Author: Latreille, 1802
Type species: Apis centuncularis Linnaeus, 1758, by designation of Curtis, 1828, pl. 218.
Subgenera: Anodonteutricharaea Tkalcu, 1993; Callomegachile Michener, 1962; Chalicodoma Lepeletier, 1841; Creightonella Cockerell, 1908; Eutricharaea Thomson, 1872; Megachile s.str. Latreille, 1802; Pseudomegachile Friese, 1898; Xanthosarus Robertson, 1903. Synonyms: Cressoniella Gupta, 1993; Androgynella Cockerell, 1911; Perezia Ferton, 1914; Fertonella Cockerell, 1920; Megalochila Schulz, 1906; Anthemois Robertson, 1903; Cyphopyga Robertson, 1903. |
Clade: Anthophila
Family: Megachilidae SubF: Megachilinae Tribe: Megachilini |
Distinctive traits
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Pictures of distinctive traits.
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Morphologically close genera and how to distinguish them
Lithurgus species have elongate and tridentate mandibles.
Osmia, Hoplitis, Heriades, Chelostoma, Haetosmia, Hofferia, Stenoheriades & Protosmia species have an arolium.
Coelioxys species have 2 tooth-like axillae. Females don't have a scopa. Males have four long preapical teeth on tergite 7, sometime divided or crenulate.
Aglaoapis, Dioxys, Ensliniana, Metadioxys & Paradioxys species have 2 spine-like postero-lateral projections of the scutellum. Females have no scopa.
- Megachile - Lithurgus
Lithurgus species have elongate and tridentate mandibles.
- Megachile - Osmia, Hoplitis, Heriades, Chelostoma, Haetosmia, Hofferia, Stenoheriades, Protosmia.
Osmia, Hoplitis, Heriades, Chelostoma, Haetosmia, Hofferia, Stenoheriades & Protosmia species have an arolium.
- Megachile - Coelioxys
Coelioxys species have 2 tooth-like axillae. Females don't have a scopa. Males have four long preapical teeth on tergite 7, sometime divided or crenulate.
- Megachile - Aglaoapis, Dioxys, Ensliniana, Metadioxys & Paradioxys
Aglaoapis, Dioxys, Ensliniana, Metadioxys & Paradioxys species have 2 spine-like postero-lateral projections of the scutellum. Females have no scopa.
General comments on Megachile species identification
Several identification criteria are located in the mandibles, in hairs structure and colour and in genitalia in males.
These criteria should be made clearly visible for identification.
Several identification criteria are located in the mandibles, in hairs structure and colour and in genitalia in males.
These criteria should be made clearly visible for identification.
Sorry, but the species identification tool is not yet available for Megachile.
Please check the reference(s) below for traditional keys.
Please check the reference(s) below for traditional keys.
List of the 80 Megachile species found in Europe (UICN 2014 + Rasmont et al. 2017)
Megachile (Anodonteutricharaea) albohirta (Brullé, 1839) Megachile (Anodonteutricharaea) troodica Mavromoustakis, 1953 Megachile (Callomegachile) breviceps Friese, 1898 Megachile (Callomegachile) sculpturalis Smith,1853 Megachile (Chalicodoma) fuerteventurae Tkalců, 1994 Megachile (Chalicodoma) manicata Giraud, 1861 Megachile (Chalicodoma) albocristata (Smith, 1853) Megachile (Chalicodoma) albonotata Radoszkowski, 1886 Megachile (Chalicodoma) apennina Benoist, 1940 Megachile (Chalicodoma) baetica (Gerstaecker, 1869) Megachile (Chalicodoma) canescens (Brullé, 1832) Megachile (Chalicodoma) cressa (Tkalců, 1988) Megachile (Chalicodoma) cypricola Mavromoustakis, 1938 Megachile (Chalicodoma) ghilianii Spinola, 1843 Megachile (Chalicodoma) hungarica Mocsáry, 1877 Megachile (Chalicodoma) lefebvrei (Lepeletier, 1841) Megachile (Chalicodoma) lucidifrons Ferton, 1905 Megachile (Chalicodoma) montenegrensis Dours, 1873 Megachile (Chalicodoma) parietina (Geoffroy, 1785) Megachile (Chalicodoma) pyrenaica (Lepeletier, 1841) Megachile (Chalicodoma) roeweri Alfken, 1928 Megachile (Chalicodoma) rufescens (Pérez, 1879) Megachile (Chalicodoma) rufitarsis (Lepeletier, 1841) Megachile (Chalicodoma) sicula (Rossi, 1792) Megachile (Creightonella) albisecta (Klug, 1817) Megachile (Creightonella) doriae Magretti, 1890 Megachile (Eutricharaea) anatolica Rebmann, 1968 Megachile (Eutricharaea) apicalis Spinola, 1808 Megachile (Eutricharaea) basilaris Morawitz, 1875 Megachile (Eutricharaea) binominata Smith, 1853 Megachile (Eutricharaea) burdigalensis Benoist, 1940 Megachile (Eutricharaea) canariensis Pérez, 1839 Megachile (Eutricharaea) concinna Smith, 1879 Megachile (Eutricharaea) deceptoria Pérez, 1890 Megachile (Eutricharaea) fertoni Pérez, 1895 Megachile (Eutricharaea) flabellipes Pérez, 1895 Megachile (Eutricharaea) giraudi Gerstaecker, 1869 Megachile (Eutricharaea) gothalauniensis Pérez, 1902 Megachile (Eutricharaea) hohmanni Tkalců, 1994 Megachile (Eutricharaea) leachella Curtis, 1828 |
Megachile (Eutricharaea) leucomalla Gerstaecker, 1869 Megachile (Eutricharaea) melanogaster Eversmann, 1852 Megachile (Eutricharaea) minutissima Radoszkowski, 1876 Megachile (Eutricharaea) opacifrons Pérez, 1897 Megachile (Eutricharaea) patellimana Spinola, 1838 Megachile (Eutricharaea) picicornis Morawitz, 1877 Megachile (Eutricharaea) pilidens Alfken, 1924 Megachile (Eutricharaea) pugillatoria Costa, 1863 Megachile (Eutricharaea) rotundata (Fabricius, 1787) Megachile (Eutricharaea) schmiedeknechti Costa, 1884 Megachile (Eutricharaea) semicircularis van der Zanden, 1996 Megachile (Eutricharaea) tenuistriga Alfken, 1938 Megachile (Eutricharaea) walkeri Dalla Torre, 1896 Megachile (Megachile) dacica Mocsáry, 1879 Megachile (Megachile) alpicola Alfken, 1924 Megachile (Megachile) benoisti (Tkalců, 1977) Megachile (Megachile) bombycina Radoszkowski, 1874 Megachile (Megachile) centuncularis (L., 1758) Megachile (Megachile) genalis Morawitz, 1880 Megachile (Megachile) lapponica Thomson, 1872 Megachile (Megachile) ligniseca (Kirby, 1802) Megachile (Megachile) melanopyga Costa, 1863 Megachile (Megachile) octosignata Nylander, 1852 Megachile (Megachile) pilicrus Morawitz, 1877 Megachile (Megachile) pyrenaea Pérez, 1890 Megachile (Megachile) versicolor Smith, 1844 Megachile (Pseudomegachile) ericetorum (Lepeletier, 1841) Megachile (Pseudomegachile) farinosa Smith, 1853 Megachile (Pseudomegachile) försteri Gerstaecker, 1869 Megachile (Xanthosarus) analis Nylander, 1852 Megachile (Xanthosarus) atlantica Benoist, 1934 Megachile (Xanthosarus) circumcincta Kirby, 1802 Megachile (Xanthosarus) diabolica Friese, 1898 Megachile (Xanthosarus) fulvimana Eversmann, 1852 Megachile (Xanthosarus) lagopoda (L., 1761) Megachile (Xanthosarus) maackii Radoszkowski, 1874 Megachile (Xanthosarus) maritima (Kirby, 1802) Megachile (Xanthosarus) nigriventris Schenck, 1870 Megachile (Xanthosarus) willughbiella (Kirby, 1802) Megachile (?) bioculata Pérez, 1902 |
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.
- Dorchin, A., & Praz, C. J. (2018). Taxonomic revision of the Western Palaearctic bees of the subgenus Pseudomegachile (Hymenoptera, Apiformes, Megachilidae, Megachile). Zootaxa, 4524(3), 251-307.
- Praz, C. J. (2017). Subgeneric classification and biology of the leafcutter and dauber bees (genus Megachile Latreille) of the western Palearctic (Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Megachilidae). Journal of Hymenoptera Research, 55, 1.
- Falk S.J. (2015) Field Guide to the Bees of Great Britain and Ireland. Bloomsbury wildlife guides. 432 p.
Online resources:
Atlas hymenoptera (Belgium & France)
BWARS (UK)
Discover Life (World)
WestPalBees (West Palearctic)
Exotic Bee ID (World)
Atlas hymenoptera (Belgium & France)
BWARS (UK)
Discover Life (World)
WestPalBees (West Palearctic)
Exotic Bee ID (World)
Page contributors:
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Don't keep it to yourself, please contact us and become a contributor to IDmyBee!
- Adrien Perrard (Dec. 2019)
You noticed a mistake? You have a suggestion to improve this page?
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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.