Amegilla bombiformis
Amegilla bombiformis is an Australian native bee in the family Apidae. It is one of several hairy bee species generally referred to as teddy bear bees due to their fuzzy appearance.
Taxonomy and etymology
It was originally described by F. Smith in 1854 as Saropoda bombiformis from a collection near the Richmond River in New South Wales, before being reclassified in the genus Amegilla in 1965. Its specific epithet bombiformis is Latin for "form of a bumblebee".Description and identification
Amegilla bombiformis is a stocky bee which resembles a bumblebee in shape, and is covered in orange-brown fur. The abdomen has several dark hairless bands, seven in the case of males, six for females. It is similar in size to a European honeybee.Behaviour
A. bombiformis has been recorded visiting Abelia, Buddleja, and blue flax lily flowers in the garden; males rest overnight attached to plant stems. They are found in eastern Australia, from Queensland through New South Wales and into Victoria, and as well as New Guinea and the Aru Islands to the north.The nest consists of several urn-shaped cells at the end of a 10 cm long burrow, located in soil or earth, such as a creek bank in natural areas, or rubble in gardens, with some overhanging shelter. The cells themselves are 2 cm long and lined with a waterproof material. A. bombiformis adds an egg to each with a food supply of pollen and nectar paste. Nesting individuals of species are stalked by the domino cuckoo bee, which hovers silently and observes before entering unattended burrows and laying its own egg, the grub of which consumes the supplies meant for A. bombiformis larvae.