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Family Colletidae Lepeletier (26 taxa, including 5 state endemics)

    At the family level, these bees may be most easily recognizable by the bifid glossa. This is the only family of bees that has this type of glossa. 

    colamemalemandible.JPG (52125 bytes) colmanfemmandible.JPG (139031 bytes) hylgramaleface.GIF (454478 bytes) 

    

    There are three genera (Colletes, Hylaeus, and Caupolicana, each in a different subfamily) that are very easy to recognize to genus level but in the two diverse genera, difficult to identify to species level in the field and somewhat difficult in the lab under the microscope.

 

Key to Genera (from Mitchell 1960)

1. Front wing with two submarginal cells.....Hylaeus

    hylflofemwing.GIF (400891 bytes)  

Front wing with three submarginal cells....2

colamemalewing.JPG (39514 bytes)  colbrifemwing.JPG (38599 bytes) femalewing.jpg (192378 bytes)

2. Pygidial plate absent; 2nd recurrent vein recurved posteriorly toward outer margin of wing.......................................Colletes

colamefemterga4.JPG (61278 bytes) colbrifemwing.JPG (38599 bytes) colamemalewing.JPG (39514 bytes)

 

Pygidial plate present; 2nd recurrent vein nearly straight, not at all recurved..................................................Caupolicana
 
 femaleabdomentop.jpg (180087 bytes) femalewing.jpg (192378 bytes)