Author: Latreille, 1802

Type species: Apis variegata Linnaeus, 1758, monobasic.
Synonyms: Trophocleptria Holmberg, 1886; Pyrrhomelecta Ashmead, 1899; Argyroselenis Robertson, 1903; Oxybiastes Mavromoustakis, 1954.
Clade: Anthophila
Family: Apidae
Subfamily: Nomadinae
Tribe: Epeolini
Distinctive traits
  • Robust body shape
  • No scopa (cleptoparasitic bees)
  • Long-mouthparts
  • 3 submarginal cells
  • submarginal cell 1 larger than 2 and 3
  • marginal cell with apex distant from anterior margin of the wing
  • axillae pointed
Pictures of distinctive traits
Morphologically close genera, and how to distinguish them:
  • Epeolus - Triepeolus
Epeolus species have submarginal cells 2 and 3 of equivalent size, the nervulus is arched but not bent at right angle, apical margin of sternite 3 doesn't have a frange of hairs, the mandible often has a preapical tooth.
Triepeolus species have submarginal cells 2 smaller than 3, the nervulus is bent at right angle, apical margin of sternite 3 has a frange of hairs like 4 or 5, the mandible lack a preapical tooth.
  • Epeolus - Nomada
Nomada species have a marginal cell pointed following the wing's anterior margin.
Epeolus species have a marginal cell more oval, with an apex clearly separated from the wing's anterior margin.
General comments on Epeolus species identification
Species identification requires microscopic study of maxillary palps, thorax punctation, micropilosity, last sternites and genitalia in males.
Sorry, but the species identification tool is not yet available for Epeolus. 
Please check the reference(s) at the bottom of the page for traditional keys.
List of the 18 Epeolus species found in Europe (Ghisbain et al. 2023)
Epeolus alpinus Friese, 1893
Epeolus aureovestitus Dours, 1873
Epeolus bischoffi (Mavromoustakis, 1954)
Epeolus compar Alfken, 1938
Epeolus cruciger (Panzer, 1799)
Epeolus fallax Morawitz, 1872
Epeolus fasciatus Friese, 1895
Epeolus flavociliatus Friese, 1899
Epeolus ibericus Bogusch, 2018
Epeolus intermedius Pérez, 1884
Epeolus julliani Pérez, 1884
Epeolus productulus Bischoff, 1930
Epeolus schummeli Schilling, 1849
Epeolus siculus Soika, 1944
Epeolus sigillatus Alfken, 1930
Epeolus tarsalis Morawitz, 1874
Epeolus transitorius Eversmann, 1852
Epeolus variegatus (Linnaeus, 1758)
References with identification keys for some of the species:
  • Osytshnjuk, A.Z., Panfilov, D.V. & Ponomareva A.A. (1978) Superfamily Apoidea. In: Tobias, V.I. (Ed). Key to the insects of European part of the USSR. Vol. 3. Hymenoptera. Pt. 1. Nauka, Leningrad, 279-519. (In Russian)
  • Amiet F., Herrmann M., Müller A. & Neumeyer R., 2007. Apidae 5. Ammobates, Ammobatoides, Anthophora, Biastes, Ceratina, Dasypoda, Epeoloides, Epeolus, Eucera, Macropis, Melecta, Melitta, Nomada, Pasites, Tetralonia, Thyreus, Xylocopa. Fauna Helvetica 20. Centre suisse de cartographie de la faune (CSCF), Neuchâtel, 356 pp.
Online resources:
Atlas hymenoptera (Belgium)
BWARS (UK)
Discover Life (World)
WestPalBees (West Palearctic)
Page contributors:
  • Adrien Perrard (Dec. 2023)
  • Adrien Perrard (Dec. 2019)

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References used to write this page:
  • 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.