The genus ''Epicharis'' contains fewer than 40 species of large apid bees occurring in the

Neotropics The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In biogeog ...

(from

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

to Brazil ), most of which possess adaptations for carrying floral oils rather than (or in addition to)

pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by most types of flowers of seed plants for the purpose of sexual reproduction. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced Gametophyte#Heterospory, microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm ...

or nectar. The floral oils are typically gathered from plants of the family Malpighiaceae, though other plants may be visited. They also commonly gather plant

resin A resin is a solid or highly viscous liquid that can be converted into a polymer. Resins may be biological or synthetic in origin, but are typically harvested from plants. Resins are mixtures of organic compounds, predominantly terpenes. Commo ...

s for use in nest cell construction. Recent studies have shown they are sister to the clade formed by corbiculate bees (the most well-known and economically important group of bees) plus ''Centris'' They are large bees, generally with a black head and mesosoma, and the metasoma is often red, and/or has bright yellow spots or bands. They are distinguished from the closely related genus '' Centris'' by two sets of three long, whip-like setae that project backwards from just behind the eyes.

References

Apinae Bee genera {{Apinae-stub