Halictidae
Encyclopedia
Halictidae is a cosmopolitan
family of the order Hymenoptera
consisting of small (> 4 mm) to midsize (> 8 mm) bee
s which are usually dark-colored and often metallic in appearance. Several species are all or partly green and a few are red; a number of them have yellow markings, especially the males, which commonly possess yellow faces, a pattern widespread among the various families of bees. They are commonly referred to as sweat bee
s (especially the smaller species), as they are often attracted to perspiration; when pinched, females can give a minor sting.
, series Anthophila. The oldest fossil record of Halictidae dates back to Early Eocene
with a number of species, such as Neocorynura electra
and Augochlora leptoloba
known from amber deposits. Currently, the family is divided into four subfamilies, many genera and more than 2000 known species. Rophitinae appears to be the sister group to the remaining three subfamilies (Nomiinae, Nomioidinae, Halictinae
) based on both morphology and molecular data.
Nomiinae:
Nomioidinae:
Halictinae
:
in the ground, though a few nest in wood, and they mass-provision their young (a mass of pollen and nectar is formed inside a waterproof cell, an egg laid upon it, and the cell sealed off, so the larva is given all of its food at one time, as opposed to "progressive provisioning", where a larva is fed repeatedly as it grows, as in honey bee
s). All species are pollen
feeders and may be important pollinator
s.
are eusocial
at least in part, with fairly well-defined queen and worker castes (though not the same as the caste system in honey bee
s), and certain manifestations of their social behavior appear to be facultative in various lineages.
-like in appearance (often shining black with blood-red abdomen- German: Blutbienen - usually 4-9 mm in body length); the female Sphecodes enters the cell with the provision mass, eats the host egg, and lays an egg of her own in its place.
Halictidae are one of the four bee families that contain some species that are crepuscular
; these halictids are active only at dusk or in the early evening, and therefore technically considered "vespertine
" (e.g. in the subgenus Sphecodogastra of Lasioglossum
), or sometimes truly nocturnal (e.g. in the genus Megalopta). These bees, as is typical in such cases, have greatly enlarged ocelli
. The other families with some crepuscular species are Andrenidae
, Colletidae
, and Apidae
.
Cosmopolitan distribution
In biogeography, a taxon is said to have a cosmopolitan distribution if its range extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. For instance, the killer whale has a cosmopolitan distribution, extending over most of the world's oceans. Other examples include humans, the lichen...
family of the order Hymenoptera
Hymenoptera
Hymenoptera is one of the largest orders of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees and ants. There are over 130,000 recognized species, with many more remaining to be described. The name refers to the heavy wings of the insects, and is derived from the Ancient Greek ὑμήν : membrane and...
consisting of small (> 4 mm) to midsize (> 8 mm) bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
s which are usually dark-colored and often metallic in appearance. Several species are all or partly green and a few are red; a number of them have yellow markings, especially the males, which commonly possess yellow faces, a pattern widespread among the various families of bees. They are commonly referred to as sweat bee
Sweat bee
Sweat bee is the common name for any bees that are attracted to the salt in human sweat. In its strict application, the name refers to members of the Halictidae, a large family of bees that are common in most of the world except Australia and Southeast Asia, where they are only a minor faunistic...
s (especially the smaller species), as they are often attracted to perspiration; when pinched, females can give a minor sting.
Systematics and evolution
Halictidae belong to the Hymenopteran superfamily ApoideaApoidea
The superfamily Apoidea is a major group within the Hymenoptera, which includes two traditionally-recognized lineages, the "sphecoid" wasps, and the bees, who appear to be their descendants.- Nomenclature :...
