Euryglossinae

Alice Springs Fauna •

Alice Springs Bees > Alice Springs Bees Index

Mesosoma (often called the ‘thorax’) like an Hylaiene, metosoma almost Euhesma looking, but the furry face doesn’t typically match either…

The native bee pictured here was rescued from a swimming pool in Alice Springs in Central Australia. It was thought to be one of the Euryglossa species, in the subfamily Euryglossinae, however details on the appearance, have discounted some suggestions.

Some suggestions (that have been discounted ) are:

• It could be the Red-saddled Broad-Tongue, although this individual has coloured legs, unlike the those of Euryglossa ephippiata, which appear to have black legs.
• Not Hyleus proximus the scutellum on H. proximus is black, whereas this appears to be red. There are more solid white markings on the face of H. proximus (especially on the males).
• The species Euryglossa ephippiata is easy to identify from the antennae shape and colour, otherwise black. The tip of the antennae is curved and 3 segments (flagellomeres) have a reddish colour.

If you think you know what genus/species this specimen is, please feel free to leave a comment on iNaturalistAU, where it is listed waiting for ID confirmation (see link in footnote).²

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• Scientific classification
• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Arthropoda
• Subphylum: Hexapoda
• Class: Insecta
• Informal: Pterygotes
• Order: Hymenoptera
• Superfamily: Apoidea
• Informal: Apiformes
• Family: Colletidae
• Subfamily: Euryglossinae

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Footnote & References

1. Many thanks to Gary Taylor and Danny Thomas for suggestions, member of Bee Aware of Your Native Bees (Australia), Facebook group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/beeawareofyournativebees
2. Observation Subfamily Euryglossinae, iNaturalistAU, https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/observations/246766802

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Alice Springs BeesAmegilla Bee Braunsapis sp Bright-white Masked Bee Bush Bee Ceylalictus perditellus European Honey Bee Euryglossinae Exoneurella eremophila Furrow Bee Golden-browed Resin Bee Lasioglossum (Chilalictus) eremaean Lasioglossum (Homalictus) Lasioglossum (Parasphecodes) Lipotriches Megachile deanii Red-headed Masked Bee Stenotritidae genus Stenotritus Xanthesma (Xenohesma)

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