Monday, March 28, 2011

Amazing! Megachile Pluto, The World's Largest Bees Originating From Indonesia

Megachile Pluto is a very large bee found in Indonesia (bees that use resins to create a compartment in the nest). can females by 39 mm (1.5 ") with wing length of 63 mm (2.5"), Megachile Pluto is considered the largest bee in the world, and is also known as Wallace's Giant Bee. whereas males only grow about 23 mm (0.9 ").



Megachile Pluto was first discovered in Indonesia in 1859 by the naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace. This is thought to be extinct until rediscovered in 1981 by Adam C. Messer, an American entomologist, who found six nests on the island of Bacan and other nearby islands.

Megachile Pluto build their nest inside active termite nests, which explains why the islanders did not even know the existence of these bees.

where the spread of these bees











source

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