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Higher taxa:  Life   Insecta   Hymenoptera   Global map IDnature guides: Apoid_wasp_species, Apoidea_genera, Apoidea_species, Augochloropsis, Bee_genera, Bees_Ghana, Bumblebees, Green_bees, Groups_Insecta, North_American_Invasives, USGAClarke Bee Hunt! -- join us in this scientific study to understand the impact of climate change and other factors on plant-pollinator interactions, geographic distributions, and seasonal abundances. Apoidea is a superfamily composed of the bees and sphecoid wasps. At this point in time this page primarily presents information on North American bees. We encourage others to expand these guides to bees world wide as well as develop those for the sphecoid wasps. START HERE for Complete list of bee identification guides Checklists, synonyms, and other names Phylogeny Geographic distribution Links to other sites References Acknowledgements

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© Copyright Dave Roubik, 2006 Exaerete smaragdina	© Athena Anderson, 2007 Unknown sp Melissodes GABG bee1

Kinds

Allodape Amegilla Ampulex Ampulicidae -- Ampulicid wasps Andrenidae Anthophora Anthophoridae -- Cuckoo bees, Digger bees, Carpenter bees Apidae -- Long-tongued bees Apis Apotrigona Axestotrigona Braunsapis Ceratina -- Small carpenter bees Coelioxys Colletidae -- Plaster bee, Yellow-faced bee Crabronidae Dactylurina Halictidae -- Sweat Bees, Halictid bees Heterogynaidae Hypotrigona Lasioglossum Liotrigona Lipotriches Lithurgus Megachile Megachilidae -- Leafcutting bees Meliplebeia Meliponula Melittidae -- Melittid bees Nomia Oxaeidae Pachyanthidium Pasites Pseudapis Pseudoanthidium Sphecidae -- Sphecid wasps Steganomus Stenotritidae Tetralonia Tetraloniella Thrinchostoma Thyreus Unknown Xylocopa -- Large Carpenter Bees

Identification

Start the identification process by determining the bee genus you have using the guide below Bee Genera of North America east of the Mississippi River Species Guides - All eastern North American species are completed or in draft form, while some are being expanded westward and are noted below. We are adding pictures and text weekly to the guides. (W) indicates a guide with western species added Agapostemon (W) Andrena female (W) Andrena male (W) Anthidiellum (W) Anthidium Anthophora Anthophorula Ashmeadiella Augochlora Augochloropsis Augochlorella Bombus (W) Calliopsis Caupolicana Centris Ceratina Eastern Species Ceratina Females Draft(W) Ceratina Males Draft(W) Chelostoma Coelioxys female Coelioxys male Colletes female Colletes male Dianthidium Dieunomia Dufourea Epeolus female Epeolus male Eucera Exomalopsis Halictus (W) Heriades Hesperapis Holcopasites Hoplitis Hylaeus female Hylaeus male Lasioglossum Lithurgus Macropis Megachile female Megachile male Megachilidae genera Melissodes female Melissodes male Melitta Nomada female Nomada male Nomia Osmia female Osmia male Panurginus Peponapis (W) Perdita female Perdita male Perdita female, western U.S. (placeholder only) Perdita male, western U.S. (placeholder only) Protandrena Pseudopanurgus female Pseudopanurgus male Sphecodes male (draft) Sphecodes female (draft) Stelis (draft) Svastra Tetraloniella Trachusa Triepeolus female Triepeolus male Xenoglossa Xeromelecta Xylocopa male (W) Xylocopa female (W) Bees of Ghana Acmaeodera Flower Beetles Vespinae Yellow Jackets and Hornets of North America Bumblebees & Mimics -- North America - for use by general audiences, taxonomy out of date, bee experts should ALWAYS use the Bombus guide above. Eastern North American Bee Families - No guide to families available, use the Genera Key above Andrenidae - Andrena, Calliopsis, Panurginus, Perdita, Protandrena, Pseudopanurgus Apidae - Anthophora, Anthophorula , Apis, Bombus, Cemolobus , Centris, Ceratina, Epeoloides, Epeolus, Ericrocis, Eucera, Euglossa, Exomalopsis, Florilegus, Habropoda, Holcopasites, Melecta, Melissodes, Melitoma, Neolarra, Nomada, Peponapis, Ptilothrix, Svastra, Tetraloniella, Triepeolus, Xenoglossa, Xeromelecta, Xylocopa Halictidae - Agapostemon, Augochlora, Augochlorella, Augochloropsis, Dieunomia, Dufourea, Halictus, Lasioglossum, Nomia, Sphecodes Colletidae - Caupolicana, Colletes, Hylaeus Megachilidae - Anthidiellum, Anthidium, Ashmeadiella, Chelostoma, Coelioxys, Dianthidium, Heriades, Hoplitis, Lithurgus, Megachile, Osmia, Paranthidium, Stelis, Trachusa Mellitidae - Hesperapis, Macropis, Melitta General bee body parts - Click on pictures to enlarge and print. Top view Bottom view Face Leg Side Wings How to Use the Bee Guides - Read this to better understand how a different mindset is needed to best use these guides when compared to the traditional dichotomous guides Currently, all but one of the guides on this site are for North American bees of the states and provinces east of the Mississippi River. Ultimately, all North American bees will be included and we hope to collaborate with other researchers to create or link to identification guides for the bees and sphecid wasps of the world. The links below are organized by bee genera as well as a guide to the identity of the genera of Eastern North American bees. You can email Sam Droege to obtain a more detailed document on how to use these identification guides. Methods and Identification Tools Tips for identification, monitoring, collecting, and processing specimens The Bee Inventory Plot Bee monitoring discussion group send an email message to Sam Droege Guide to identifying female Lasioglossum(Dialictus): email Sam Droege Guide to using online bee identification guides: email Sam Droege

