Megachile pluto
Encyclopedia
Megachile pluto is a very large Indonesia
n resin
bee
(a leafcutter bee that uses resin to make compartments in its nest
). As females can be as large as 39 mm (1.5") long with a wingspan of 63 mm (2.5"), Megachile pluto is regarded as the largest bee in the world, and has been referred to as Wallace's Giant Bee. Males only grow to about 23 mm (0.9") long.
Megachile pluto was first discovered in Indonesia
in 1858 by the naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace
. It was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1981 by Adam C. Messer, an American entomologist
, who found six nests on the island of Bacan
and other nearby islands.
These bees build their nests inside active termite
nests, which explains why even island residents were unaware of their existence.
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n resin
Resin
Resin in the most specific use of the term is a hydrocarbon secretion of many plants, particularly coniferous trees. Resins are valued for their chemical properties and associated uses, such as the production of varnishes, adhesives, and food glazing agents; as an important source of raw materials...
bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
(a leafcutter bee that uses resin to make compartments in its nest
Nest
A nest is a place of refuge to hold an animal's eggs or provide a place to live or raise offspring. They are usually made of some organic material such as twigs, grass, and leaves; or may simply be a depression in the ground, or a hole in a tree, rock or building...
). As females can be as large as 39 mm (1.5") long with a wingspan of 63 mm (2.5"), Megachile pluto is regarded as the largest bee in the world, and has been referred to as Wallace's Giant Bee. Males only grow to about 23 mm (0.9") long.
Megachile pluto was first discovered in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
in 1858 by the naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace
Alfred Russel Wallace
Alfred Russel Wallace, OM, FRS was a British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist...
. It was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1981 by Adam C. Messer, an American entomologist
Entomology
Entomology is the scientific study of insects, a branch of arthropodology...
, who found six nests on the island of Bacan
Bacan
Bacan refers to a group of islands in the Maluku Islands of Indonesia and to that group's largest island. The islands are mountainous and forested. The islands lie south of Ternate and west of Halmahera's southernmost arm...
and other nearby islands.
These bees build their nests inside active termite
Termite
Termites are a group of eusocial insects that, until recently, were classified at the taxonomic rank of order Isoptera , but are now accepted as the epifamily Termitoidae, of the cockroach order Blattodea...
nests, which explains why even island residents were unaware of their existence.