Sphecodes is a genus of cuckoo bees from the family Halictidae, the majority of which are black and red in colour and are colloquially known as blood bees.[1] Sphecodes bees are kleptoparasitic on other bees, especially bees in the genera Lasioglossum, Halictus and Andrena. The adults consume nectar, but because they use other bees' provisions to feed their offspring they do not collect pollen.[2]
Sphecodes is a cosmopolitan genus with species represented on every continent.[2] The genus is also very species rich, with 21 species described from Siberia,[3] 33 species from Central Europe,[2] 17 species from the Indian region,[4] 26 from the Arabian Peninsula and surrounding region,[5] and 21 from Southeast Asia.[6] The genus is only represented in Australia in the northeast, with the species Sphecodes albilabris being thought to have been introduced to both Australia and the United States by accident.[2]
There are over 300 known species in the genus Sphecodes.[7][8][4][9] As of 2015, there were 319 valid species described.[2]
Sphecodes is a genus of cuckoo bees from the family Halictidae, the majority of which are black and red in colour and are colloquially known as blood bees. Sphecodes bees are kleptoparasitic on other bees, especially bees in the genera Lasioglossum, Halictus and Andrena. The adults consume nectar, but because they use other bees' provisions to feed their offspring they do not collect pollen.
