Anthophora dispar
| Anthophora dispar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Anthophora cf. dispar. Male | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Hexapoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Apidae |
| Genus: | Anthophora |
| Species: | A. dispar |
| Binomial name | |
| Anthophora dispar Lepeletier, 1841 | |
Anthophora dispar is a species of bees belonging to the family Apidae subfamily Apinae tribus Anthophorini.
Description
The adults of these long-tongued bees grow up to 14–16 millimetres (0.55–0.63 in) long and can be encountered from early Spring, feeding and collecting pollen and nectar on early flowering plants. The body is densely hairy. The middle legs of males are very elongated with long tufts of black hairs on the tarsi facilitating the collection and transport of pollen. Males and females have a different pattern and color so that they seem to belong to two distinct species (hence the Latin name «dispar»). In the females the brushes for collecting pollen on their hind legs are red and the abdomen shows white stripes, while it is black in males.
Distribution
They are present in most of France, Italy, Hungary and in North Africa.