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
  •  2 submarginal cells
  • ventral scopa in females
  • arolium absent
  • stout mandible with a wide edge.
Pictures of distinctive traits.
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Morphologically close genera and how to distinguish them
  • Megachile - Lithurgus
Megachile species have stout mandibles with multiple small teeth or wide margin.
Lithurgus species have elongate and tridentate mandibles.
  • Megachile - Osmia, Hoplitis, Heriades, Chelostoma, Haetosmia, Hofferia, Stenoheriades, Protosmia.
Megachile species have no arolium.
Osmia, Hoplitis, Heriades, Chelostoma, Haetosmia, Hofferia, Stenoheriades & Protosmia species have an arolium.
  • Megachile - Coelioxys
Megachile species have 2 rounded axillae. Females do have a scopa. Males have only crenulate, emarginate or two small teeth on tergite 7.
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
Megachile species have rounded postero-lateral margin of the scutellum. Females have a ventral scopa
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.
Sorry, but the species identification tool is not yet available for Megachile. 
Please check the reference(s) below for traditional keys.
List of the 76 Megachile species found in Europe (Ghisbain et al.  2023)
Megachile (Anodonteutricharaea) albohirta (Brullé, 1839)
Megachile (Anodonteutricharaea) thevestensis Ferton, 1908
Megachile (Anodonteutricharaea) troodica Mavromoustakis, 1953
Megachile (Callomegachile) disjunctiformis Cockerell, 1911
Megachile (Callomegachile) sculpturalis Smith, 1853
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) fuerteventurae Tkalců, 1994
Megachile (Chalicodoma) hungarica Mocsáry, 1877
Megachile (Chalicodoma) lefebvrei (Lepeletier, 1841)
Megachile (Chalicodoma) lucidifrons Ferton, 1905
Megachile (Chalicodoma) manicata Giraud, 1861
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) sicula (Rossi, 1792)
Megachile (Chelostomoides) otomita Cresson, 1878
Megachile (Creightonella) albisecta (Klug, 1817)
Megachile (Creightonella) doriae Magretti, 1890
Megachile (Eurymella) patellimana Spinola, 1838
Megachile (Eutricharaea) anatolica Rebmann, 1968
Megachile (Eutricharaea) apicalis Spinola, 1808
Megachile (Eutricharaea) argentata (Fabricius, 1793)
Megachile (Eutricharaea) binominata Smith, 1853
Megachile (Eutricharaea) burdigalensis Benoist, 1940
Megachile (Eutricharaea) canariensis Pérez, 1902
Megachile (Eutricharaea) deceptoria Pérez, 1890
Megachile (Eutricharaea) fertoni Pérez, 1895
Megachile (Eutricharaea) flabellipes Pérez, 1895
Megachile (Eutricharaea) giraudi Gerstaecker, 1869
Megachile (Eutricharaea) hohmanni Tkalců, 1994
Megachile (Eutricharaea) inexspectata  Rebmann, 1968
Megachile (Eutricharaea) leachella Curtis, 1828


Megachile (Eutricharaea) leucomalla Gerstaecker, 1869
Megachile (Eutricharaea) marginata Smith, 1853
Megachile (Eutricharaea) melanogaster Eversmann, 1852
Megachile (Eutricharaea) minutissima Radoszkowski, 1876
Megachile (Eutricharaea) opacifrons Pérez, 1897
Megachile (Eutricharaea) posti Mavromoustakis, 1952
Megachile (Eutricharaea) pusilla Pérez, 1884
Megachile (Eutricharaea) rotundata (Fabricius, 1787)
Megachile (Eutricharaea) semicircularis van der Zanden, 1996
Megachile (Eutricharaea) tenuistriga Alfken, 1938
Megachile (Megachile) alpicola Alfken, 1924
Megachile (Megachile) bombycina Radoszkowski, 1874
Megachile (Megachile) centuncularis (Linnaeus, 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, 1878
Megachile (Megachile) pyrenaea Pérez, 1890
Megachile (Megachile) versicolor Smith, 1844
Megachile (Pseudomegachile) ericetorum (Lepeletier, 1841)
Megachile (Pseudomegachile) farinosa Smith, 1853
Megachile (Pseudomegachile) flavipes Spinola, 1838
Megachile (Pseudomegachile) foersteri Gerstäcker, 1869
Megachile (Pseudomegachile) saussurei Radoszkowski, 1874
Megachile (Pseudomegachile) syriaca Dorchin & Praz, 2018
Megachile (Pseudomegachile) tecta Radoszkowski, 1888
Megachile (Xanthosarus) analis Nylander, 1852
Megachile (Xanthosarus) circumcincta (Kirby, 1802)
Megachile (Xanthosarus) diabolica Friese, 1898
Megachile (Xanthosarus) fulvimana Eversmann, 1852
Megachile (Xanthosarus) lagopoda (Linnaeus, 1761)
Megachile (Xanthosarus) maritima (Kirby, 1802)
Megachile (Xanthosarus) nigriventris Schenck, 1870
Megachile (Xanthosarus) willughbiella (Kirby, 1802)
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)
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.
  •  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.