Variability in egg-to-adult development time in the bee Ptilothrix plumata and its parasitoids

Summary 1. Ptilothrix plumata (Hymenoptera) is a neotropical solitary bee that nests in bare, sandy soils. Data on the biology and behaviour of this species are provided. Egg‐to‐adult development time of a neotropical solitary bee and its parasitoids is quantified for the first time. 2. The bee showed huge variability in egg‐to‐adult development time. There are two categories of eggs relative to adult emergence. The same season eggs are those from which adults emerge in the same reproductive season in which the eggs were laid. Adults from next season eggs emerge in the next dry reproductive season. This variability in egg‐to‐adult development time is reached through prepupal diapause. The bee larval parasitoids Leucospis genalis (Hymenoptera) and Anthrax sp. (Diptera) showed similar range in their development times. The data show that diapause is controlled by season. 3. By synchronising adult emergence, this variability in egg‐to‐adult development time facilitates mate finding, and population recruitment is a consequence of the bees avoiding the unfavourable reproductive season.