Andrenidae Colletidae Melittidae

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AndrenidaeColletidaeMelittidae

• A guide to their identification in
• Eastern North America

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Acknowledgements

• This presentation has been put together by a
  consortium of North American bee biologists
• This presentation has developed over many years
  and the original web picture acknowledgements
  were lost, if you see one of your pictures let us
  know and we will add your picture credit
• Correspondence can be sent to Sam Droege at
  sdroege_at_usgs.gov

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Format

• Each Genus has a information page followed by a
  page of illustrations and a map of the
  distribution of Eastern North American species
  western populations of Eastern species are shown,
  but the Western species are not mapped.
• The number of Eastern species are listed at the
  top of the page

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Groups of Genera

• Andrenidae
• Andrena
• Calliopsis
• Panurginus
• Perdita
• Protandrena
• Pseudopanurgus

• Colletidae
• Caupolicana
• Colletes
• Hylaeus
• Melittidae
• Hesperapis
• Macropis
• Melitta

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Family Andrenidae

• Comprised of the following Genera
• Andrena 116 species
• Calliopsis - 3
• Panurginus - 3
• Perdita -26
• Protandrena - 3
• Pseudopanurgus - 15

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Andrena

• Prominent facial fovea on females
• Most species black a few with reddish abdomens
• Some males and females with yellow on clypeus
• Many species are pollen specialists
• Many subtle characters available to separate
  species, but when using guides score these very
  conservatively as there are more opportunities
  for error when the species number is high and the
  number of questions long and then double check
  against species accounts and the complete scoring
  for the species.
• Similar genera Melitta, Colletes, Lasioglossum

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Andrena - 116
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Calliopsis

• Inhabits open fields.
• The very common C. andreniformis often inhabits
  heavily used playing fields and other
  human-impacted sites.
• Small size, 2-submarginal cells, the bright
  yellow legs of the male and the 3 vertical
  ivory-colored facial markings of the females are
  a distinctive combination

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Calliopsis - 3
Small, C. andreniformis Common in Highly
Disturbed Areas
10
Panurginus

• Small, spring, uncommon, black species
• Males often having yellow on their face
• 2 submarginal cells
• Close to Pseudopanurgus (which are mostly Fall
  species), but told apart by first recurrent and
  first transcubital veins directly intersecting
• Pre-episternal groove completely absent, but
  usually very hard to see
• Similar Genera Pseudopanurgus, Perdita,
  Protandrena

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Panurginus - 3
Tiny and Uncommon
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Perdita

• Among the smallest of bees
• Most males and females have patterns of white or
  pale yellow on their face, thorax and abdomen.
• Most females with very thin and sparse tibial
  scopa
• Short, truncated marginal cell
• Uncommonly collected but can be common in sandy
  localities
• Similar Genera Pseudopanurgus, Panurginus,
  Protandrena

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Perdita - 26
Tiny, Sand-Lover
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Protandrena

• A very uncommon group in the East
• 3 submarginal cells
• Best told by keying them out through the guide
• Similar Genera Andrena, panurginus,
  Pseudopanurgus

15
Protandrena - 3
Rare
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Pseudopanurgus

• Fall species, often on composites
• Similar to Panurginus
• Small, dark bees, with 2 marginal cells
• Pre-episternal groove present, sometimes very
  weak and hard to see, running down and to the
  front from upper end of the mesepisturnum, in
  some minute species this is visible only at upper
  end
• First transcubital vein does not meet the first
  recurrent vein first recurrent vein shifted
  slightly to the interior of the second
  submarginal cell
• Males have often extensive amounts of yellow on
  their faces.
• Can be difficult to differentiate species
• Similar Genera Panurginus, Protandrena, Perdita

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Pseudopanurgus - 15
Tiny, Uncommon
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Colletidae

• Comprised of the following genera
• Caupolicana 2 species
• Colletes 35 species
• Hylaeus 24 species

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Caupolicana

• A rarely observed genus restricted to coastal
  dune areas in the deep south and the sandy
  central Florida Ridge
• These fast flying large species are usually only
  active at dawn and dusk
• 2 submarginal cells
• The first recurrent vein usually joins or nearly
  joins the first transcubital vein

20
Caupolicana - 2
Deep South, Deep Sand Specialist, Very rare
21
Colletes

• General body shape often similar to a honeybee
• Face heart-shaped due to the angling inward of
  the compound eyes
• Distinctive in that the lower portion of the
  second recurrent arches out toward wing tip
• Similar Genus Apis

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Colletes - 35
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Hylaeus

• Black, small, thin-elongate body, with relatively
  few hairs and no scopa as this genus carries
  pollen internally
• Most females have elongate, thin, diamond yellow
  or ivory markings in the paraocular area between
  the eye and the clypeus/antennae
• Males usually have more extensive yellow facial
  markings, with yellow throughout the area below
  the antennae

24
Hylaeus - 24
Common, masked, no scopa
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Melittidae

• Comprised of the following genera
• Hesperapis 2 species
• Macropis 4 species
• Melitta 3 species

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Hesperapis

• Extremely uncommon bees
• Restricted to coastal barrier islands in the Gulf
  of Mexico and dunes of the Great Lakes
• Abdomen noticeably flattened and integument soft
  compared to other groups
• Similar Genus Calliopsis

27
Hesperapis - 2
Very Rare, Deep South Barrier Islands
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Macropis

• Rare bees, apparently much less common than in
  the past
• Associated with loosestrife (Lysimachia) plants
  
• Small, dark bees, males with extensive yellow
  facial markings, 2 submarginal cells

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Macropis - 4
Small, Rare Bee, Oil Specialist, Loosestrife
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Melitta

• Andrena like, rarely encountered pollen
  specialists on Ericaceous shrubs
• Scopal hairs on female only on tibia not on femur
  and trochanter-like Andrena
• Females also lack facial foveae, unlike Andrena
• Males lack a basitibial plate
• Similar Genus Andrena

31
Melitta - 3
Uncommon, Specialist