Members of the family Andrenidae are commonly known as mining bees. One hundred (100) species of andrenid bees have been recorded in Pennsylvania [1]. Of these species, only one (Andrena wilkella) is not native to North America (indicated by an asterisk; *). Worldwide, this family has over 3,000 species described [2].
General identifying morphological characters include:
- Two pairs of grooves on their face (a pair below each antenna) – some species only have one pair of grooves
- Short tongue length
- Small to medium size
- Wide range of colors and patterns, but commonly brown or black
Nesting habitats
Bees in this family dig burrows and nest in the ground. They typically prefer nesting in areas with bare, sandy soil.
Sociality
All species in this family are solitary, but the females of some species may nest close together. When multiple nests are located in the same area, this is called an aggregation.
Other behavioral or biological traits
Many species of andrenids are specialists; they only collect and feed on pollen from a limited number of plant species.
Species list
A checklist of andrenid bees recorded in Pennsylvania is presented below. For each species, we list the counties, date ranges, and the most recent years they have been collected or observed in the openly-accessible checklist [see 1]..
Genus Andrena — 91 species
Andrena (Andrena) carolina Viereck, 1909
Andrena (Andrena) clarkella (Kirby, 1802)
Andrena (Andrena) cornelli Viereck, 1907
Andrena (Andrena) frigida Smith, 1853
Andrena (Andrena) macoupinensis Robertson, 1900
Andrena (Andrena) mandibularis Robertson, 1892
Andrena (Andrena) milwaukeensis Graenicher, 1903
Andrena (Andrena) rufosignata Cockerell, 1902
Andrena (Andrena) thaspii Graenicher, 1903
Andrena (Andrena) tridens Robertson, 1902
Andrena (Archiandrena) banksi Malloch, 1917
Andrena (Archiandrena) dimorpha Mitchell, 1960
Andrena (Callandrena sensu lato) aliciae Robertson, 1891
Andrena (Callandrena sensu lato) gardineri Cockerell, 1906
Andrena (Callandrena sensu lato) helianthi Robertson, 1891
Andrena (Callandrena sensu lato) krigiana Robertson, 1901
Andrena (Callandrena sensu lato) rudbeckiae Robertson, 1891
Andrena (Callandrena sensu lato) asteris Robertson, 1891
Andrena (Callandrena sensu lato) asteroides Mitchell, 1960
Andrena (Callandrena sensu lato) placata Mitchell, 1960
Andrena (Callandrena sensu lato) simplex Smith, 1853
Andrena (Cnemidandrena) chromotricha Cockerell, 1899
Andrena (Cnemidandrena) hirticincta Provancher, 1888
Andrena (Cnemidandrena) nubecula Smith, 1853
Andrena (Conandrena) bradleyi Viereck, 1907
Andrena (Derandrena) uvulariae Mitchell, 1960
Andrena (Derandrena) ziziaeformis Cockerell, 1908
Andrena (Euandrena) algida Smith, 1853
Andrena (Euandrena) geranii Robertson, 1891
Andrena (Euandrena) nigrihirta (Ashmead, 1890)
Andrena (Euandrena) phaceliae Mitchell, 1960
Andrena (Gonandrena) fragilis Smith, 1853
Andrena (Gonandrena) integra Smith, 1853
Andrena (Gonandrena) platyparia Robertson, 1895
Andrena (Holandrena) cressonii cressonii Robertson, 1891
Andrena (Iomelissa) violae Robertson, 1891
Andrena (Larandrena) miserabilis Cresson, 1872
Andrena (Leucandrena) barbilabris (Kirby, 1802)
Andrena (Leucandrena) erythronii Robertson, 1891
Andrena (Melandrena) barbara Bouseman & LaBerge, 1979
Andrena (Melandrena) carlini Cockerell, 1901
Andrena (Melandrena) commoda Smith, 1879
Andrena (Melandrena) confederata Viereck, 1917
Andrena (Melandrena) dunningi Cockerell, 1898
Andrena (Melandrena) hilaris Smith, 1853
