Ctenoplectra
This week’s featured insect is a species of the genus Ctenoplectra, a member of the same family (Apidae) as the honeybees and stingless bees among others. There are 16 described Ctenoplectra species distributed in Africa and Asia with one Australian species. The genus does not occur in the Neotropical or the Nearctic realms. Recent molecular work showed that Ctenoplectra likely originated in Africa, later dispersing to Asia and most recently to Australia. Like most pollen-collecting bees, Ctenoplectra are equipped with a well-developed scopa (indicated by the red arrow) a brush-like aggregation of hairs found on the hind tibia and used to collect pollen. However, Ctenoplectra females go all-in on collecting diverse foodstuffs for their progeny and themselves. Females have a dense clump of thicker hairs on the posterior ventral surface of the bee, indicated here by the black arrow. These specialized hairs are used in the collection of floral oils and work together with the large comb-like spurs found also on the hind tibia. In Asia, Cucurbitaceae (Momordica species) are known to be important sources of oil and pollen and Ctenoplectra are likely to exploit Momordica species in Africa as well. Momordica also provides a source of nectar used to maintain the adult bees’ activity.
Credits: Dr Robert Copeland