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Coelioxys coturnix
Coelioxys coturnix is a cleptoparasitic bee in the family Megachilidae, commonly known as sharp-tailed bees or cuckoo leafcutting bees. As a cleptoparasite, females do not construct their own nests or provision cells with pollen. Instead, they exploit nests of host bees in the genus Megachile, laying eggs in host cells where their larvae kill the host offspring and consume the stored provisions. The species has been documented exhibiting hospicidal behavior, where the parasitic larva actively kills the host egg or larva.
cleptoparasite cuckoo-bee Megachilidae solitary-bee hospicidal-behavior sharp-tailed-bee cuckoo-leafcutting-bee nest-parasite Megachile-parasite native-bee pollinator-community bee-hotel-inhabitant larval-instars-described Pérez-1884 Palaearctic Nearctic Afrotropical Oriental multiple-continents chemical-cue-tracking population-regulation non-stinging no-nest-construction pollen-transport-absent abdominal-spine host-egg-killing larval-development-on-host-provisions seasonal-emergence-synchronized-with-host male-patrolling-behavior nest-tunnel-entry-during-host-absence artificial-nesting-block-use-indicator bee-conservation-indicator-species specialized-parasite native-bee-diversity-component no-direct-agricultural-role observer-interest-species bee-monitoring-target morphological-identification-required-for-species-level genus-level-traits-well-documented species-specific-details-limited-in-sources