Andrena (Melandrena) illini Bouseman & LaBerge, 1979
Andrena (Melandrena) nivalis Smith, 1853
Andrena (Melandrena) pruni Robertson, 1891
Andrena (Melandrena) regularis Malloch, 1917
Andrena (Melandrena) sayi Robertson, 1891
Andrena (Melandrena) vicina Smith, 1853
Andrena (Micrandrena) nigrae Robertson, 1905
Andrena (Micrandrena) salictaria Robertson, 1905
Andrena (Micrandrena) lamelliterga Ribble, 1968
Andrena (Micrandrena) melanochroa Cockerell, 1898
Andrena (Micrandrena) personata Robertson, 1897
Andrena (Micrandrena) ziziae Robertson, 1891
Andrena (Parandrena) nida Mitchell, 1960
Andrena (Plastandrena) crataegi Robertson, 1893
Andrena (Ptilandrena) distans Provancher, 1888
Andrena (Ptilandrena) erigeniae Robertson, 1891
Andrena (Rhacandrena) brevipalpis Cockerell, 1930
Andrena (Rhacandrena) robertsonii Dalla Torre, 1896
Andrena (Scaphandrena) arabis Robertson, 1897
Andrena (Scrapteropsis) alleghaniensis Viereck, 1907
Andrena (Scrapteropsis) daeckei Viereck, 1907
Andrena (Scrapteropsis) fenningeri Viereck, 1922
Andrena (Scrapteropsis) ilicis Mitchell, 1960
Andrena (Scrapteropsis) imitatrix Cresson, 1872
Andrena (Scrapteropsis) morrisonella Viereck, 1917
Andrena (Simandrena) nasonii Robertson, 1895
Andrena (Simandrena) wheeleri Graenicher, 1904
Andrena (Taeniandrena) wilkella (Kirby, 1802) *
Andrena (Thysandrena) bisalicis Viereck, 1908
Andrena (Thysandrena) w-scripta Viereck, 1904
Andrena (Trachandrena) ceanothi Viereck, 1917
Andrena (Trachandrena) forbesii Robertson, 1891
Andrena (Trachandrena) heraclei Robertson, 1897
Andrena (Trachandrena) hippotes Robertson, 1895
Andrena (Trachandrena) mariae Robertson, 1891
Andrena (Trachandrena) miranda Smith, 1879
Andrena (Trachandrena) nuda Robertson, 1891
Andrena (Trachandrena) rehni Viereck, 1907
Andrena (Trachandrena) rugosa Robertson, 1891
Andrena (Trachandrena) sigmundi Cockerell, 1902
Andrena (Trachandrena) spiraeana Robertson, 1895
Andrena (Trachandrena) virginiana Mitchell, 1960
Andrena (Tylandrena) erythrogaster (Ashmead, 1890)
Andrena (Tylandrena) perplexa Smith, 1853
Andrena (Tylandrena) wilmattae Cockerell, 1906
Andrena (Xiphandrena) mendica Mitchell, 1960
Genus Calliopsis — 1 species
Calliopsis (Calliopsis) andreniformis Smith, 1853
Genus Perdita — 2 species
Perdita (Perdita) halictoides Smith, 1853
Perdita (Perdita) octomaculata (Say, 1824)
Genus Protandrena — 6 species
Protandrena (Heterosarus) parvus (Robertson, 1892)
Protandrena (Heterosarus) pauper (Cresson, 1878)
Protandrena (Metapsaenythia) abdominalis (Cresson, 1878)
Protandrena (Pterosarus) aestivalis (Provancher, 1882)
Protandrena (Pterosarus) andrenoides (Smith, 1853)
Protandrena (Pterosarus) compositarum (Robertson, 1893)
Additional information about species in this family is available at:
References
- Kilpatrick SK, Gibbs J, Mikulas MM, Spichiger S-E, Ostiguy N, Biddinger DJ, López-Uribe MM (2020) An updated checklist of the bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Anthophila) of Pennsylvania, United States of America. Journal of Hymenoptera Research 77: 1–86. https://doi.org/10.3897/jhr.77.49622
- Ascher JS, Pickering J (2020) Discover Life bee species guide and world checklist (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila). http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?guide=Apoidea_species
Photo Credit
USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab
How to Cite this Webpage
Kilpatrick SK, López-Uribe MM (2020) Andrenidae. http://lopezuribelab.com/andrenidae/
Updated 29 June 2020