|
The following material taken with permission from: Mitchell, T.B. 1962. Bees of the Eastern United States, Volume II. North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station. Tech. Bul. No.152, 557 p.
The mesopleura of Dianthidium are partially divided into anterior and lateral faces by a rather short vertical carina. This carina originates about midway between the front coxae and the prothoracic tubercle, and terminates at the tubercle. The latter is very strongly carinate, and is prolonged along the margin of the scutum, resulting in a carina which is equal in length to that of the pleura. The scutellum is rounded, the posterior face of the propodeum completely vertical. Arolia are present between the claws; the 2nd recurrent vein terminates beyond the tip of the 2nd submarginal cell; and the mandibles are 3-dentate in both sexes. The maxillary palpi are 2-segmented. The hind coxa in the male has a robust, elongate-triangular, posterior spine, which in the female is replaced by a very short rounded tubercle.
These insects construct cells of pebbles glued together with resin. They are placed on twigs, or on roots below the soil surface, or in any available burrows or borings.
|
