Stenotritidae

The family Stenotritidae is the smallest of all formally-recognized bee families, with only 21 species in 2 genera, all of them restricted to Australia. Historically, they were generally considered to belong in the family Colletidae, but it is presently considered that the stenotritids are their sister taxon, and deserving of family status.Danforth, B.N., Sipes, S., Fang, J., Brady, S.G. (2006) The history of early bee diversification based on five genes plus morphology. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 103: 15118-15123. Of prime importance is that stenotritids have unmodified mouthparts, whereas colletids are separated from all other bees by having a bilobed glossa.

They are large, densely hairy, fast-flying bees, which make simple burrows in the ground and make firm, ovoid provision masses in cells lined with a waterproof secretion. The larvae do not spin cocoons.

References

• C. D. Michener (2000) The Bees of the World, Johns Hopkins University Press.

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