Halictini

sweat bees

Genus Guides

Agapostemon(Striped Sweat Bees)
Halictus(Furrow Bees)
Lasioglossum(sweat bees)
Mexalictus(Mexican sweat bees)
Sphecodes(Blood Bees)

Halictini is a tribe of sweat bees (Halictidae) comprising over 2300 described . The tribe is divided into five subtribes: Halictina, Sphecodina, Thrinchostomina, Caenohalictina, and Gastrohalictina. Members exhibit diverse social systems ranging from solitary to eusocial, with some species exhibiting social . The tribe includes the large Lasioglossum s.l. and the Halictus genus-group.

Lasioglossum cressonii by (c) Katja Schulz, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Katja Schulz. Used under a CC-BY license.

Lasioglossum versatum by (c) Bill Keim, some rights reserved (CC BY). Used under a CC-BY license.

Lasioglossum vierecki by (c) Thilina Hettiarachchi, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Thilina Hettiarachchi. Used under a CC-BY license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Halictini: //ˌhæ.lɪkˈtiː.naɪ//

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Identification

Halictini males are distinguished by a modified metasomal VII: a transverse ridge forms a false apex beneath which the tergum is strongly reflexed to the morphological margin. This synapomorphy is shared by all members of the tribe. The Halictus -group (Halictus and Seladonia) is further characterized by male genitalia with a simple, flattened, broad gonostylus narrowed proximally and bearing coarse bristles on the inner surface, plus a sclerotized, relatively thin and long gonostylus directed backward.

Images

Distribution

distribution. Documented from North America (including Canada and eastern United States), Australia, and South Asia (including Manipur, India). Individual subtribes and have more restricted ranges.

Behavior

Social systems are highly diverse within the tribe, ranging from solitary to primitively eusocial. Some are social or of nest-building . The Australian subgenus Australictus exhibits unique wood-nesting , with females using axe-like mandibular modifications to excavate nesting cavities in wood rather than soil.

Ecological Role

. The subgenus Dialictus represents the most commonly collected bees in North America and serves as important model organisms for studying the evolution of social .

More Details

Subtribal classification

Based on phylogenetic analysis, Halictini is subdivided into five subtribes: Halictina (7 : Echthralictus, Glossodialictus, Halictus, Homalictus, Patellapis, Seladonia, Thrincohalictus), Sphecodina (4 genera: Eupetersia, Microsphecodes, Ptilocleptis, Sphecodes), Thrinchostomina (2 genera: Thrinchostoma, Parathrincostoma), Caenohalictina (9 genera: Agapostemon, Caenohalictus, Dinagapostemon, Habralictus, Mexalictus, Paragapostemon, Pseudagapostemon, Rhinetula, Ruizantheda), and Gastrohalictina (Lasioglossum s.l.). Halictina is ; the remaining four subtribes are strictly monophyletic.

Taxonomic challenges

Members of Halictini, particularly the subgenus Dialictus, represent one of the greatest challenges in due to high , morphological similarity, and extensive historical misapplication of names. is increasingly used as a tool for identification.