The Stenotritidae is the smallest of all formally recognised

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 monophyletic lineage within the superfamil ...

families, with only 21 species in two genera, all of them restricted to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. Historically, they were generally considered to belong in the family

Colletidae The Colletidae are a family (biology), family of bees, and are often referred to collectively as plasterer bees or polyester bees, due to the method of smoothing the walls of their nest cells with secretions applied with their mouthparts; these s ...

, but the stenotritids are presently considered their

sister taxon In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and ...

, and deserving of family status.ResearchGate Publication 6778915
/ref> Of prime importance is that the stenotritids have unmodified mouthparts, whereas colletids are separated from all other bees by having bilobed glossae. The American entomologist Ronald J. McGinley proposed their position as an independent family based on the morphology of the glossae in 1980. This view quickly became established. They are large, densely hairy, fast-flying bees, which make simple burrows in the ground and firm,

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 of mathematics (projective geometry, technical drawing, etc.), it is given a more precise definition, which may inc ...

provision masses in cells lined with a waterproof secretion. The nests of some species can reach a depth of more than three metres.BioStorBHLResearchGate Publication 267823176
/ref> The larvae do not spin cocoons. Fossil brood cells of a stenotritid bee have been found in the

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...

of the Eyre Peninsula, South Australia.BioStorBHL
/ref>

Species

The family contains two genera: ''Ctenocolletes'' and ''Stenotritus''.GBIF Backbone Taxonomy: Stenotritidae
(retrieved 26 April 2025)

''Ctenocolletes''

Authority: Theodore Cockerell, 1929 * '' Ctenocolletes albomarginatus'' ( Michener, 1965) * '' Ctenocolletes centralis'' (Houston, 1983) * '' Ctenocolletes fulvescens'' (Houston, 1983) * '' Ctenocolletes nicholsoni'' ( Cockerell, 1929) * '' Ctenocolletes nigricans'' (Houston, 1985) * ''

Ctenocolletes ordensis The Stenotritidae is the smallest of all formally recognised bee families, with only 21 species in two genera, all of them restricted to Australia. Historically, they were generally considered to belong in the family Colletidae, but the stenotrit ...

'' (Michener, 1965) * '' Ctenocolletes rufescens'' (Houston, 1983) * '' Ctenocolletes smaragdinus'' (

Smith Smith may refer to: People and fictional characters * Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals * Smith (given name) * Smith (surname), a family name originating in England ** List of people ...

, 1868) * ''

Ctenocolletes tigris The Stenotritidae is the smallest of all formally recognised bee families, with only 21 species in two genera, all of them restricted to Australia. Historically, they were generally considered to belong in the family Colletidae, but the stenotrit ...

'' (Houston, 1983) * '' Ctenocolletes tricolor'' (Houston, 1983)

''Stenotritus''

Authority: Frederick Smith, 1853 * '' Stenotritus elegans'' (Smith, 1853) * '' Stenotritus elegantior'' (Cockerell, 1921) * '' Stenotritus ferricornis'' (Cockerell, 1916) * '' Stenotritus greavesi'' ( Rayment, 1930) * ''

Stenotritus murrayensis The Stenotritidae is the smallest of all formally recognised bee families, with only 21 species in two genera, all of them restricted to Australia. Historically, they were generally considered to belong in the family Colletidae, but the stenotrit ...

'' (Rayment, 1935) * ''

Stenotritus nigrescens The Stenotritidae is the smallest of all formally recognised bee families, with only 21 species in two genera, all of them restricted to Australia. Historically, they were generally considered to belong in the family Colletidae, but the stenotrit ...

'' (

Friese Friese is a surname. Notable people with the name include: * Christian-Peter Friese, (1948-1970), victim at the Berlin wall * Donald Friese (born 1940), American billionaire businessman * Friedemann Friese (born 1970), German board game designe ...

, 1924) * ''

Stenotritus nitidus The Stenotritidae is the smallest of all formally recognised bee families, with only 21 species in two genera, all of them restricted to Australia. Historically, they were generally considered to belong in the family Colletidae, but the stenotrit ...

'' (Smith, 1879) * '' Stenotritus pubescens'' (Smith, 1868) * ''

Stenotritus rufocollaris The Stenotritidae is the smallest of all formally recognised bee families, with only 21 species in two genera, all of them restricted to Australia. Historically, they were generally considered to belong in the family Colletidae, but the stenotrit ...

'' (Cockerell, 1921) * '' Stenotritus splendidus'' (Rayment, 1930) * '' Stenotritus victoriae'' (Cockerell, 1906)

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1930702 Bee families Hymenoptera of Australia Bees