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Bees of Zihuatanejo

EPIFAMILY ANTHOPHILA

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

-Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

-Insects (Class Insecta)

-Winged and Once-winged Insects (Subclass Pterygota)

-Ants, Bees, Wasps, and Sawflies (Order Hymenoptera)

-Narrow-waisted Wasps, Ants, and Bees (Suborder Apocrita)

-Ants, Bees, and Stinging Wasps (Infraorder Aculeata)

-Bees and Apoid Wasps (Superfamily Apoidea)

-Bees (Epifamily Anthophila)

-Sweat Bees (Family Halictidae)

-Sweat and Furrow Bees (Subfamily Halictinae)

-​Augochlorine Sweat Bees (Tribe Augochlorini)

-Genus Augochlorella


Augochlorella is a genus within the Augochlorini tribe of the sweat bee family, Halictidae. These small, metallic-colored bees are known for their green and sometimes blue sheen. Augochlorella bees are generalist foragers. They visit a wide variety of flowering plants to gather pollen and nectar. Unlike some metallic sweat bees that prefer rotting wood, Augochlorella species typically nest in the ground. They create small tunnels with brood cells in sandy or loose soil.



Augochlorella Sweat Bees

Augochlorella (Genus)

Range

  • The genus Augochlorella is distributed from southern Canada and the United States through Mexico into Central America.

  • Several species occur throughout Mexico, including the Pacific coast of Guerrero and the Zihuatanejo region.

  • Found from sea level to moderate elevations in a variety of warm habitats.

Habitat

  • Inhabits tropical dry forests, woodland edges, grasslands, meadows, secondary forests, orchards, gardens, and agricultural fields.

  • Most species nest in well-drained soil, often in sunny, sparsely vegetated areas.

  • Frequently visits flowering plants in open habitats and forest clearings.

Behaviour

  • Most species are solitary, although some exhibit primitively social behaviour, with a reproductive female assisted by one or more daughters.

  • Active during the day, visiting a wide variety of flowering plants while collecting pollen and nectar.

  • Females excavate underground tunnels and construct individual brood cells, provisioning each with pollen before laying a single egg.

  • Generally docile and rarely sting unless directly handled.

Size

  • Body length: 5–10 mm (0.2–0.4 in)

  • Females are typically slightly larger and more robust than males.

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