ROMSO Cyprus Knowledge Base

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Rhodanthidium is a genus of bees from the family Megachilidae. The genus is common in the Palaearktis. There are 13 known species. In Central Europe, two types of Rhodanthidium occur.

Some authors include the species of the genus Rhodanthidium in the genus Anthidium.

In German, these bees are mostly called wool bees, but the German name is not limited to this genus (and seems to be based on a misunderstanding).

Morphology
The Rhodanthidium species are very similar to the species of the genus Anthidium. The animals are medium to very large, about 8.5 to 22 mm long (males from R. superbum to 31 mm). The males are slightly larger than the females. The body is black, usually with yellow or yellow-red drawing (two species are colored red: R.siculum and R. sticticum). The females are brightly haired (abdominal brush) on the underside of the abdomen. In females, the mandibles are yellow with black teeth.

The particularly large R. superbum is very similar to hornets (Vespa crabro, V. orientalis), an obvious mimicry.

A reliable distinction between the closely related genera Anthidium, Icteranthidium, Pseudoanthidium and Rhodanthidium requires more precise morphological investigation.

lifestyle
The bees of the genus Rhodanthodium are solitary, they collect pollen, which they transport with the abdominal brush (hair on the underside of the abdomen). The two species found in Central Europe are polylectic, i.e. they collect pollen from different plants.

The nests of several species are laid out in empty snail shells. The behavior of R. stictium is best known: several males fight for a female and try to copulate. If the female has selected a snail shell for nesting, a male will defend the shell and the immediate environment as territory. The male copulates repeatedly with the female, which brings pollen and builds a brood cell in the snail shell and provides. The screw shell is finally sealed with sand and saliva. Resin is also used as a building material. The screw shell is then buried in sand or under stones.

In R. caturigense, both resin and plant fibers are used to create the cells. The cells are placed in the soil in self-burrowed cavities, partly in aggregations.

Systematic classification
The genus Rhodathidium belongs within the subfamily Megachilinae to the tribus anthidini. This tribe is divided into 37 genera according to Michener (2007) (more in detail in Anthidium). According to phylogenetically systematic investigations, the genera Anthidiellum, Icteranthidium and Pseudoanthidium are closely related to Rhodanthidium (dianthidium genus group).

The genus Rhodanthidium is divided into three sub-genuses (number of species in brackets): Asianthidium (3), Meganthidium (1) and Rhodanthidium s. str. (9).

Species
(to )

Rhodanthidium acuus