Spotted Red-Resin Bee

Appearance

R. sticticum measures 11-15 mm (males) 13-16 mm (females).
They are black and red in color. They have black integument with reddish-yellow maculations on their head, thorax, and abdomen.

Naming

In Spanish is called albañil, which means mason in English.

Distribution

R. sticticum is found in the western Mediterranean area: in North Africa, from Morocco to Libya, in the Iberian Peninsula, in the south of France and on islands such as the Balearics, Corsica and Sicily.

Behavior

R. sticticum is a solitary bee and males are territorial, occupying areas of a few square meters that they defend from other males.
As in most bees of the genus Rhodanthidium, R. sticticum uses empty snail shells as nests, where it lays its eggs, probably having two generations per year, since they are observed in the beginning of spring and in the end of the year. autumn.
R. sticticum pollinates several plant species, being the main pollinator of the Antirrhinum microphyllum species.

Habitat

Scrubland, grasslands, including mountainous ranges.

Reproduction

Females deposit sand and saliva in the navel of a snail shell. They then provision the shell with pollen and nectar from host flowers. Females will copulate with multiple male partners, and then lay one or two eggs within the shell, which is then closed with pieces of seashell or snail shell, saliva, and sand. They will then transport the closed shell to a safe location where it is buried, often underneath plants.