Melitta (bee)

Melitta
Melitta maura, female
Scientific classification Edit this 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]

  1. ^ "EU Pollinators Initiative - Environment - European Commission". 30 April 2024.