The genus ''Halictus'' is a large assemblage of bee species in the family Halictidae. The genus is divided into 15 subgenera, some of dubious monophyly, containing over 200 species, primarily in the

Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth's Nort ...

(a few species occur in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

and

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

). Most species are black or dark brown, sometimes metallic greenish-tinted, with apical whitish

abdominal The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the torso. ...

bands on the terga (the related genus ''

Lasioglossum The sweat bee genus ''Lasioglossum'' is the largest of all bee genera, containing over 1700 species in numerous subgenera worldwide.Gibbs, J., et al. (2012)Phylogeny of halictine bees supports a shared origin of eusociality for ''Halictus'' an ...

'', which is otherwise often similar in appearance, has the abdominal hair bands located basally, not apically). Many species in the genus are eusocial, with colony sizes range from very small (two to four bees) to large (>200). Nests are typically burrows in the soil, with several

ovoid An oval () is a closed curve in a plane which resembles the outline of an egg. The term is not very specific, but in some areas (projective geometry, technical drawing, etc.) it is given a more precise definition, which may include either one or ...

"cells" in which

pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by seed plants. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm cells). Pollen grains have a hard coat made of sporopollenin that protects the gametophyt ...

mixed with

nectar Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...

is provided as food for the developing larvae; a single egg is laid on a pollen mass, and the cell is sealed. In a few species, the cells are arranged in clusters resembling a honeycomb, but constructed of soil rather than

beeswax Beeswax (''cera alba'') is a natural wax produced by honey bees of the genus ''Apis''. The wax is formed into scales by eight wax-producing glands in the abdominal segments of worker bees, which discard it in or at the hive. The hive workers ...

. Like most ground-nesting bees, the brood cells are lined internally with a waterproofing secretion. A few species in the genus have extensive geographic distribution, such as '' Halictus rubicundus'', which spans virtually the entire

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 region ...

region. Previously, ''

Halictus ligatus ''Halictus ligatus'' is a species of sweat bee from the family Halictidae, among the species that mine or burrow into the ground to create their nests. ''H. ligatus,'' like ''Lasioglossum zephyrus','' is a primitively eusocial bee species, in wh ...

'' was considered to range from

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

, including the Caribbean. However, genetic data show that there are at least three species previously considered within this one. One of them is restricted to Southeastern USA and the Caribbean, one is Central American, and true '' H. ligatus'' is found in northern and western North America. Common

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

an species include '' Halictus quadricinctus'' and '' Halictus sexcinctus'', as well as '' H. rubicundus''. ''H. rubicundus'' is solitary at high altitudes and latitudes but has eusocial colonies in warmer areas.

Species

Species within this genus include:IT IS Report
/ref> *'' Halictus acrocephalus'' Blüthgen, 1926 *'' Halictus adjikenticus'' Blüthgen, 1923 *'' Halictus aegypticola'' Strand, 1909 *'' Halictus aeneobrunneus'' Pérez, 1895 *'' Halictus aerarius'' Smith, 1873 *'' Halictus aestuans'' Ebmer, 1978 *''

Halictus albozonatus The genus ''Halictus'' is a large assemblage of bee species in the family Halictidae. The genus is divided into 15 subgenera, some of dubious monophyly, containing over 200 species, primarily in the Northern Hemisphere (a few species occur in Sou ...

'' Dours, 1872 *''

Halictus alfkenellus The genus ''Halictus'' is a large assemblage of bee species in the family Halictidae. The genus is divided into 15 subgenera, some of dubious monophyly, containing over 200 species, primarily in the Northern Hemisphere (a few species occur in So ...

'' Strand, 1909 *'' Halictus argilos'' Ebmer, 2005 *'' Halictus asperatus'' Bingham, 1898 *'' Halictus asperulus'' Pérez, 1895 *''