Male or Female? New Cases of Gynandromorphism in Wool Carder Bees of the Tribe Anthidiini (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae)

Authors

  • Max Kasparek Mönchhofstr. 16, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
  • Marta Bonforte Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Alimentazione e Ambiente, sez. Entomologia applicata. Università degli Studi di Catania, Catania, Italy
  • Roberto Catania Dipartimento di Agricoltura, Alimentazione e Ambiente, sez. Entomologia applicata. Università degli Studi di Catania, Catania, Italy https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9950-9653

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v72i3.11525

Keywords:

Morphology, sex determination, gynander, Anthidium, Rhodanthidium

Abstract

Gynandromorphism is a condition in which both male and female morphological characteristics are present in a single specimen. This phenomenon has been well-documented in Apoidea, but with only a few cases in megachilid bees. Here, we described two new instances of gynandromorphism in wool carder bees (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae: Anthidiini), including the first record in the genus Rhodanthidium. The studied cases include single specimens of Anthidium punctatum Latreille from Bulgaria and Rhodanthidium siculum (Spinola) from Italy. To date, gynandromorphism in Anthidiini has been observed only in nine species of the genera Anthidiellum Cockerell, Anthidium Fabricius, Dianthidium Cockerell, Rhodanthidium Isensee, and Trachusa Panzer, underscoring the rarity of this phenomenon in this tribe.

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Published

2025-07-02

How to Cite

Kasparek, M., Bonforte, M., & Catania, R. (2025). Male or Female? New Cases of Gynandromorphism in Wool Carder Bees of the Tribe Anthidiini (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). Sociobiology, 72(3), e11525. https://doi.org/10.13102/sociobiology.v72i3.11525

Issue

Vol. 72 No. 3 (2025)

Section

Short Note

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Copyright (c) 2025 Max Kasparek, Marta Bonforte, Roberto Catania

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