Exaerete smaragdina explained

Exaerete smaragdina is a species of kleptoparasitic euglossine bees.^[1]

Description

Exaerete smaragdina can reach a length of about . Body color is metallic green. The metatibiae are three times longer than wide in both sexes. Like other "cuckoo bees", females lack a pollen-carrying apparatus.^[2]

Behavior

These solitary bees do not build nests, as they are kleptoparasites of Eulaema nigrita and Eufriesea surinamensis. Usually they wait for the host bees to leave the nest, then they lay their eggs in a completed cell. They go through five larval stages. In the second larval stage they kill the host egg. Adult males collect aromatic substances from flowers, mainly orchids. These substances are possibly used in reproduction to attract females.^{[2] [3] [4] [5]}

Distribution

This species is present in Central and Southern America, from Mexico to Argentina.^{[2] [6]}

Notes and References

1. http://www.catalogueoflife.org/annual-checklist/2011/details/species/id/6971686 Catalogue of life
2. http://dugesiana.cucba.udg.mx/dugesiana_jul2007/14_1Exaerete.pdf Exaerete smaragdina at Dugesiana
3. http://www.infojardin.com/foro/showthread.php?t=126527 Abejas polinizadoras de orquídea at Info Jardin
4. Garófalo, Carlos Alberto.; Rozen, Jerome George, 1928 Parasitic behavior of Exaerete smaragdina with descriptions of its mature oocyte and larval instars (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Euglossini). American Museum Novitates ; no. 3349
5. https://www.academia.edu/3077771/Phylogeny_of_the_cleptoparasitic_bee_genus_Exaerete_Hymenoptera_Apidae_ Phylogeny of the cleptoparasitic bee genus Exaerete (Hymenoptera: Apidae)
6. http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20m?kind=Exaerete+smaragdina Disc over life