''Perdita'' is a large genus of small

bee Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyly, monophyletic lineage within the ...

s native to North America, particularly diverse in the desert regions of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

and

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...

. There are over 600 currently recognized species of ''Perdita'', plus more than 100 additional subspecies and many more species that remain undescribed. ''Perdita'' are usually quite small (2.0 mm to 10.0 mm) and often brightly colored with metallic reflections and/or yellow or white markings, and among the few lineages of bees incapable of stinging. The genus was extensively treated by

P.H. Timberlake Philip Hunter Timberlake (1883-1981) was one of the most prolific American entomologists of the 20th century. He was born on June 5, 1883 in Bethel, Maine, and died in 1981 in Riverside, California, where he had served as an Associate Entomologis ...

who, in addition to T.D.A. Cockerell, described most of the known species. Most species are extreme specialists ( oligoleges) with respect to pollen and will only collect pollen from a few closely related species or genera of plants. Many species in this genus are called fairy bees. They may be parasitized by '' Neolarra'' cuckoo bees, which lay eggs in their nests given the opportunity.

References

External links

Perdita Identification Guide (female)Perdita Identification Guide (male)List of SpeciesWorldwide Species MapBugguide
Andrenidae Bee genera {{Andrenidae-stub

See also

References

External links