Sharp-tailed bee

Most Sharp-tailed bees tend to be found in the south of England.

Species introduction

At a glance
Latin name: 
Coelioxys sp.
Family: 
Mason bees
Family Latin name: 
MEGACHILIDAE
Category: 
Insects other

Species description

Species description

There are eight different species of sharp-tailed bees in Britain and, for the moment, we aren't certain which one the individual photographed here might be. All eight of these bees are small, with a length of between 5 and 9 millimetres, with black and white banded abdomens. Most tend to be found in the south of England.

Species photographs

Larger photograph(s) (click to magnify)
Most Sharp-tailed bees tend to be found in the south of England.
All eight of the Sharp-tailed bee species are small, with a length of between 5 and 9 millimetres.

Details

Species family information

Mason bees (also known as leafcutter bees) are mostly solitary bees. Several collect plant or animal hairs to assist in nest construction, whereas other collect plant resin for this purpose. All feed on pollen and nectar, although some of these feed on pollen collected by other bees (and so are called 'cuckoo bees').

Category information

Insects evolved in the Ordovician from a crustacean ancestral lineage as terrestrial invertebrates with six legs (the Hexapoda). This was the time when terrestrial plants first appeared. In the Devonian some insects developed wings and flight, the first animals to do so. An early flying group was the Odonata from the Carboniferous, the damselflies and dragonflies, which have densely-veined wings and long, ten-segmented bodies. They are day-flying carnivores, with an aquatic larval stage, so are commonly seen flying near water. The carnivorous larvae are called nymphs. Odonata species are short-lived, damselflies surviving for 2-4 weeks, dragonflies for up to 2 months.

Some insect groups in the Cretaceous co-evolved with the flowering plants, and they have had a close association ever since. These groups are the Hymenoptera (bees, wasps, and ants), the Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), the Diptera (flies), and the Coleoptera (beetles). The diversity of beetles is astonishing. Of all the known animal species on the planet, one in five is a beetle!