Centridini
Guides
Centris cockerelli
Cockerell's Oil-Digger
Centris cockerelli is a species of oil-collecting bee in the family Apidae, described by Fox in 1899. As a member of the tribe Centridini, it is one of the bees specialized in collecting floral oils rather than nectar. The species occurs in Central America and North America, though specific details about its biology remain poorly documented in scientific literature.
Centris errans
Wandering Centris, Florida locust-berry oil-collecting bee, spiny bear's-breech
Centris errans is a species of oil-collecting bee in the tribe Centridini, family Apidae. It is endemic to Florida, where it is one of five Apidae species restricted to the state. The species occurs in the southernmost portion of Florida and has also been recorded in the broader Caribbean and North America regions. Like other Centris bees, it is known to collect floral oils rather than nectar from certain host plants.
Centris flavofasciata
Yellow-banded Oil-Digger
Centris flavofasciata is a species of oil-collecting bee in the family Apidae, tribe Centridini. It is known to serve as a host for the cleptoparasitic bee Mesoplia sapphirina, which exploits its nests. Like other Centris species, it has been observed collecting floral oils rather than nectar from certain plants. The species occurs in Middle and North America.
Centris hoffmanseggiae
Centris hoffmanseggiae is a centridine bee in the family Apidae. It is known to occur in North America and Middle America. Like other members of the genus Centris, it is an oil-collecting bee that gathers floral oils from specialized plant structures. The species was described by Cockerell in 1897.
Centris nitida
Shining Oil-digger Bee
Centris nitida is a centridine bee in the family Apidae, commonly known as the Shining Oil-digger Bee. The species is native to Central America and has been introduced to Florida in the United States. It belongs to a genus specialized in collecting floral oils rather than nectar, using these oils to provision nests and feed larvae. Two subspecies are recognized: Centris nitida nitida and Centris nitida geminata.
Centris rhodopus
red-legged centris, Red-legged Oil-Digger
Centris rhodopus is a species of oil-collecting bee in the tribe Centridini, family Apidae. It is distributed across Central America and North America. Like other Centris species, it has been observed collecting floral oils from specialized oil-producing flowers, particularly in the genus Krameria. The species is part of a group of bees adapted to harvesting non-nectar floral rewards.
Mesoplia
centris-cuckoos, cuckoo bees
Mesoplia is a genus of cleptoparasitic bees in the family Apidae, tribe Ericrocidini. Commonly known as centris-cuckoos, these bees are brood parasites that lay eggs in the nests of oil-collecting bees in the tribe Centridini. The genus contains approximately 15–17 described species distributed across the Neotropical region, with the highest diversity in Mexico and Central America.