The
bee genus ''Anthophora'' is one of the largest in the family
Apidae
Apidae is the largest family within the superfamily Apoidea, containing at least 5700 species of bees. The family includes some of the most commonly seen bees, including bumblebees and honey bees, but also includes stingless bees (also used for ...
, with over 450 species worldwide in 14 different subgenera. They are most abundant and diverse in the
Holarctic
The Holarctic realm is a biogeographic realm that comprises the majority of habitats found throughout the continents in the Northern Hemisphere. It corresponds to the floristic Boreal Kingdom. It includes both the Nearctic zoogeographical reg ...
and
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
n biogeographic regions. All species are solitary, though many nest in large aggregations. Nearly all species make nests in the soil, either in banks or in flat ground; the larvae develop in cells with waterproof linings and do not spin
cocoons. Males commonly have pale white or yellow facial markings, and/or peculiarly modified leg armature and hairs. ''Anthophora'' individuals can be distinguished from the very similar genus ''
Amegilla'' by the possession of an
arolium between the
tarsal claws.
Species include:
*''
Anthophora abrupta''
*''
Anthophora bomboides''
*''
Anthophora bimaculata''
*''
Anthophora californica''
*''
Anthophora curta''
*''
Anthophora dispar''
*''
Anthophora edwardsii''
*''
Anthophora fedorica''
*''
Anthophora flexipes''
*''
Anthophora furcata''
*''
Anthophora occidentalis''
*''
Anthophora plumipes''
*''
Anthophora pueblo''
*''
Anthophora retusa''
*''
Anthophora urbana''
See also
*
List of ''Anthophora'' species
References
*
C. D. Michener (2000) ''The Bees of the World'', Johns Hopkins University Press.
External links
Discover Life, Anthophora Identification Guide Discover Life, List of SpeciesDiscover Life, Worldwide Species Map
on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
Apinae
Bee genera
Taxa named by Pierre André Latreille
{{Apinae-stub