Author: Friese, 1897

Type species: Apis quadrifasciata Villers, 1789, by designation of Cockerell, 1931.
Subgenera: Aframegilla Popov, 1950; Zonamegilla Popov, 1950; Zebramegilla Brooks, 1988; Dizonamegilla Brooks, 1988; Megamegilla Brooks, 1988; Ackmonopsis Brooks, 1988; Micramegilla Brooks, 1988; Notomegilla Brooks, 1988; Glossamegilla Brooks, 1988.
Synonyms: Podalirius Friese, 1897; Alfkenella Börner, 1919; Asaropoda Cockerell, 192
Clade: Anthophila
Family: Apidae
SubF: Anthophorinae
Tribe: Anthophorini
Distinctive traits
  • Stout species, with protuberant clypeus and short antennae
  • Short marginal cell
  • 3 submarginal cell of equivalent size
  • 2nd recurrent vein reaching the middle of submarginal cell 2
  • Lack of arolia between the claws
Pictures of distinctive traits.
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Morphologically close genera and how to distinguish them:
  • Amegilla - Anthophora
Anthophora species tend to be larger and have an arolium between the claws.
Amegilla species stend to be smaller with well delimited hairs bands on the metasoma, and lack the arolium.
  • Amegilla - Habropoda
Amegilla species have a distinctly short marginal cell, as well as recurrent veins reaching the middle of submarginal cell 2 and an interfurcal nervulus.
Habropoda species have a more elongated tip of marginal cell (the apex of the anterior margin of submarginal cell 3 reaches only the middle of the marginal cell), a recurrent vein reaching the apex of submarginal cell 2 and a post-furcal nervulus
General comments on Amegilla species identification
Amegilla females can be distinguished using criteria from hairs colour patterns and punctation. Male identification can be performed using facial yellow patterns, shape of posterior legs, hairs of the median legs, and may require genitalia comparisons.
Sorry, but the species identification tool is not yet available for Amegilla. 
Please check the reference(s) at the bottom of the page for traditional keys.
List of the 11 Amegilla species found in Europe (UICN 2014 + Rasmont et al. 2017)

Amegilla (Amegilla) canifrons (Smith, 1854)
Amegilla (Amegilla) garrula (Rossi, 1790)
Amegilla (Amegilla) ochroleuca (Perez, 1879)
Amegilla (Amegilla) quadrifasciata (de Villers, 1789)
Amegilla (Micramegilla) andresi (Friese, 1914)
Amegilla (Micramegilla) fasciata (Fabricius, 1775)
Amegilla (Micramegilla) nigricornis (Morawitz, 1873)
Amegilla (Micramegilla) velocissima (Fedtchenko, 1875)
Amegilla (Zebramegilla) albigena (Lepeletier, 1841)
Amegilla (Zebramegilla) magnilabris (Fedtchenko, 1875)
Amegilla (Zebramegilla) salviae (Morawitz, 1876)




References with identification keys for some of the species:
  • Friese H. 1897. Die Bienen Europa’s (Apidae europaeae). Theil III. Solitäre Apiden. Genus Podalirius. Berlin, 316 p.
  • Osychnyuk A.Z. 1978. Clef de détermination des insectes de la partie européenne d’URSS, Tome III. Hyménoptères. Première partie. Traduction partielle: Superfamille Apoidea (apoïdes). Anthophoridae. Mémoire de fin d’études, Université de Mons-Hainaut, Ecole d’Interprètes Internationaux, 100 pp.
  • Scheuchl E. 1995. Illustrierte Bestimmungstabellen der Wilbienen Deutschlands und Österreichs. Band I: Anthophoridae. Ed. Erwin Scheuchl, 158 pp.
  • Schwarz M. & Gusenleitner F. 2001. Beitrag sur Kenntnis paläarktischer Anthophorini und Habropodini (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Entomofauna, 22(6) : 53-92.
Online resources:
Atlas hymenoptera (Europe)
WestPalBees (West Palearctic)
Page contributors:
  • Adrien Perrard (Dec. 2019)

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References used to write this page:
  • Bossert, S., E. Murray, E.A.B. Almeida, S. Brady, B. Blaimer, B.N. Danforth (2018). Combining transcriptomes and ultraconserved elements to illuminate the phylogeny of Apidae. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 130 (2019): 121–131
  • Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World, 2nd Edition. The John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.
  • Michez D., Rasmont P., Terzo, M., Vereecken, N. 2019. Abeilles d'Europes. Hymenoptères d'Europes, Volume 1. N.A.P. Editions.
  • Nieto, A., Roberts, S. P., Kemp, J., Rasmont, P., Kuhlmann, M., García Criado, M., ... & Michez, D. 2014. European red list of bees. Luxembourg: Publication Office of the European Union, 98.
  •  Rasmont, P., Devalez, Jelle, Pauly, A., Michez, D. & Radchenko, V.G. 2017. Addition to the checklist of IUCN European wild bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). Annales de la Société entomologique de France 53: 17-32.