, series Anthophila. The oldest fossil record of Halictidae dates back to Early Eocene
Eocene
The Eocene Epoch, lasting from about 56 to 34 million years ago , is a major division of the geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the Cenozoic Era. The Eocene spans the time from the end of the Palaeocene Epoch to the beginning of the Oligocene Epoch. The start of the...
with a number of species, such as Neocorynura electra
Neocorynura electra
Neocorynura electra is an extinct species of sweat bee in the Halictidae genus Neocorynura.N. electra is named from the Latin electrum meaning "amber". The species is known from a single female specimen, the holotype, deposited in the American Museum of Natural History, and which was first studied...
and Augochlora leptoloba
Augochlora leptoloba
Augochlora leptoloba is a species of sweat bee in the genus Augochlora and the extinct monotypic subgenus Electraugochlora.-History and classification:...
known from amber deposits. Currently, the family is divided into four subfamilies, many genera and more than 2000 known species. Rophitinae appears to be the sister group to the remaining three subfamilies (Nomiinae, Nomioidinae, Halictinae
Halictinae
Within the insect order Hymenoptera, Halictinae is the largest, most diverse, and most recently diverged of the four unique Halictidae subfamilies...
) based on both morphology and molecular data.
Selected genera
Rophitinae:- Conanthalictus
- Dufourea
- Micralictoides
- Protodufourea
- Sphecodosoma
- Xeralictus
Nomiinae:
- Dieunomia
- NomiaNomia (genus)In biology, Nomia is a cosmopolitan genus of sweat bees within the family Halictidae. Many species have opalescent bands on the metasoma.-External links:***...
- LipotrichesLipotrichesIn biology, Lipotriches is a genus of sweat bees in the family Halictidae, distributed widely throughout the Eastern Hemisphere though absent from Europe...
Nomioidinae:
- Cellariella
- Ceylalictus
- Nomioides
Halictinae
Halictinae
Within the insect order Hymenoptera, Halictinae is the largest, most diverse, and most recently diverged of the four unique Halictidae subfamilies...
:
- AgapostemonAgapostemonThe genus Agapostemon is a common group of Western hemisphere sweat bees of generally green or blue appearance . There are some 45 species in the genus, ranging from Canada to Argentina. They superficially resemble various members of the tribe Augochlorini, which are typically metallic greenish in...
- Andinaugochlora
- Ariphanarthra
- Augochlora
- Augochlorella
- Augochloropsis
- Dialictus
- †EickwortapisEickwortapisEickwortapis is an extinct monotypic genus of sweat bee in the Halictidae subfamily Halictinae and containing the single species Eickwortapis dominicana....
- Evylaeus
- HalictusHalictusThe genus Halictus is a large assemblage of bee species in the family Halictidae. The genus is divided into 15 subgenera, containing well over 300 species, primarily in the Northern Hemisphere...
- LasioglossumLasioglossumThe sweat bee genus Lasioglossum is the largest of all bee genera, containing over seventeen hundred species in numerous subgenera worldwide. They are highly variable in size, coloration, and sculpture; among the more unusual variants, some are cleptoparasites, some are nocturnal, and some are...
- Mexalictus
- Neocorynura
- †NesagapostemonNesagapostemonNesagapostemon is an extinct monotypic genus of sweat bee in the Halictidae subfamily Halictinae. At present, it contains the single species Nesagapostemon moronei....
- †OligochloraOligochloraOligochlora is an extinct genus of sweat bee in the Halictidae subfamily Halictinae. The genus currently contains six species, all of which are known from the early Miocene Burdigalian stage Dominican amber deposits on the island of Hispaniola....
- Sphecodes
- Temnosoma
Ecology
Most halictids nestNest
A nest is a place of refuge to hold an animal's eggs or provide a place to live or raise offspring. They are usually made of some organic material such as twigs, grass, and leaves; or may simply be a depression in the ground, or a hole in a tree, rock or building...
in the ground, though a few nest in wood, and they mass-provision their young (a mass of pollen and nectar is formed inside a waterproof cell, an egg laid upon it, and the cell sealed off, so the larva is given all of its food at one time, as opposed to "progressive provisioning", where a larva is fed repeatedly as it grows, as in honey bee
Honey bee
Honey bees are a subset of bees in the genus Apis, primarily distinguished by the production and storage of honey and the construction of perennial, colonial nests out of wax. Honey bees are the only extant members of the tribe Apini, all in the genus Apis...
s). All species are pollen
Pollen
Pollen is a fine to coarse powder containing the microgametophytes of seed plants, which produce the male gametes . Pollen grains have a hard coat that protects the sperm cells during the process of their movement from the stamens to the pistil of flowering plants or from the male cone to the...
feeders and may be important pollinator
Pollinator
A pollinator is the biotic agent that moves pollen from the male anthers of a flower to the female stigma of a flower to accomplish fertilization or syngamy of the female gamete in the ovule of the flower by the male gamete from the pollen grain...
s.
