Deceptive-pollination

Guides

• Xeralictus

  Xeralictus sweat bees

  Xeralictus is a genus of small sweat bees in the family Halictidae, subfamily Rophitinae. The genus contains at least three described species, including X. bicuspidariae, X. biscuspidariae, and X. timberlakei. These bees are associated with desert environments in southwestern North America and exhibit specialized pollination relationships involving floral mimicry systems.

  sweat-beesHalictidaedesert-beesfloral-mimicrypollinationRophitinaesouthwestern-North-AmericaXeralictus-bicuspidariaeMentzeliaMohaveadeceptive-pollinationbee-plant-interactions

• Xeralictus bicuspidariae

  Xeralictus bicuspidariae is a rare bee species in the family Halictidae, discovered to play a central role in a floral mimicry system in the Sonoran Desert. The species is one of two rare Xeralictus bees involved in a pollination relationship with Mentzelia involucrata, a yellow-flowered plant in the family Loasaceae. Male bees patrol for females at these flowers, where they attempt to mate with females buried head-first in the blossoms. This behavior has been exploited by the orchid-like plant Mohavea confertiflora, which mimics both the appearance of Mentzelia flowers and the visual cue of a female bee abdomen, tricking males into attempting copulation and thereby transferring pollen.

  beehalictidpollinationfloral-mimicrydeceptive-pollinationsexual-mimicrySonoran-DesertMentzeliaMohavearare-speciesKofa-National-Wildlife-Refugeparapatric-distributionArizona