Megachilid Bees Phylogenetic

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Megachilid BeesPhylogenetic Revisionary
StudiesIn the context of African Pollinator
Initiative The Global Pollinator Summit

• Bryan Danforth Terry Griswold
• Current Collaborators
• Connal Eardley
• Mary Gikingu
• Peter Kwapong

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Megachilidae

• Important Pollinators
• High Potential for Managed Crop Pollinators
• Nesting in wood/stems

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Megachilidae

• Conservation
• Many rare and endemic species
• Explore Evolution
• Parasitism
• Nesting traits
• Floral preferences

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Goals

• Higher level phylogeny of the family
• Generic/subgeneric phylogenetic revision of
  Anthidiini
• Combined molecular morphological data
• Revisions of cosmopolitan and African genera of
  Anthidiini
• Digital library for Anthidiini

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Focus on African Anthidiini

• Highest generic/subgeneric diversity
• Least known fauna
• 34 known from only one sex
• 21 known only from holotype
• Biological data sparse

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Outcomes

• Stable generic/subgeneric classification
• Revisions of many African genera

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Outcomes

• Digital Library
• Catalog
• Digitized georeferenced specimen of data
• Digital images
• Types
• Interactive keys
• Species Pages

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Challenges

• Recent material for molecular analysis
• Adequate material for good revisions
• Geographical gaps