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Dieunomia triangulifera

Species of bee From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Dieunomia triangulifera is a species of sweat bee in the family Halictidae.[2][3][4] It is found in the central United States from central Illinois and Minnesota westward to Utah and southern New Mexico.[5] Adult Dieunomia triangulifera closely resemble Dieunomia nevadensis, specifically Dieunomia nevadensis arizonensis.[5]

Quick Facts Conservation status, Scientific classification ...
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Life cycle

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Prepupa

In the early stages of its life cycle, Dieunomia triangulifera spends the winter underground as a prepupa in a state of diapause, allowing it to survive harsh conditions.[5] This prepupa can be distinguished from that of Nomia melanderi by sharper dorsal prominences on the thorax,[5] and is butter-yellow with bands of orange between segments.[5]

Pupa

The insect then begins the process of becoming a pupa.[5] For around two to four days after the termination of diapause it makes occasional tiny flexing movements.[5] It then sheds the prepupal skin, a process that takes from one to six minutes in healthy prepupae.[5] This results in a soft, white, and motionless pupa.[5] This then hardens and pigments over a period of time.[5] It then sheds its skin again, over about 5-10 minutes, to emerge as an adult.[5]

Adult

The newly emerged adult has soft, white wings and must remain, motionless, in the cell for about 2 days in order for them to harden.[5] Once this is complete the bee tunnels to the surface: males usually leave within an hour, but females wait at least 24 hours before emerging, spending most of this time just below the surface.[5] The males fly low flights just above the surface, seizing the females as they emerge from the ground and attempting to forcibly mate with them: this usually results in the escape of the female, and copulation takes place rarely or never.[5] Actual courtship occurs later.

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Nesting

Dieunomia triangulifera often establishes thousands of nests at a site, preferring to nest in knolls or gentle slopes if possible.[5] They can nest in a wide variety of soil types and moistures, including sand, sandy loam, loam, silt loam, and clay loam.[5] Each female of the species constructs her own nest.[5]

References

Further reading

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