MegachileMegachile aurifrons Megachile erythropyga Megachile (Eutricharaea) Megachile (Hackeriapis) canifrons Megachile (Hackeriapis) rhodura Megachile punctata Megachile (Rhodomegachile) deanii Megachile semiluctuosa Megachile (Thaumatosoma) Megachile ustulata

Megachile punctata are a large black bee, with dark wings and white hairs covering T6. They have dense white hairs on the sides and rear of the thorax and four small white hair patches behind the scutum.

Megachile punctata (Black Resin Bee) nesting in my bamboo bee hotel, Ballandean QLD © Marc Newman
Megachile punctata (Black Resin Bee) nesting in my bamboo bee hotel, Ballandean QLD © Marc Newman

The female of the species are about 13 mm in length whilst the male is about 10-13 mm in length.

The female features include white facial hair and white abdominal scopa. The male has bright orange facial hairs and forelegs not modified.

Megachile punctata (Black Resin Bee) nesting in my bamboo bee hotel, Ballandean QLD © Marc Newman
Megachile punctata (Black Resin Bee) nesting in my bamboo bee hotel, Ballandean QLD © Marc Newman
Megachile punctata (Black Resin Bee) nesting in my bamboo bee hotel, Ballandean QLD © Marc Newman
Megachile punctata (Black Resin Bee) nesting in my bamboo bee hotel, Ballandean QLD © Marc Newman
Megachile punctata (Black Resin Bee) nesting in my bamboo bee hotel, Ballandean QLD © Marc Newman
Megachile punctata (Black Resin Bee) nesting in my bamboo bee hotel, Ballandean QLD © Marc Newman

Megachile punctata harvesting waxy material from a disused stingless bee nest in Ballandean, Queensland.

Megachile punctata harvesting waxy material from a disused stingless bee nest, Ballandean QLD © Marc Newman
Megachile punctata harvesting waxy material from a disused stingless bee nest © Marc Newman
  • Scientific classification
  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Arthropoda
  • Subphylum: Hexapoda
  • Class: Insecta
  • Informal: Pterygotes
  • Order: Hymenoptera
  • Superfamily: Apoidea
  • Informal: Apiformes
  • Family: Megachilidae
  • Subfamily: Megachilinae
  • Tribe: Megachilini
  • Genus: Megachile
  • Species: Megachile punctata

Footnote & References

  1. Photographs Megachile punctata © Marc Newman, Flickr, https://flickr.com/photos/koolbee/albums
  2. Megachile punctata Smith, 1853, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/25743647-27ff-4ac2-b503-5b507867fab8
  3. The Bee Hotel ID Guide, Bee Aware of Your Native Bees, A Community Based Project, Written by Megan Halcroft and Michael Batley, Produced by the Office of Sustainability, University of Western Sydney, https://www.beesbusiness.com.au/articles/Halcroft_and_Batley_The_Bee_Hotel_ID_Guide.pdf
  4. Megachilidae, https://michaelbatley.github.io/Bee-ID-SM/help.htm

MegachileMegachile aurifrons Megachile erythropyga Megachile (Eutricharaea) Megachile (Hackeriapis) canifrons Megachile (Hackeriapis) rhodura Megachile punctata Megachile (Rhodomegachile) deanii Megachile semiluctuosa Megachile (Thaumatosoma) Megachile ustulata

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