Direct and indirect fossil records of megachilid bees from the Paleogene of Central Europe (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) |
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Authors: | Sonja Wedmann Torsten Wappler Michael S Engel |
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Institution: | 1. Forschungsstation Grube Messel, Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, Markstra?e 35, 64409, Messel, Germany 2. Steinmann Institut für Geologie, Mineralogie, und Pal?ontologie, Universit?t Bonn, Nussallee 8, 53115, Bonn, Germany 3. Division of Entomology (Paleoentomology), Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Natural History Museum, University of Kansas, 1501 Crestline Drive, Suite 140, Lawrence, KS, 66049-2811, USA
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Abstract: | Aside from pollen and nectar, bees of the subfamily Megachilinae are closely associated with plants as a source of materials
for nest construction. Megachilines use resins, masticated leaves, trichomes and other plant materials sometimes along with
mud to construct nests in cavities or in soil. Among these, the leafcutter bees (Megachile s.l.) are the most famous for their behaviour to line their brood cells with discs cut from various plants. We report on
fossil records of one body fossil of a new non-leafcutting megachiline and of 12 leafcuttings from three European sites—Eckfeld
and Messel, both in Germany (Eocene), and Menat, France (Paleocene). The excisions include the currently earliest record of
probable Megachile activity and suggest the presence of such bees in the Paleocene European fauna. Comparison with extant leafcuttings permits
the interpretation of a minimal number of species that produced these excisions. The wide range of size for the leafcuttings
indirectly might suggest at least two species of Megachile for the fauna of Messel in addition to the other megachiline bee described here. The presence of several cuttings on most
leaves from Eckfeld implies that the preferential foraging behaviour of extant Megachile arose early in megachiline evolution. These results demonstrate that combined investigation of body and trace fossils complement
each other in understanding past biodiversity, the latter permitting the detection of taxa not otherwise directly sampled
and inferences on behavioural evolution. |
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Keywords: | Insecta Apoidea Anthophila Leafcutter bees Ichnology Biodiversity Tertiary Eckfeld Messel Menat |
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