species was first described in 2007 by Barry James Donovan and named Leiproctus huakiwi.[2] The holotype specimen was collected by Donovan and held in the New Zealand Arthropod Collection.[2][3]
Description
This species is small, varying between 7.7 and 11.8 millimetres in length, with the female being larger than the male.[2] Both the male and female of this species are mostly black in appearance with their antennae being mostly brown and their metasoma terminal segment being brown to black with the apex portion being red.[2] The female of the species can be distinguished from similar looking species as it has a raised vertical ridge on its face.
Distribution
Habitat and hosts
This species occurs all over New Zealand in areas of vegetation and have been found at altitudes ranging from sea level up to 1050 metres.[2] Their nesting sites can be found in a wide variety of sites made up of bare, dry and fine soils including on sandy beaches, silty riverbanks, domestic gardens and on golf courses.[2] Their nests may be made in the presence of nests of other New Zealand endemic bees and cannot be distinguished by the eye from the nests of L. pango.[2] L. huakiwi appears not to be selective in its plant hosts and has been seen feeding and collecting pollen from a variety of species, native and introduced.[5] Adult bees have been observed on the flowers of native species such as Carmichaelia stevensonii, Cordyline australis, Hoheria angustifolia, Kunzea ericoides, Leptospermum scoparium, and Veronica stricta.[2] They have also been found on the flowers of introduced species such as Actinidia chinensis var. deliciosa, Daucus carota, and Persea americana.[2]
Behaviour
Adults of this species are on the wing from October until April.[2]
