Malpighiaceae
Guides
Centridini
oil-collecting bees, oil bees
Centridini is a tribe of large apid bees distinguished by specialized adaptations for collecting floral oils, often from plants of the family Malpighiaceae. Many species possess modified leg structures—either combs of flattened, blunt bristles or velvety pads—for gathering oils, which are used in nest construction and cell provisioning. The tribe includes ground-nesting and cavity-nesting solitary bees with diverse nesting behaviors across the Americas. Members exhibit notable thermal tolerance, with some desert species remaining active at high temperatures when other bees are inactive.