Descriptions of the Mature Larvae of Three Australian Ground-Nesting Bees(Hymenoptera: Colletidae: Diphaglossinae and Neopasiphaeinae)

Abstract

ABSTRACT Fully fed larvae of three Australian bee species formerly classified as Colletidae: Paracolletini are described and compared in light of recent phylogenetic studies. Two of these species, Leioproctus (Goniocolletes) wanni (Leijs and Hogendoorn) and Trichocolletes orientalis Batley and Houston, belong in the Neopasiphaeinae, while the third, Paracolletes crassipes Smith, belongs in Diphaglossinae: Paracolletini (sensu Almeida et al., 2019). We find that larval characters support the separation of Paracolletes from the neopasiphaeines, in particular the spoutlike salivary gland opening associated with cocoon spinning. In addition, we suggest that nest architecture of P. crassipes includes a feature that prevents flooding of open brood cells, a feature common to a number of other large ground-nesting bees.