Author: Latreille, 1809

Type species: Apis maxillosa Linnaeus, 1767 = Apis florisomnis Linnaeus, 1758, monobasic.
Subgenera: Chelostoma s.str. Latreille, 1809; Foveosmia Warncke, 1991; Gyrodromella Michener, 1997.
Synonyms:  Gyrodroma Thomson, 1872 (not Klug 1807).
Clade: Anthophila
Family: Megachilidae
SubF: Megachilinae
Tribe: Osmiini
Distinctive traits
  •  2 submarginal cells
  • ventral scopa in females
  • arolium present
  • body elongate: scutal length equivalent to ITD
  • preoccipital carina incomplete
Pictures of distinctive traits.
(Sorry, there is no picture available at this time. If you have some and would like to become a contributor to IDmyBee, please contact us.)
Morphologically close genera, and how to distinguish them:
  • Chelostoma - Hofferia
Chelostoma females have a fringe of long setae on the mandible internal margin. Chelostoma males have no preapical transverse carina on S6.
Hofferia females have no long setae on the mandible internal margin. Hofferia males do have a preapical transverse carina on S6.
  • Chelostoma - Protosmia
Chelostoma species have a propodeal triangle equal or longer than the metanotum. Females have a no apical brush on the labrum. Males have visible T7 under T6.
Protosmia species have a propodeal triangle shorter than the metanotum. Females have a labrum with an apical tuft of hairs. In males, T7 is entirely hidden by T6.
  • Chelostoma - Heriades & Stenoheriades
Chelostoma species have no transverse carina between the vertical and horizontal areas of the T1.
Heriades & Stenoheriades species do have a transverse carina between the vertical and horizontal areas of the T1.
  • Chelostoma - Osmia, Hoplitis & Haetosmia
Chelostoma species have no long hairs at the apex of the labrum. Scutellum as long or longer than the ITD.
Osmia, Hoplitis & Haetosmia species do have long hairs at the apex of the labrum. Scutellum often shorter than the ITD.
General comments on Chelostoma species identification
Females can be diagnosed by the structure on the clypeus apex and labrum, best seen with open mandibles.
Identification criterion in males are located on the last tergites, sternites and genitalia.
Sorry, but the species identification tool is not yet available for Chelostoma. 
Please check the reference(s) below for traditional keys.
List of the 25 Chelostoma species found in Europe (UICN 2014 + Rasmont et al. 2017)
Chelostoma (Chelostoma) comosum Müller, 2012
Chelostoma (Chelostoma) diodon Schletterer, 1889
Chelostoma (Chelostoma) edentulum Pérez, 1895
Chelostoma (Chelostoma) emarginatum (Nylander, 1856)
Chelostoma (Chelostoma) florisomne (L., 1758)
Chelostoma (Chelostoma) grande (Nylander, 1852)
Chelostoma (Chelostoma) lucens (Benoist, 1928)
Chelostoma (Chelostoma) mocsaryi Schletterer, 1889
Chelostoma (Chelostoma) siciliae Müller, 2012
Chelostoma (Chelostoma) transversum (Friese, 1897)
Chelostoma (Foveosmia) campanularum (Kirby, 1802)
Chelostoma (Foveosmia) distinctum (Stoeckhert, 1929)
Chelostoma (Foveosmia) forcipatum (Benoist, 1928)


Chelostoma (Foveosmia) foveolatum (Morawitz, 1868)
Chelostoma (Foveosmia) hellenicum (Benoist, 1938)
Chelostoma (Foveosmia) incognitum Müller, 2012
Chelostoma (Foveosmia) laticaudum (Benoist, 1938)
Chelostoma (Foveosmia) longifacies Müller, 2012
Chelostoma (Foveosmia) styriacum Schwartz & Gusenleitner, 1999
Chelostoma (Gyrodromella) aegaeicum Müller, 2012
Chelostoma (Gyrodromella) handlirschi Schletterer, 1889
Chelostoma (Gyrodromella) nasutum Pérez, 1895
Chelostoma (Gyrodromella) proximum Schletterer, 1889
Chelostoma (Gyrodromella) rapunculi (Lepeletier, 1841)
Chelostoma (incertae sedis) ventrale Schletterer, 1889
References with identification keys for some of the species:
  • Amiet, F., Herrmann, M., Müller, A., & Neumeyer, R. (2004). Apidae 4: Anthidium, Chelostoma, Coelioxys, Dioxys, Heriades, Lithurgus, Megachile, Osmia, Stelis. Fauna Helvetica 9. Centre suisse de cartographie de la faune (CSCF), Neuchâtel 273pp.
  • Torres F., Ornosa C., Ortiz-Sánchez F.J. (2012). Claves y datos nuevos de las especies ibéricas del género Chelostoma Latreille, 1809 (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae, Osmiini). Graellsia, 68(2) : 263-280.
  • Müller, A. (2015). Palaearctic Chelostoma bees of the subgenus Gyrodromella (Megachilidae, Osmiini): biology, taxonomy and key to species. Zootaxa, 3936(3), 408-420.
  • Falk S.J. (2015) Field Guide to the Bees of Great Britain and Ireland. Bloomsbury wildlife guides. 432 p.
Online resources:
Palearctic Osmiine Bees (Palearctic)
Atlas hymenoptera (Belgium)
BWARS (UK) 
Exotic Bee ID (World)
Discover Life (World)
WestPalBees (West Palearctic)
Page contributors:
  • Adrien Perrard (Dec. 2019)

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References used to write this page:
  • 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.