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

In the genus Amegilla, there are over 250 species of blue-banded bees, of which only a few actually possess blue bands on their abdomens. The ones with blue bands are primarily those species belonging to the Notomegilla and Zonamegilla subgenera

It is a fact that they are not all blue. Some can be white, yellow, pale green and variations and mixes in between.

Amegilla, Geraldton WA © Gary Taylor
Blue-banded Bee (genus Amegilla sp), Geraldton WA © Gary Taylor
Amegilla asserta, Bermagui NSW © Deb Taylor
Amegilla asserta, Bermagui NSW © Deb Taylor
Amegilla (Zonamegilla) adelaidae female, Ballandean QLD © Marc Newman
Amegilla (Zonamegilla) adelaidae female, Ballandean QLD © Marc Newman
Blue-banded Bee (Amegilla sp) on Scaevola flower © Phil Warburton
Blue-banded Bee (Amegilla sp) on Scaevola flower © Phil Warburton
Amegilla (Zonamegilla) asserta on Salvia, Ballandean QLD
Amegilla (Zonamegilla) asserta on Salvia, Ballandean QLD © Marc Newman
Amegilla Bee and Low Desert Rose (Gossypium bickii), south of Alice Springs NT © Dorothy Latimer
Amegilla Bee and Low Desert Rose (Gossypium bickii), south of Alice Springs NT © Dorothy Latimer
Amegilla (Notomegilla) chlorocyanea on Mulla Mulla at Kennedy Range WA © Marc Newman
Amegilla (Notomegilla) chlorocyanea on Mulla Mulla at Kennedy Range WA © Marc Newman
Male Amegilla (Notomegilla) aeruginosa (settling down for the evening), Darwin NT © Shane Dighton
Male Amegilla (Notomegilla) aeruginosa (settling down for the evening), Darwin NT © Shane Dighton

And when we thought it was easy… the same species with two different coloured banding…

Amegilla chlorocyanea in the Banksia © Gary Taylor
Amegilla chlorocyanea in the Banksia, Midwest WA © Gary Taylor
Amegilla chlorocyanea on the Eucalyptus platypus, Midwest WA © Gary Taylor
Amegilla chlorocyanea on the Eucalyptus platypus, Midwest WA © Gary Taylor

And not all species of the genus Amegilla have the distinctive banding…

Amegilla (Asaropoda) bombiformis (Teddy Bear Bee) © Marc Newman
Amegilla (Asaropoda) bombiformis (Teddy Bear Bee) © Marc Newman
Amegilla (Asaropoda) bombiformis (Teddy Bear Bee) on Chinese Plumbago © Marc Newman
Amegilla (Asaropoda) bombiformis (Teddy Bear Bee) on Chinese Plumbago © Marc Newman
  • 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

Footnote & References

  1. Blue-banded Bees (Armegilla) Photographs © Deb Taylor, Dorothy Latimer, Gary Taylor, Marc Newman, Phil Warburton, Shane Dighton

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

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

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