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  • IDmyBee
    • The project
    • Why IDmyBee ?
    • You can help
    • The team
  • Bee Taxa
    • List of genera
    • Andrenidae >
      • Andreninae >
        • Andrena
      • Panurginae >
        • Melitturga
        • Camptopoeum
        • Clavipanurgus
        • Flavipanurgus
        • Panurginus
        • Panurgus
        • Simpanurgus
    • Apidae >
      • Anthophorinae >
        • Ancyla
        • Tarsalia
        • Amegilla
        • Anthophora
        • Habropoda
      • Apinae >
        • Apis
        • Bombus
      • Eucerinae >
        • Eucera
      • Nomadinae >
        • Ammobates
        • Chiasmognathus
        • Parammobatodes
        • Pasites
        • Ammobatoides
        • Schmiedeknechtia
        • Biastes
        • Epeolus
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        • Melecta
        • Thyreus
        • Nomada
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      • Xylocopinae >
        • Ceratina
        • Xylocopa
    • Colletidae >
      • Colletes
      • Hylaeus
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      • Halictinae >
        • Halictus
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        • Dufourea
        • Rophites
        • Rophitoides
        • Systropha
    • Megachilidae >
      • Lithurginae >
        • Lithurgus
      • Anthidiini >
        • Afranthidium
        • Anthidiellum
        • Anthidium
        • Eoanthidium
        • Icteranthidium
        • Pseudoanthidium
        • Rhodanthidium
        • Stelis
        • Trachusa
      • Dioxyini >
        • Aglaoapis
        • Dioxys
        • Ensliniana
        • Metadioxys
        • Paradioxys
      • Megachilini >
        • Coelioxys
        • Megachile
      • Osmiini >
        • Chelostoma
        • Haetosmia
        • Heriades
        • Hofferia
        • Hoplitis
        • Osmia
        • Protosmia
        • Stenoheriades
    • Melittidae >
      • Dasypoda
      • Macropis
      • Melitta
  • Tutorial
    • How to use IDmyBee?
    • Online ID tools (Xper3)
    • Is it a bee?
    • Bee anatomy
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Bee   Anatomy

Bee anatomy involves many names, some of which can be quite specialized.
Here is an illustration of the different structures so that you may find your way in the descriptions and identification criteria.

At the end, you will find a glossary in alphabetical order, if you are looking for a specific word.

A. General traits: dorsal view of a bee.
Colored numbers refer to the entire colored area.

Picture
1. Head
2. Mesosoma (often called 'thorax' for simplicity)
3. Metasoma (often called 'abdomen' for simplicity)
4. Eye (= Compound Eye)
5. Anterior ocellus (Plural: ocelli)
6. Antenna (= Scapus + Pedicel + Flagellum)
7. Anterior leg (= Leg 1 = Foreleg)
8. Thorax (homologous to other insect's thorax)
9. Anterior wing (= Forewing)
10. Abdomen (homologous to other insect's abdomen)
11. Posterior leg (= Leg 3 = Hindleg)
12. Middle leg (= Leg 2 = Midleg)
13. Posterior wing (= Hindwing)

Note that the thorax (A8) is only part of the Mesosoma (A2), as in other Apocrite wasps and ants.

B. The head in frontal and posterior views

Picture
1. Flagellum (includes 10 or 11 flagellomeres, or antennal segments)
2. Pedicel (= antennal segment 2)
3. Posterior ocellus
4. Vertex
5. Scapus (= antennal segment 1)
6. Facial fovea
7. Eye (= Compound eye)
8. Frons
9. Antennal socket
10. Subantennal suture
11. Clypeus
12. Malar space (= Malar area)
13. Mandible
14. Labrum
15. Prementum
16. Maxillary palpus (plural: palpi)
17. Galea
18. Glossa
19. Labial palpus (plural: palpi)
20. Gena
21. Occiput
22. Occipital sulcus (= occipital carina)
23. Foramen magnum
24. Postocciput
25. Preoccipital carina (= Preoccipital ridge)
26. Hypostomal carina (= Hypostomal ridge)
27. Hypostoma
28. Proboscidial fossa

C. Mouthparts of long-tongue bees (Apidae+Megachilidae) and short-tongue bees (Andrenidae, Colletidae, Halictidae and Melittidae)

