Abstract
In the present work we used landmark-based geometric morphometrics to compare the wing shapes of five species of Megachile (belonging to three subgenera) to confirm whether this technique may be used reliably for differentiation of this group. Analyses of wing shape by the use of principal component analysis (PCA), and canonical variate analysis (CVA) led to a clear differentiation among species. We found a close phenotypic similarity in wing shape between M. albisecta (belonging to the subgenus Creightonella) and M. picicornis (belonging to the subgenus Eutricharaea). According to the results of UPGMA, a higher degree of divergence between M. farinosa (belonging to the subgenus Pseudomegachile) and species belonging to other subgenera, was detected. The results of a cross-validation test indicated that geometric morphometrics is an effective technique to use for distinguishing between Megachile species. The reliability rate of this technique was between 85.71-100%. Using only two submarginal cell landmarks for generating shape variables, the cross-validation test correctly assigned individuals to their respective species, with a 92.85-100% reliability rate. Significant differences in wing size were obtained among the analysed species.