Leafcutting-bee-parasite
Guides
Coelioxys porterae
Coelioxys porterae is a species of kleptoparasitic bee in the family Megachilidae, first described by Cockerell in 1900. As a member of the genus Coelioxys, commonly known as sharp-tailed bees or cuckoo leafcutting bees, this species exhibits a parasitic lifestyle targeting other megachilid bees. The species is known from North America, with records from Vermont. Like other Coelioxys species, females likely deposit eggs in the nests of host bees, where their larvae consume the host's pollen provisions and kill the host egg or larva.
Coelioxys slossoni
Sharp-tailed Bee, Cuckoo Leafcutting Bee
Coelioxys slossoni is a species of cuckoo bee in the family Megachilidae, first described by Viereck in 1902. Like other members of the genus Coelioxys, this species is a kleptoparasite that targets leafcutting bees (Megachile spp.). Females deposit their eggs into the provisioned nest cells of host bees, where their larvae consume the host's pollen stores and eliminate the host offspring. The species occurs in North and Middle America and includes two recognized subspecies: C. s. slossoni and C. s. arenicola.