This subgenus includes three of the most common species of Megachile in Florida. These are ground and stem-nesting bees, polylectic, and fly throughout most of the season.
Key to females of Litomegachile
Mandibles angulate between third and fourth teeth; Sixth tergum straight
in profile, the pubescence usually appressed; scopa yellowish....M.
mendica
Mandible not angulate between third and fourth teeth; sixth tergum usually
quite distinctly concave in profile, with abundant erect black hair visible....2.
Terga with conspicuous black hairs visible
laterally in dorsal aspect....M. texana
Terga with only pale hairs visible laterally in dorsal aspect. Scopa of sixth sternum pale, at least in part....M. brevis
Terga with a few dark hairs visible laterally. Scopa of sixth sternum entirely black....M. pseudobrevis.
M. pseudobrevis and M. brevis grouped together here.
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Key to males of Litomegachile
Median teeth of apical margin (not carina) of sixth tergum nearer to each other than to lateral teeth or these distances subequal....M. mendica. Note: the distances are variable, where the median teeth can even be somewhat closer to the lateral teeth, but the distances are close in length compared to those of M. pseudobrevis and M. texana. Apical margin of T5 of M. mendica males lacks fascia.
Median teeth of the sixth tergum definitely nearer the lateral teeth than to each other. Apical margin of T5 fasciate....2
Carina of sixth tergum definitely and quite deeply emarginate medially....M.
texana
Carina of sixth tergum with at most an indefinite median emargination which is often indistinguishable from the more lateral irregular crenulations....3
County Records: Alachua, Putnam, Levy, Bradford, St. Johns, Highlands; Mitchell lists Miami-Dade, Jefferson, Walton
Locations: Gainesville, University of Florida Natural Teaching Laboratory, Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park, Kanapaha Prarie, Ordway-Swisher Biological Station, Austin Cary Memorial Forest, Goethe State Forest, Brooker, Crescent Beach, Matanzas State Forest, Archbold Biological Station; Mitchell lists DeFuniak Springs, Monticello, Miami, Cedar Keys, Crestview, Deep Lake, Homestead
Dates: nearly all year
Plants: Polylectic, but especially Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Lamiaceae
County Records: For M. pseudobrevis - Alachua, Putnam, Levy, St. Johns; Mitchell lists Miami-Dade. For M. brevis - Mitchell lists Miami-Dade, Walton, Escambia
Locations: M. pseudobrevis - Gainesville, Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park, Kanapaha Prairie, University of Florida Natural Teaching Laboratory, Ordway-Swisher Biological Station, Austin Cary Memorial Forest, Goethe State Forest, Crescent Beach, Cutler, Miami, Silver Palm, Hollywood, Miami Beach, S. Miami, Crestview, Homestead. M. brevis: DeFuniak Springs, Biscayne Bay, Miami, Lakeland, Pensacola
Dates: March-November
Plants: Polylectic, but especially Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Lamiaceae
Notes: Variable in nesting habit. Both soil and stems used. Mitchell split out two subspecies, M. brevis brevis and a southeastern form Megachile brevis pseudobrevis, now considered separate species. Nearly all
of our specimens conform to M. pseudobrevis.
County Records: Alachua, Bradford, St. Johns, Gulf, DeSoto, Putnam, Escambia, Liberty, Clay, Nassau, Wakulla, Monroe, Miami-Dade, Bay, Leon; Mitchell also records it from Duval
Locations: Gainesville, University of Florida campus, Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park, Austin Cary Memorial Forest, Hawthorne, Ordway-Swisher Biological Station, Crescent Beach, Brooker
Dates: May-Sept.
Plants: Polylectic, but especially Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Lamiaceae