Picture
1. Cardo
2. Lorum
3. Mentum
4. Stipe
5. Prementum
6. Maxillary palpus (plural: palpi)
7. Labial palpus (plural: palpi)
8. Glossa
9. Paraglossa
10. Galea

D. Mesosoma in dorsal and lateral (from the left) views.
Colored numbers refer to the entire colored area.

Picture
1. Pronotal lobe
2. Dorso lateral angle of the pronotum
3. Pronotum
4. Notaulus (plural: notauli)
5. Scutum (= Mesoscutum = Shield)
6. Parapsidal line
7. Tegula (plural: tegulae)
8. Mesepisternum
9. Axilla (plural: axillae)
10. Scutellum
11. Insertion of the posterior wing
12. Propodeal spiracle
13. Metanotum
14. Dorsal part of the propodeum
15. Propodeal triangle
16. Propodeal pit.
17. Propodeum
18. Posterior part of the propodeum
19. Episternal groove
20. Anterior coxa (= Procoxa = Coxa 1; plural: coxae)
21. Middle coxa  (= Mesocoxa = Coxa 2)
22. Posterior coxa (= Metacoxa
= Coxa 3)

E. Anterior and posterior wings.

Picture
Anterior wing:
1. Medial cell 1
2. Prestigma (= 1st Abscissa of R1)
3. Pterostigma
4. Submarginal cell 1
5. Submarginal cell 3
6. Marginal cell
7. Submarginal cell 3
8. Basal vein (= Medial vein)
9. Submarginal crossvein 3
(= 2nd r-m crossvein)
10. Costal vein
11. Submarginal crossvein 2
(= 1st r-m crossvein)
12. Submarginal crossvein 1
(= 2nd abscissa of Rs)
13. Radial vein (= Subcostal vein)
14. Recurrent vein 2 (= 2nd m-cu crossvein)
15. Radial cell
16. Medial cell 2
17. Medio-cubital vein (= M+Cu)
18. Cubital cell 1.
19. Cubito-anal crossvein (= cu-a = cu-v)
20. Anal vein (= Vannal vein = A = V)
21. Cubital cell 2
22. Cubital vein (= Cu)
23. Recurrent vein 1 (= 1st m-cu crossvein)
Posterior wing:
24. Radial cell
25. Hamulus (plural: hamuli)
26. Radial vein (= R)
27. Radial Sector vein (= Rs)
28. Medio-cubital vein (= M+Cu)
29. Medio-radial crossvein (= r-m)
30. Cubital cell
31. Medial vein (= M)
32. Jugal lobe
33. Anal vein  (= Vannal vein = A = V)
34. Anal lobe (= Vannal lobe)
35. Cubito-anal crossvein (= cu-a = cu-v)
36. Cubital vein

F. Posterior leg of a female bee and posterior tarsus

Picture
1. Coxa (plural: coxae)
2. Trochanter
3. Femur
4. Basitibial plate
5. Tibia
6. Flocculus
7. Tibial spine
8. Tibial spur
9. Tarsus (plural: tarsi)
10. Basitarsus (= Tarsal segment 1
= Tarsomere 1)
11. Penicillus
12. Mediotarsus (= Tarsal segment 3 (or 2 or 4) = Tarsomere 3 (or 2 or 4) )
13. Distitarsus (= Last tarsal segment
= Last tarsomere)
14. Tarsal claw
15. Arolium

G. Metasoma of a female bee in dorsal and lateral (from the left) views

Picture
1. Petiole
2. Marginal area of T1
3. T1 (= Tergite 1)
4. T2 (= Tergite 2)
5. T3 (= Tergite 3)
6. T4 (= Tergite 4)
7. T5 (= Tergite 5)
8. T6 (= Tergite 6)
9. Pygigial plate
10. Gonostylus
11. Stylus
12. Gradulus
13. Lateral line of T1
14. S1 (= Sternite 1)

15. Lateral fovea
16. S2 (= Sternite 2)
17. S3 (= Sternite 3)
18. S4 (= Sternite 4)
19. S5 (= Sternite 5)
20. S6 (= Sternite 6)

H. Male genitalia in dorsal view

Picture

1. Gonobase
2. Gonostylus
3. Penis valve
4. Penis
5. Volsella
6. Gonocoxite

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