Names

Scientific source:       Discover Life Apoidea species guide, Ascher et al., 2007 World bee species Apoid wasp species, North America Bee genera, Eastern North America Agapostemon Andrena Anthidiellum Anthidium Anthophora Anthophorula Ashmeadiella Augochlorella Augochlora Augochloropsis Bombus Calliopsis Caupolicana Centris Ceratina Chelostoma Coelioxys_female Coelioxys_male Colletes Dianthidium Dieunomia Dufourea Epeolus Eucera Exomalopsis Halictus Heriades Hesperapsis Holcopasites Hoplitis Hylaeus Lasioglossum Lithurgus Macropis Megachile female Megachile male Melissodes female Melissodes male Melitta Nomada female Nomada male (draft) Nomia Osmia_female Osmia_male Panurginus Perdita female Perdita male Protandrena Pseudopanurgus Sphecodes Stelis Svastra Tetraloniella Trachusa Triepeolus Xenoglossa Xeromelecta Xylocopa

Phylogeny

Hexapoda -- Tree of Life Hymenoptera -- Assembling the Tree of Life Taxonomic Category Scientific Name Common Name Phylum Arthropoda Arthropods Class Insecta Insects Order Hymenoptera Hymenoptera Superfamily Apoidea Bees & sphecoid wasps Families Apoidea (sensu latu) -- Bees Andrenidae -- Sand bees, Mining bees Apidae -- Bumble bees, Carpenter bees, Cuckoo bees, Digger bees, Honey bees Colletidae -- Plasterer bees; Yellow-faced bees Halictidae -- Sweat bees Megachilidae -- Leafcutting bees, Mason bees Melittidae -- Melittid bees Oxaeidae Stenotritidae Sphecoidea (sensu latu) -- Digger wasps, Sand wasps, Thread-waisted wasps, Mud-daubers, other Sphecoid wasps Ampulicidae -- Ampulicid wasps Crabronidae Heterogynaidae Sphecidae -- Sphecid wasps

Geographic distribution

Currently based on data from the American Museum of Natural History, Leah Larkin's Andrena Database, the Snow Entomology Museum at the University of Kansas entered from an NSF grant, and Sam Droege's USGS collections. Note that there are many more species than are listed on the links below. Those links are based generated from lists of Eastern bee species. Eventually we will have lists for all species on all continents. In the meantime species not listed below can be viewed by going to the Global Mapper and typing in the species' name. This same site can be used to map any individual species. Please contact Sam if you have geo-referenced data that can be added to this site. Agapostemon Andrena Anthidiellum Anthidium Anthophora Anthophorula Apis mellifera Ashmeadiella Augochlora pura Augochlorella Augochloropsis Bombus Calliopsis Caupolicana Cemolobus ipomoeae Centris Ceratina Chelostoma Coelioxys Colletes Dianthidium Dieunomia Dufourea Epeoloides pilosula Epeolus Ericrocis lata Eucera Exomalopsis Florilegus condignus Habropoda laboriosa Halictus Heriades Hesperapis Holcopasites Hoplitis Hylaeus Lasioglossum Macropsis Megachile Melecta pacifica Melissodes Melitoma taurea Melitta Neolarra cockerelli Nomada Nomia Osmia Panurginus Paranthidium jugatorium Peponapis pruinosa Perdita Protandrena Pseudopanurgus Ptilothrix bombiformis Sphecodes Stelis Svastra Tetraloniella Trachusa Triepeolus Xenoglossa Xeromelecta Xylocopa

Links to other sites

Bee Biology & Systematics Laboratory, Logan, Utah World bumble bees - Bombus Families of Hymenoptera in the UMMZ Glossary, Hymenoptera -- Assembling the Tree of Life Hymenoptera at Cedar Creek Natural History Area, Minnesota Bee fauna of Slovenia, Slovenian Museum of Natural History South Florida bees, by John Pascarella Catalog of Sphecidae, Curator Wojciech J. Pulawski, California Academy of Sciences Atlas Hymenoptera Bees, Wasps, & Ants Recording Society flickr - Nico's wild bees & wasps Hanabachi Reference Database TABR Based on Tropical Asian Bees Australian Biological Resources Study Moure's bee catalogue

References

Gauld, Ian D. and Barry Bolton (Eds.) 1988. The Hymenoptera. British Museum (Natural History). Oxford Univeristy Press, New York. ISBN 0-19-858521-7. Michener, Charles D. 2000. The Bees of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. ISBN 0-8018-6133-0. Native Pollinator References

Acknowledgements

Sam Droege Stephanie Kolski United States Geological Survey John Ascher American Museum of Natural History John Pickering University of Georgia, Athens Funding for this project provided by: The Ambrose Monell Foundation The USGS National Biological Information Infrastructure The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation We thank Denise Lim, Rachelle Wallace, and Amberlie McKee for technical support in developing this page.