The bees of Madeira (Hymenoptera Apoidea) | Madeira Wind Birds

Madeira Nature is very rich in what respects to insects. From the almost 3000 known species there are many Madeira and Macaronesia endemics in this animal class, around 20%, though we believe there is still much more to discover... Just on the Laurel Forest there are more than 500 species of invertebrates, ranging from insects, arachnids and molluscs.

Putting our attention on the order Hymenoptera, superfamily Apoidea, next there is a checklist of the bees you can find in Madeira nature where the ones underlined are endemic species or subspecies:

Family Colletidae

Hylaeus (Paraprosopis) maderensis Cockerell, 1921

Hylaeus signatus (Panzer, 1798)

Family Halictidae

Halictus frontalis Smith, 1853

Lasioglossum wollastoni (Cockerell, 1922)

Lasioglossum (Evylaeus) villosulum (Kirby, 1802)

Family Andrenidae

Andrena (Suandrena) maderensis maderensis Cockerell, 1922

Andrena (Suandrena) cyanomicans P Sez 1895

Andrena (Micrandrena) wollastoni wollastoni Cockerell, 1922

Family Megachilidae

Osmia (Chalcosmia) fulviventris (Panzer, 1798)

Osmia (Chalcosmia) latreillei iberoafricana Peters, 1975

Osmia (Chalcosmia) madeirensis Van der Zanden, 1991

Hoplitis (Alcidamea) acuticornis (Dufour & Perris, 1840)

Hoplitis ochraceicornis (Ferton, 1902)

Megachile versicolor var. hiberniae Perkins, 1925

Stelis ornatula (Klug, 1807)

Family Anthophoridae

Anthophora (Amegilla) maderae Sichel, 1867

Xylocopa spec.

Family Apidae

Apis mellifera L 1758

Bombus (Megabombus) ruderatus (Fabricius, 1775)

Bombus (Bombus) maderensis Erlandsson, 1979

Osmia maderensis male

Anthophora maderae

References:
Fellendorf, M., Mohra, C., Roberts, S., Wirtz, P., van der Zanden, G. (1999) The bees of Madeira (Hymenoptera Apoidea). Bocagiana 197, 1-17.
Smit, JT & Smit, J (2003) Hylaeus signatus (Panzer, 1798) new for the fauna of Madeira, with notes on its feeding behaviour (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Entomofauna 24/11, 165-168.
List produced by Peter Wirtz on 18/02/2007, to whom Madeira Wind Birds thanks this precious collaboration.