Author: Lepeletier, 1841

Type species: Ancyla oraniensis Lepeletier, 1841, monobasic.
Synonyms: Plistotrichia Morawitz, 1874.
Clade: Anthophila
Family: Apidae
SubF: Anthophorinae
Tribe: Ancylini
Distinctive traits
  • Look like a small Eucera or Anthophorini, but with glossa and labial palpi shorts and a flat clypeus.
  • 3 submarginal cells.
  • Submarginal cell 2 wih anterior margin distinctly shorter than the posterior margin, sometime of equivalent size than submarginal cells 1 and 3.
  • Jugal lobe of hindwing less than half the size of the vannal lobe.
  • Males without elongated antennae.
Pictures of distinctive traits (yet to come, if you have some, please contact us.)
Morphologically close genera and how to distinguish them:
  • Ancyla - Tarsalia, Eucera, Amegilla & Anthophora
Ancyla species have short mouthparts (glossa and palpi) similar to those of Melittidae, and a flat clypeus.
Tarsalia, Eucera, Amegilla & Anthophora species have elongated mouthparts (glossa and palpi) and a protuberant clypeus.
General comments on Ancyla species identification
Species identification criteria include mesosoma pilosity and clypeus colour patterns.
Sorry, but the species identification tool is not yet available for Ancyla. 
Please check the reference(s) at the bottom of the page for traditional keys.
List of the 5 Ancyla species found in Europe (Ghisbain et al. 2023):
Ancyla asiatica Friese, 1922
Ancyla cretensis Friese, 1902
Ancyla holtzi Friese, 1902
Ancyla nigricornis Friese, 1902
Ancyla orientalica Warncke, 1979

References with identification keys for some of the species:
  • Warncke, K. 1979. Beiträge zur Bienenfauna des Iran : 10. Die Gattung Ancyla LEP., mit einer Revision der Bienengattung Ancyla LEP. Boll. Mus. Civ. Stör. Nat., Venezia 30 : 183-19
Online resources:
Atlas hymenoptera (Europe)
WestPalBees (West Palearctic)
Page contributors:
  • Adrien Perrard (Dec. 2023)
  • Adrien Perrard (Dec. 2019)

You noticed a mistake? You have a suggestion to improve this page?
Don't keep it to yourself, contact us and become a contributor to IDmyBee!

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
  • Ghisbain, G., Rosa, P., Bogusch, P., Flaminio, S., Le Divelec, R., Dorchin, A., Kasparek, M., Kuhlmann, M., Litman, J., Mignot, M., Müller, A., Praz, C., Radchenko, V.G., Rasmont, P., Risch, S., Roberts, S.P.M., Smit, J., Wood, T.J., Michez, D. & Reverte, S. (2023). The new annotated checklist of the wild bees of Europe (Hymenoptera: Anthophila). Zootaxa, 5327(1), 1-147.
  • 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. (IUCN 2014)
  •  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.