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Unidentified Bees - Ausemade filmstrip

Unidentified Australian Native Bees

BeesBees Anatomy Bee Behaviour Blogging Bees… Bees – image index Bees – Index Lists Unidentified Australian Native Bees Amegilla Bees Apis mellifera Austroplebeia australis Austrothurgus  Braunsapis sp Ceylalictus perditellus Colletidae Euryglossinae Exoneura Hyleoides bivulnerata Lasioglossum Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) Lasioglossum (Homalictus) Leioproctus pappus Lipotriches Megachile Meroglossa Resin Bees and Resin Pot Bees Stenotritidae Tetragonula Thyreus Xylocopa

In Australia there are five main bee families: Apidae, Colletidae, Halictidae, Megachilidae and Stenotritidae, of which there are many Australian native bees yet to be described and identified to genus and/or species level.

  • Apidae (173 species)
  • Colletidae (883 species)
  • Halictidae (383 species)
  • Megachilidae (169 species)
  • Stenotritidae (being revised – between 16 and 21 species)

There is thought to be some 2,000 species of native bees in Australia.1 Whilst some of the 2,000 have been described, there are many native bees yet to be studied and identified. Some of these un-named bees sit in collections in museum drawers, whilst others still living around us are un-known and un-recorded…

Following we present some unidentified native bees… we await science to catch up…

If you are able to identify them, please drop us a line on our contact us form or post to Facebook group Bee Aware of Your Native Bees (Australia) or Travel Australia with Ausemade Facebook page.

1. Unidentified native bee
Unknown bee (Homalictus), Midwest WA © Gary Taylor
Unknown bee L. Homalictus (likely urbanus), Midwest WA © Gary Taylor
2. Unidentified native bee
Unknown bee (Homalictus), Midwest WA © Gary Taylor
Unknown bee – likely Lasioglossum (Leioproctus), Midwest WA © Gary Taylor
3. Unidentified native bee

Following is suggested that it is Hylaeus (Prosopisteron) simplus, photographed in Geraldton, Midwest of Western Australia.

4. Unidentified native bee

Unknown bee rescued from swimming pool in Alice Springs… it has been suggested it belongs to subfamily Euryglossinae, family Colletidae).

5. Unidentified native bee

Following is the mystery girl name… Hylaeus mysterium puella.


  • Scientific classification
  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Arthropoda
  • Class: Insecta
  • Order: Hymenoptera
  • (unranked): Unicalcarida
  • Suborder: Apocrita
  • Superfamily: Apoidea
  • Clade: Anthophila
  • Families:
    • Apidae
    • Colletidae
    • Halictidae
    • Megachilidae
    • Stenotritidae

Footnote & References

  1. Can you beelieve?! Our guide to native bees, by Eliza Keckm, 30 Aug 2018, CSIROscope, https://blog.csiro.au/can-you-beelieve-our-guide-to-native-bees/
  2. Bees (Epifamily Anthophila), iNaturalistAU, https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/taxa/630955-Anthophila
  3. Bee Aware of Your Native Bees (Australia), Facebook group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/1493769094196721

BeesBees Anatomy Bees Antenna It’s in the eyes Pre-pygidial fimbria Sting of the bee Wings of the bee Bee Behaviour Bubbling Bees Buzz Pollination Operculum lifting behaviour Blogging Bees… Bees – image index Bees – Index Lists Unidentified Australian Native Bees Amegilla Bees Apical tergites of females Amegilla Amegilla Bee Body Colour Amegilla adelaidae Amegilla aeruginosa Amegilla asserta Amegilla chlorocyanea Amegilla walkeri Teddy Bear Bees (Asaropoda) Apis mellifera Dark Apis mellifera Apis mellifera — Captured flora moments Austroplebeia australis Austrothurgus  Austrothurgus rubricatus Braunsapis sp Ceylalictus perditellus Colletidae Amphylaeus obscuriceps Anthoglossa nigrocinctus Callomelitta antipodes Hylaeinae Leioproctus Hylaeus spp – Masked Bee Neopasiphae mirabilis Paracolletes crassipes Trichocolletes Euryglossinae Euryglossinae Index Callohesma Dasyhesma Euhesma Euryglossa Euryglossina Xanthesma Exoneura Exoneura angophorae Hyleoides bivulnerata Lasioglossum Lasioglossum (Australictus) peraustrale Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) bicingulatum Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) brunnesetum Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) lanarium Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) willsi Lasioglossum (Homalictus) Lasioglossum (Homalictus) dotatum Lasioglossum (Homalictus) urbanum Leioproctus pappus Lipotriches Lipotriches australica Lipotriches flavoviridis Lipotriches gracilipes Lipotriches muscosa Lipotriches phanerura Megachile Megachile Index Megachile aurifrons Megachile erythropyga Megachile (Eutricharaea) Megachile (Hackeriapis) canifrons Megachile (Hackeriapis) rhodura Megachile lucidiventris Megachile punctata Megachile (Rhodomegachile) deanii Megachile semiluctuosa Megachile (Thaumatosoma) Megachile ustulata Meroglossa Meroglossa impressifrons Meroglossa rubricata Resin Bees and Resin Pot Bees Stenotritidae Ctenocolletes albomarginatus Leioproctus (Protomorpha) sp Ctenocolletes rufescens Tetragonula Tetragonula carbonaria Thyreus Thyreus caeruleopunctatus Thyreus waroonensis Xylocopa Xylocopa aerata Xylocopa bombylans