Neolarra

Neolarra is a genus of cuckoo bees in the family Apidae. There are about 16 described species in Neolarra, all from North America.^[1][2][3][4] These bees are smaller than a grain of rice and are kleptoparasites of Perdita bees.

Neolarra
Neolarra pruinosa female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Apidae
Subfamily:	Nomadinae
Tribe:	Neolarrini
Genus:	Neolarra Ashmead, 1890

Description

Smaller than a grain of rice, these bees lay eggs in the nests of Perdita bees; the Neolarra egg hatches and the larva eats the egg and food store (of pollen^[5]) intended for a Perdita larva. It enters while the host bee is gone to avoid detection.^[6]

It is likely that, in order to hide them from the returning Perdita bee, the eggs are inserted into the walls of brood cells (underground chambers).^[5] In order to overpowers and kill the young Perdita egg or larva the Neolarra larva develops and uses a hard, sickle-shaped tooth.^[5]

Taxonomy

Neolarra was first described in 1890 by Ashmead, as a kind of wasp instead of a bee.^[7] This was corrected by Baker in 1896.^[7] The genus Phileremulus, created in 1895 when Neolarra was still considered to be a genus of wasp, was revised to be a subgenus of Neolarra by Charles Michener in 1939.^[7]

Species

These 16 species belong to the genus Neolarra:

• Neolarra alba Cockerell, 1916 ^{i c g}
• Neolarra alexanderi Griswold & Parker, 1999 ^{i c g}
• Neolarra batrae Shanks, 1978 ^{i c g}
• Neolarra californica Michener, 1939 ^{i c g b}
• Neolarra clavigera Shanks, 1978 ^{i c g}
• Neolarra cockerelli (Crawford, 1916) ^{i c g}
• Neolarra hurdi Shanks, 1978 ^{i c g}
• Neolarra linsleyi Michener, 1939 ^{i c g}
• Neolarra orbiculata Shanks, 1978 ^{i c g}
• Neolarra penicula Shanks, 1978 ^{i c g}
• Neolarra pruinosa Ashmead, 1890 ^{i c g}
• Neolarra rozeni Shanks, 1978 ^{i c g}
• Neolarra ute Griswold & Parker, 1999 ^{i c g}
• Neolarra vandykei Michener, 1939 ^{i c g}
• Neolarra verbesinae (Cockerell, 1895) ^{i c g b}
• Neolarra vigilans (Cockerell, 1895) ^{i c g b}

Data sources: i = ITIS,^[1] c = Catalogue of Life,^[2] g = GBIF,^[3] b = Bugguide.net^[4]