Eusocial species
Many species in the subfamily HalictinaeHalictinae
Within the insect order Hymenoptera, Halictinae is the largest, most diverse, and most recently diverged of the four unique Halictidae subfamilies...
are eusocial
Eusociality
Eusociality is a term used for the highest level of social organization in a hierarchical classification....
at least in part, with fairly well-defined queen and worker castes (though not the same as the caste system in honey bee
Honey bee
Honey bees are a subset of bees in the genus Apis, primarily distinguished by the production and storage of honey and the construction of perennial, colonial nests out of wax. Honey bees are the only extant members of the tribe Apini, all in the genus Apis...
s), and certain manifestations of their social behavior appear to be facultative in various lineages.
Cleptoparasitic species
Several genera and species of halictids are cleptoparasites of other bees (mostly other halictids), and the behavior has evolved at least nine times independently within the family. The most well-known and common are species in the genus Sphecodes, which are somewhat waspWasp
The term wasp is typically defined as any insect of the order Hymenoptera and suborder Apocrita that is neither a bee nor an ant. Almost every pest insect species has at least one wasp species that preys upon it or parasitizes it, making wasps critically important in natural control of their...
-like in appearance (often shining black with blood-red abdomen- German: Blutbienen - usually 4-9 mm in body length); the female Sphecodes enters the cell with the provision mass, eats the host egg, and lays an egg of her own in its place.
"Nocturnal" species
Crepuscular
Crepuscular animals are those that are active primarily during twilight, that is during dawn and dusk. The word is derived from the Latin word crepusculum, meaning "twilight." Crepuscular is, thus, in contrast with diurnal and nocturnal behavior. Crepuscular animals may also be active on a bright...
; these halictids are active only at dusk or in the early evening, and therefore technically considered "vespertine
Vespertine (biology)
Vespertine is a term used in the life sciences to indicate something of, relating to, or occurring in the evening. In botany, a vespertine flower is one that opens or blooms in the evening. In zoology, the term is used for a creature that becomes active in the evening, such as bats and owls...
" (e.g. in the subgenus Sphecodogastra of Lasioglossum
Lasioglossum
The sweat bee genus Lasioglossum is the largest of all bee genera, containing over seventeen hundred species in numerous subgenera worldwide. They are highly variable in size, coloration, and sculpture; among the more unusual variants, some are cleptoparasites, some are nocturnal, and some are...
), or sometimes truly nocturnal (e.g. in the genus Megalopta). These bees, as is typical in such cases, have greatly enlarged ocelli
Ocellus
A simple eye refers to a type of eye design or optical arrangement that contains a single lens which detect light. A "simple eye" is so-called in distinction from a multi-lensed "compound eye", and is not necessarily at all simple in the usual sense of the word...
. The other families with some crepuscular species are Andrenidae
Andrenidae
The family Andrenidae is a large cosmopolitan non-parasitic bee family, with most of the diversity in temperate and/or arid areas , including some truly enormous genera...
, Colletidae
Colletidae
Colletidae is a family of bees, and are often referred to collectively as plasterer bees or polyester bees, due to the method of smoothing the walls of their nest cells with secretions applied with their mouthparts; these secretions dry into a cellophane-like lining...
, and Apidae
Apidae
The Apidae are a large family of bees, comprising the common honey bees, stingless bees , carpenter bees, orchid bees, cuckoo bees, bumblebees, and various other less well-known groups...
.
External links
- Family Halictidae Large format diagnostic photos, information.
- Everything About the Sweat Bee - Description and photo of the sweat bee.
- Image Gallery from Gembloux
- http://www.bugguide.net (Search for Halictidae, North American species only).
- Online identification guides for eastern North American Halictidae
- Halictidae on the UF / IFASInstitute of Food and Agricultural SciencesThe University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is a federal-state-county partnership dedicated to developing knowledge in agriculture, human and natural resources, and the life sciences, and enhancing and sustaining the quality of human life by making that information...
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