Apinae
Guides
Ericrocidini
cuckoo bees
Ericrocidini is a tribe of cleptoparasitic (cuckoo) bees within the family Apidae, containing 11 genera and approximately 42 species distributed throughout the Neotropics. These bees are obligate parasites of oil-collecting bees, primarily attacking nests of Centris (Centridini) and, in one derived case, Epicharis. Females do not construct nests or collect pollen; instead, they invade host nests, kill host eggs or larvae, and deposit their eggs in provisioned brood cells. The tribe diverged from related lineages approximately 74 million years ago in the Cretaceous, with host specialization evolving synchronously with their Centris and Epicharis hosts during the Eocene.
Ericrocis
Ericrocis is a genus of kleptoparasitic bees in the family Apidae, commonly known as centris-cuckoo bees. The genus comprises at least four described species distributed in the southwestern United States and Mexico. As cuckoo bees, Ericrocis species do not construct their own nests but instead lay eggs in the nests of host bees, primarily in the genus Centris. The genus was established by Cresson in 1887 and belongs to the tribe Ericrocidini.