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Leioproctus boltoni, cockerell, 1904



overview
Leioproctus boltoni is a species of bee in the family plasterer bees.

Description
Leioproctus boltoni is solitary mining bees. In terms of adult's appearance, adults always are between 5 and 12 millimetres in length but females are quite robust slightly than males and densely covered in vestiture. And the head of females generally has 12 antennal segments and 13 with males. All adults are covered by black,  with a orthognathous  head. Pronotum fixed to the mesothorax, pronotal lobe covers the spiracle and is not connected  with the tegula. Mesosoma includes all parts of thoracic and first true abdominal segment, because the first real abdominal part is connected to the metathorax. Almost all this kind of bees have a short tongue. There is also a very distinguished character appeared in this creature --- greatly enlarged ocelli. You can easily differentiate larvae from adults, because the larva has white or almost white body without legs rather than black. Females have the external pollen-carrying apparatus (the scopa) where their larvae could be developed. The summer often see that their metalegs are carrying pollen. Pupae: the obvious character of pupae is that their surface is from pearly white to black as they grow. At this stage, mature features will be gradually developed in pupal skin.

Natural global range
Leioproctus boltoni is endemic to New Zealand.

New Zealand range
They are widely distributed in the form of aggregations in New Zealand. Large aggregations are commonly seen in rural areas such as Mt. Tiger and  Maungatapere. The habitats represent a great diversity,including native forests such as Raumanga Valley Reserve, regenerative forests such as Mt. Parihaka, planation with pine, shrub, gorse and so on. Canterbury also is a common area for Leioproctus boltoni.

Habitat preferences
A preferred habitat requires enough food resources and suitable substrates for nesting. For Leioproctus boltoni, their preferred habitats include forest undergrowth, underneath grass, silts (Ocean Beach) and sand shelly beaches such as Taupiri Bay. In terms of nesting, abiotic factors such as the type of soil and sunshine are main factors. The substrate must be dry and free draining, so that to avoid flooding. In addition, the loose soil is needed for filling in tunnels in their nests. Females always dig tunnels and cells in naked ground with enough vegetation, like cliff surface, coastal areas and silt in river bed.

Life cycle/Phenology
All nutrients that they need in their life are directly or indirectly come from pollen and nectar. More specific, pollen is the main source of protein, nectar provides sugar. It is very interesting that the task of collecting pollen and nectar is totally undertaken by females. Males spend most of time in mating, eating and resting.

Reproduction and seasonal rhythms

There will be many adults (females and males) appearing  in spring or early summer (September – December). Then female mates and lays eggs about approximately 30 eggs once a year. After that, females begin to construct nest, that usually happens until mid-late summer. Although Leioproctus boltoni belongs to solitary bees, their nests always get closed to each other. On the process of constructing nests, males have no function, females would design their nests, consisting of blind tunnels, cells where their larvae live in and protect them against enemies. After cells are full of nectar, the female will lay eggs and then close that. About three days, those eggs break into larvae then the young grows rapidly to prepupae overwintering. Lastly prepupae and pupae are no longer to eat until they become adults the following spring.

Life expectancy

All of them live for about one year, and die in the fall.

Diet / Prey / Predators
Diet and foraging

Food : Leioproctus boltoni forages mainly on native Asteraceae, Myrtaceae, and Fabaceae. And some of them have got used to introduced plants such as kiwifruit (Actinidiaceae), onions (Alliaceae). Apart from those, they also  often visit white clover florets.

Foraging behaviors :

The foraging preference of this species is highly closed to nest sites. They always like to do that near nests, mainly limited by their foraging time.

The average and range of foraging time are about two minutes and between 46 seconds and four minutes and 28 seconds respectively.

Predators, Parasites, and Diseases
Parasites : Leioproctus boltuni has been found to be carrying some different sizes of mites. And the spore cyst fungus Ascosphaera scaccaria can attract larvae and prepupae in their nests. In addition, there are many the gasteruptiid Pseudomonas sp found at Island Bay, AK, where probably attacking Leioproctus boltuni.

Diseases : No known information.

Predators : No known information.

Amazing Load-lifting capacity
The knowledge about their load-lifting capacity can help to access the foraging range, which contributes to develop strategies about  pollination community's conservation. People never think that such a small insect could support so much weight before researchers conduct a series of simulation experiments by harmonic radar facilities. The results show that Leioproctus boltoni can carry the maximal load approximately 52 % of their body weight. Although those experiments have succeed in getting results, those results were influenced by those bee's behaviors, because those subjects have been tried to remove those additional loads on the process of research. The reason is still unknown.

Nesting behaviour
The system of nesting for Leioproctus boltoni  is more complicated than people think, it is not just random timing and sites. Female bees would wait at the entry of their nests before the temperature rises. That is why there are so many nestlings in sunny areas. when it is a suitable temperature, females repeatedly  walk around nest about three times, sometime four times. Lastly, they will fly around in the shape of the number eight and eventually leave the area.