mohavea is a flower that looks like a female bee.
mohavea is a flower that looks like a female bee.
a flower that looks like a female bee?
mohavea
section::::reproduction.









































"ophrys apifera" has been considered to preferentially practice self-pollination. the flowers are almost exclusively self-pollinating in the northern ranges of the plant's distribution, however pollination by the solitary bee "eucera longicornis" occurs in the mediterranean region, where "ophrys apifera" is more common. the plant attracts these insects by producing a scent that mimics the scent of the female bee. in addition, the lip acts as a decoy as the male bee confuses it with a female. pollen transfer occurs during the ensuing pseudocopulation.
ophrys apifera
the larvae of this beetle successfully make use of sexual deception by mimicking the mating signals of another insect species. adult female beetles lay eggs in a compact mass underground, with the egg aggregations on average containing 761 eggs. the beetle larvae emerge from the ground in a group, ascend vegetation one after the other and form themselves into a compact ball in an elevated location. they then release a volatile substance similar to the pheromones emitted by a female bee, which attracts a male digger bee. this bee mistakes the ball of larvae for a female digger bee, and attempts to mate with it. the beetle larvae cling to the bee, transferring to a female bee when the male finds and mates with one. the larvae then get carried to the female digger bee's nest where they detach from the bee and make themselves at home, feeding on the pollen and nectar, placed there by the female bee for her own offspring, and consuming her eggs and young.
meloe franciscanus