Amegilla aeruginosaAmegilla aeruginosa Male

Photographs by Shane Dighton â—¦

Amegilla (Notomegilla) aeruginosa are currently documented across the top half of Australia, in Western Australia, Northern Territory and Queensland (as far south as Roma, near Brisbane), although the Australian Biological Resources Study / Australian Faunal Directory4 does describes the distribution going into northern parts of New South Wales.7

Amegilla (Notomegilla) aeruginosa (making her way through the Geisha Girl), Darwin NT © Shane Dighton
Amegilla aeruginosa (making her way through the Geisha Girl), Darwin NT © Shane Dighton

This bee belongs to the subgenus Notomegilla, that includes just two species, Amegilla aeruginosa and Amegilla chlorocyanea. Whilst they are commonly known as blue-banded bees, they are very different in that Amegilla aeruginosa are covered in short, iridescent green to bronze hair.

They have been known with the common name of the Green and Golden Bee, although Amegilla aeruginosa is more commonly used. The following male settling down to roost in the late afternoon.

Male Amegilla (Notomegilla) aeruginosa (settling down for the evening), Darwin NT © Shane Dighton
Male Amegilla aeruginosa (settling down for the evening), Darwin NT © Shane Dighton
Amegilla (Notomegilla) aeruginosa (in the late evening), Darwin NT © Shane Dighton
Amegilla (Notomegilla) aeruginosa (in the late evening), Darwin NT © Shane Dighton
Amegilla (Notomegilla) aeruginosa (morning capture), Darwin NT © Shane Dighton
Amegilla (Notomegilla) aeruginosa (morning capture), Darwin NT © Shane Dighton
Amegilla (Notomegilla) aeruginosa (resting on the Cosmos sulphureus stem), Darwin NT © Shane Dighton
Amegilla aeruginosa (resting on the Cosmos sulphureus stem), Darwin NT © Shane Dighton
Amegilla (Notomegilla) aeruginosa, well hidden in amongst the Duranta Repen (Geisha Girl), Darwin NT © Shane Dighton
Amegilla aeruginosa, well hidden amongst the Duranta Repen (Geisha Girl), Darwin NT © Shane Dighton

  • Scientific classification
  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Arthropoda
  • Subphylum: Hexapoda
  • Class: Insecta
  • Informal: Pterygotes
  • Order: Hymenoptera
  • Superfamily: Apoidea
  • Informal: Apiformes
  • Family: Apidae
  • Subfamily: Apinae
  • Tribe: Anthophorini
  • Genus: Amegilla
  • Subgenus: infrageneric Notomegilla
  • Species: Amegilla aeruginosa

Footnote & References

  1. Photographs Amegilla (Notomegilla) aeruginosa © Shane Dighton
  2. Bee Aware of Your Native Bees (Australia), Facebook Group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/beeawareofyournativebees/
  3. Ken Walker (2017) Amegilla (Notomegilla) aeruginosa, Updated on Jan 28, 2017, Available online: PaDIL – https://www.padil.gov.au, https://www.padil.gov.au/pollinators/pest/138566, (Accessed 20 August 2020).
  4. Species Amegilla (Notomegilla) aeruginosa (Smith, 1854), Australian Biological Resources Study, Australian Faunal Directory, Australian Government, https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/Amegilla_(Notomegilla)_aeruginosa
  5. Anthophora aeruginosa Smith, F. 1854. Catalogue of Hymenopterous Insects in the Collection of the British Museum. Part II. Apidae. London : British Museum pp. 199-465. [Date published 31/12/1854] [336].
  6. A Guide to Native Bees of Australia, by Terry Houston, Publisher CSIRO Publishing, ISBN: 9781486304073, https://www.publish.csiro.au/book/7388/
  7. Amegilla (Notomegilla) aeruginosa (Smith, 1854), Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/ebc02613-57b0-4df0-9c1a-5d17048af725
  8. Amegilla aeruginosa, iNaturalistAU, https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/taxa/703563-Amegilla-aeruginosa
  9. The genus Amegilla (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Anthophorini) in Australia: A revision of the subgenera Notomegilla and Zonamegilla. Leys, Remko & Batley, Michael & Hogendoorn, Katja. (2017). ZooKeys. 653. 79-140. 10.3897/zookeys.653.11177, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313492868_The_genus_Amegilla_Hymenoptera_Apidae_Anthophorini_in_Australia_A_revision_of_the_subgenera_Notomegilla_and_Zonamegilla

Amegilla aeruginosaAmegilla aeruginosa Male

Amegilla BeesApical tergites of females Amegilla Body Colour Amegilla adelaidae Amegilla aeruginosa Amegilla asserta Amegilla chlorocyanea Amegilla walkeri Teddy Bear Bees (Asaropoda)

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