Species diversity and distribution of Megachilidae bees from Chhattisgarh, Central India

Abstract

This study deals with the species diversity of leaf-cutter and resin bees from three tribes, four genera, and seven subgenera of the family Megachilidae from Central India. Before this study, only a few species were known from Central India. During the surveys undertaken in 2019–2022, 10 species, including two cleptoparasitic bee species of the family Megachilidae, were collected and examined. Megachile lanata Fab. was the predominant species in all the survey locations. Seven species were discovered for the first time in Central India. This paper provides details of the Megachilidae species with an updated distribution and brief diagnosis.