Endemic Bee Species to Florida (29 taxa)

    All families, with the exception of Melittidae, have at least 5 endemic taxa known only from Florida. Twenty-one of the 29 are pollen-collecting species and 8 are parasitic species. Six of the 29 taxa are endemic subspecies with other subspecies known from outside of Florida. Within Florida, 14 of the 29 endemic taxa are found only in southern Florida, 2 are known only from the southern tip of the central sand ridge, 3 are only known from 3 counties where a single specimen was collected, 3 are known from the north and central peninsula, and 4 are known from the central peninsula northward and from the panhandle, and 3 are found throughout Florida.

Conservation Status

    Of the 29 endemic taxa, 3 are known from a single specimen, Perdita krombeini Timberlake and Hylaeus flammipes Robertson, from Lee and Citrus counties, and Coelioxys obtusiventris Crawford, locality not given. Additional collecting in these counties is needed to verify their taxonomic status and current abundance. Of the remaining endemic taxa, populations are known from protected areas including National and State Parks, National Forests, Wildlife Refuges, and private research centers with the exception of the following 11 taxa: Perdita nubila Timberlake, Perdita consobrina lepida Timberlake, Hylaeus volusiensis Mitchell, Colletes longifacies Stephen, Colletes titusensis Mitchell, Lasioglossum (Dialictus, Habralictellus) eleutherensis Engel; Lasioglossum (Dialictus) miniatulus Mitchell, Lasioglossum (Dialictus) placidensis Mitchell, Lasioglossum (Dialictus) stuartensis Mitchell, Lasioglossum (Dialictus) tahitensis, and Doeringiella alachuensis Mitchell. Additional collecting in protected areas in counties these species are known from is needed to assess their abundance and conservation status. The remaining 15 taxa have been collected from protected natural areas although direct estimates of abundance have not been made of population sizes.

  

Family Andrenidae (5 taxa)

    All Florida endemics are found in the genus Perdita.

Perdita blatchleyi Timberlake (Hexaperdita); known from North-Central Peninsula and Panhandle

Perdita graenicheri Timberlake (Hexaperdita); restricted to southern Florida

Perdita nubila Timberlake (Hexaperdita); known from North-Central Peninsular Florida

Perdita consobrina lepida Timberlake (Perdita); endemic subspecies restricted to southern Florida

Perdita krombeini Timberlake (Endemic-unassigned subgenus); known only from Lee County, W Central Florida

 

Family Colletidae (5 taxa)

    Florida endemics are found in the genus Colletes and Hylaeus.

Hylaeus flammipes Robertson; known only from Citrus county, W Central Florida

Hylaeus graenicheri Mitchell; restricted to southern Florida

Hylaeus volusiensis Mitchell; restricted to SE Counties

Colletes longifacies Stephen; known from North-Central Peninsular Florida and Panhandle

Colletes titusensis Mitchell; known from Central Peninsular Florida

 

Family Melittidae

    No endemics found strictly in Florida; however, Hesperapis oraria Snelling and Stage is found only in Florida and adjacent Alabama.

 

Family Halictidae (9 taxa)

    Nine endemic taxa in 3 genera are found in Florida. Most are in the genus Lasioglossum (subgenus Dialictus). 1 parasitic species is known only from Florida.

Sphecodes fattigi Mitchell; known from Northern Florida

Augochlora pura mosieri Cockerell; endemic subspecies restricted to southern Florida.

Lasioglossum (Dialictus, Habralictellus) eleutherensis Engel; restricted to SE southern Florida

Lasioglossum (Dialictus) flaveriae Mitchell; restricted to SE southern Florida

Lasioglossum (Dialictus) miniatulus Mitchell; known from NE and North Central Florida; reported from Florida Keys (may be misid)

Lasioglossum (Dialictus) placidensis Mitchell; restricted to Central Ridge of Central Florida

Lasioglossum (Dialictus) stuartensis Mitchell; restricted to SE Florida

Lasioglossum (Dialictus) surianae Mitchell; known from Florida Keys only

Lasioglossum (Dialictus) tahitensis Mitchell; restricted to SE southern Florida

 

Family Megachilidae (5 taxa)

    With the exception of one pollen-collecting subspecies, 4 of the 5 taxa are parasitic bees.

Stelis australis floridensis Mitchell; endemic subspecies in north-central Florida

Stelis ater Mitchell; known only from Southwest Florida

Anthidiellum notatum rufimaculatum Schwarz; endemic subspecies in extreme southern Florida

Coelioxys slossoni slossoni Viereck; endemic subspecies in Florida; known only from SE southern Florida

Coelioxys obtusiventris Crawford; known only from Florida, locality not given.

 

Family Apidae (5 taxa)

    Three of the five endemic taxa are parasitic bees.

Xylocopa virginica krombeini Hurd; endemic subspecies in central-southern Florida

Doeringiella alachuensis Mitchell; known only from north-central Peninsular Florida

Doeringiella rufithorax Graenicher; known only from southern Florida

Doeringiella rugosus Mitchell; known only from southern tip of central ridge of Central-Southern Florida

Centris errans Fox; found only in extreme southern Florida