&sq=&lang=&file=File:Question_book-new.svg){kind=small} | This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2023) |
| Melitta | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Melitta_maura_female_2.jpg)
| |
| Melitta maura, female | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hymenoptera |
| Family: | Melittidae |
| Subfamily: | Melittinae |
| Genus: | Melitta Kirby, 1802 |
| Species | |
|
~40 species (see text) | |
Melitta is a genus of bees in the family Melittidae. It includes about 40 species restricted to Africa and the northern temperate zone.[citation needed] Most of the species are Palaearctic, though three rare species occur in North America.
They are bees of moderate size, generally 8 to 15 mm long. They are commonly oligolectic, with narrow host plant preferences. They resemble bees of the genus Andrena, though with radically different mouthparts and a scopa limited to the hind tibia and basitarsus. Melitta have a crucial role as pollinators and they are protected through the Pollinators policy based on EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030.[1]
- ^ "EU Pollinators Initiative - Environment - European Commission". 30 April 2024.