Hylaeus trilobatus

Hylaeus spp – Masked BeeHylaeus Index Hylaeus albonitens Hylaeus alcyoneus Hylaeus constrictiformis Hylaeus douglasi Hylaeus elegans Hylaeus dromedarius Hylaeus euxanthus Hylaeus maiellus Hylaeus nubilosus Hylaeus (Prosopisteron) Hylaeus proximus Hylaeus ruficeps Hylaeus (Prosopisteron) sanguinipictus Hylaeus theodorei Hylaeus trilobatus Hylaeus violaceus Hylaeus vittatifrons

The Hylaeus (Planihylaeus) trilobatus, commonly known as the Trilobed Masked Bee, belongs within the group of Plasterer Bees (family Colletidae), subfamily Hylaeinae.

It is a striking looking bee with a yellow collar. The Hylaeus trilobatus pictured here is a male, approximately 6 mm in length.

The current handful of observations (Atlas of Living Ausralia and iNaturalistAU, 6 November 2024) have it in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. The bee pictured here was in the ACT. The flora it was on is Oxylobium robustum.

Hylaeus trilobatus, ACT © Danny Thomas — *Hylaeus trilobatus*, ACT © Danny Thomas

Hylaeus trilobatus (female)

The following female Hylaeus trilobatus are about 7-8 mm in length.

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Informal: Pterygotes
Order: Hymenoptera
Superfamily: Apoidea
Informal: Apiformes
Family: Colletidae
Subfamily: Hylaeinae
Genus: Hylaeus
Subgenus: infrageneric Planihylaeus
Species: Hylaeus trilobatus

Footnote & References

Bee Aware of Your Native Bees (Australia), Facebook group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/beeawareofyournativebees/
Hylaeus (Planihylaeus) trilobatus (Cockerell, 1910), Plasterer Bee, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/Hylaeus (Planihylaeus) trilobatus
Trilobed Masked Bee (Hylaeus trilobatus), iNaturalistAU, https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/taxa/893904-Hylaeus-trilobatus

ColletidaeAmphylaeus obscuriceps Hylaeus spp – Masked Bee Callomelitta antipodes Leioproctus Neopasiphae mirabilis Paracolletes crassipes Paracolletes nigrocinctus Trichocolletes