Author: Latreille, 1804

Type species: Nomada gibba Fabricius, 1804 = Sphex gibba Linnaeus, 1758, monobasic.
Synonyms: Dichroa Illiger, 1806; Sabulicola Verhoeff, 1890; Thrausmus Buysson, 1900; Drepanium Robertson, 1903; Proteraner Robertson, 1903; Dialonia Robertson, 1903; Machaeris Robertson, 1903; Sphecodium Robertson, 1903; Stelidium Robertson, 1903; Sphegodes Mavromoustakis, 1949.
Clade: Anthophila
Family: Halictidae
Subfamily: Halictinae
Tribe: Sphecodini
Distinctive traits
  • Black with a red abdomen (at least in part) with coarse puncturing.
  • 3 submarginal cells
  • Curved basal vein
  • Almost hairless
  • No scopa in females (cleptoparasitic bees)
  • A single subantennal suture.
Pictures of distinctive traits.
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Morphologically close genera and how to distinguish them
  • Sphecodes - Lasioglossum
Sphecodes species have submarginal vein 3 and recurrent vein 2 of similar strength than submarginal vein 1.
Lasioglossum species have submarginal vein 3 and recurrent vein 2 much less visible than submarginal vein 1.
  • Sphecodes - Halictus
Sphecodes males have a clypeus entirely black. Sphecodes females don't have a scopa on their legs.
Halictus males always have a band of yellow at the apex of the clypeus. Halictus females have a scopa on their legs.
  • Sphecodes - Nomada
Sphecodes species have short mouthparts (short-tongue morphology).
Nomada species have long mouthparts (long-tongue morphology).
  • Sphecodes - Andrena
Sphecodes species have a strongly curved basal vein.
Andrena species have a basal vein straight or at most slightly curved.
General comments on Sphecodes species identification
Identification criteria include genitalia, mandible and posterior wings, which should be made visible as much as possible.
Sorry, but the species identification tool is not yet available for Sphecodes. 
Please check the reference(s) below for traditional keys.
List of the 47 Sphecodes species found in Europe (IUCN 2014 + Rasmont et al 2017):
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) albilabris (Fabricius, 1793)
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) algeriensis Alfken, 1914
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) alternatus Smith, 1853
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) anatolicus Warncke, 1992
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) atlanticus Warncke, 1992
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) barbatus Blüthgen, 1923
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) combai Nobile et Turrisi, 2004
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) crassanus Warncke, 1992
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) crassus Thomson, 1870
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) creticus Warncke, 1992
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) cristatus Hagens, 1882
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) croaticus Meyer, 1922
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) cypricus Blüthgen, 1938
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) dusmeti Blüthgen, 1924
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) ephippius (Linné, 1767)
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) ferruginatus Hagens, 1882
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) geoffrellus (Kirby, 1802)
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) gibbus (L., 1758)
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) gomerensis Warncke, 1992
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) hirtellus Blüthgen, 1923
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) hyalinatus Hagens, 1882
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) intermedius Blüthgen, 1923
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) larochei Warncke, 1992
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) longuloides Blüthgen, 1923


Sphecodes (Sphecodes) longulus Hagens, 1882
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) majalis Pérez, 1903
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) marginatus Hagens, 1882
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) miniatus Hagens, 1882
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) monilicornis (Kirby, 1802)
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) niger Hagens, 1874
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) nomioidis Pesenko, 1979
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) olivieri Lepeletier, 1825
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) pellucidus Smith, 1845
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) piceohirtus Blüthgen, 1858
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) pinguiculus Pérez, 1903
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) pseudocrassus Blüthgen, 1924
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) pseudofasciatus Blüthgen, 1925
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) puncticeps Thomson, 1870
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) reticulatus Thomson, 1870
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) rubicundus Hagens, 1875
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) rubripes Spinola, 1838
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) ruficrus (Erichson, 1835)
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) rufiventris (Panzer, 1798)
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) scabricollis Wesmael, 1835
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) schenckii Hagens, 1882
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) spinulosus Hagens, 1875
Sphecodes (Sphecodes) zangherii Noskiewicz, 1931
References with identification keys for some of the species:
  • Amiet F., Müller A. & Neumeyer R.,1999. Apidae 2: Colletes, Dufourea, Hylaeus, Nomia, Nomioides, Rhophitoides, Rophites, Sphecodes, Systropha (Fauna Helvetica 4). Centre suisse de cartographie de la faune (CSCF), Neuchâtel, 239 pp.
  • Pesenko, Y.A., Banaszak, J., Radchenko, V.G. & Cierzniak, T. 2000. Bees of the family Halictidae (excluding Sphecodes) of Poland. Bydgoszcz. 348pp.
  • Bogush P. & Straka J. 2012. Review and identification of the cuckoo bees of central Europe (Hymenoptera: Halictidae: Sphecodes). Zootaxa 3311: 1–41.
  • Falk S.J. (2015) Field Guide to the Bees of Great Britain and Ireland. Bloomsbury wildlife guides. 432 p.
Online resources:
Atlas hymenoptera (World, Europe & Belgium)
BWARS (UK)
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.