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Melitta (bee)

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Melitta
Melitta maura, female
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Melittidae
Subfamily: Melittinae
Genus: Melitta
Kirby, 1802
Species

~40 species (see text)

Melitta is a genus of bees in the family Melittidae. It includes about 40 species restricted to Africa and the northern temperate zone. Most of the species are Palaearctic, though three rare species occur in North America.

They are bees of moderate size, generally 8 to 15 mm long. They are commonly oligolectic, with narrow host plant preferences. They resemble bees of the genus Andrena, though with radically different mouthparts and a scopa limited to the hind tibia and basitarsus.

Species

Melitta leporina, male
Melitta haemorrhoidalis, male
Melitta eickworti, female

References

  • C. D. Michener (2000) The Bees of the World, Johns Hopkins University Press.