dcsimg

Biology

provided by Halictidae LifeDesk

Rozen (1993) describes the nesting biology of Conanthalictus conanthi, including photos and illustrations. Nests have been collected from a site near Animas, NM, and Wilcox, AZ, USA. C. conanthi used pollen from the plant Nama hispidum for brood provisions. Nests were burrows in soil of sparsely vegated level ground. The burrow branched below ground into lateral burrows between 15 - 26 cm below the surface. Lateral burrows extended horizontally 6 -17 mm from the main burrow, and ended in a single cell (typically) or sometimes two cells built end to end. All laterals leading to closed cells were filled with soil. Of the 15 nests excavated, none contained more than three cells, suggesting a very slow rate of provisioning. Adults were most active outside the nest in the middle of the day. Mating likely takes place at the nest because males were seen flying around the same flowers as the females. There were two seasons of adult activity (spring and late summer) that corresponded to the flowering of Nama. This species is presumably solitary.

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Smith, Adam
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Smith, Adam
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