Family Andrenidae > Genus Calliopsis
Calliopsis
Mining Bees
In Minnesota, there are three described species within the genus Calliopsis. Bees in this genus are dark gray to black (lacking metallic highlights), have thin white hair bands on the abdominal segments (sometimes absent in males), and blue-green eyes. Both Calliopsis males and females have white or yellow markings on their face (clypeus). The pattern of these markings is one characteristic used for species-level identification.
In Minnesota, peak Calliopsis activity occurs in July. All three species in this genus nest in the ground and have solitary nests. Calliopsis andreniformis and C. nebraskensis prefer to nest in sand or well-drained compacted bare soil. Calliopsis nebraskensis is a pollen specialist (narrow oligolege) of one plant genus —Verbena (vervain), and the other two species are broader specialists (oligoleges) collecting pollen from a number of plant genera belonging to one plant family. Calliopsis range in size (length) from 4 to 10 mm (0.16 to 0.4").
Calliopsis andreniformis female visiting Verbena hastata.
Wing
position
on flowers
3
no. species
in MN
size range
Phenology
Genus Characteristics
stigma
2
1
Forewing with two submarginal
cells and stigma very small.
female
Ground-nesting, often in compacted well-drained soil.
female
Pollen-collecting hairs (scopae) on hind leg tibia and basitarsus. Pollen masses are dense and moistened with nectar.
female
Clypeus projects outward. Blue-green eyes, black or dark gray integument, and thin white hair bands on abdominal tergites (segments).
female
Facial foveae narrow and lacking hairs. White or yellow markings on face. Face wider than tall.
Distribution
Calliopsis andreniformis
Calliopsis coloradensis
Calliopsis nebraskensis
Calliopsis Species in Minnesota
Scientific Name | Likely Lecty | Host Plant(s) |
|---|---|---|
Calliopsis andreniformis | oligolectic | Fabaceae (Portman) |
Calliopsis coloradensis | oligolectic | Asteraceae (Gibbs 2023), summer Asteraceae (Arduser) |
Calliopsis nebraskensis | narrow oligolectic | Verbena (Arduser) |
Lecty/Host Plant Information: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota Bee Species List (August 2023).
https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/eco/mcbs/mn-statewide-bee-list.pdf
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Citations and Further Reading
Droege, S., Shumar, S., & Maffei, C. (2024). The Very Handy Bee Manual (2.0). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12812755
Dyer, J. G., & Shinn, A. F. (1978). Pollen collected by Calliopsis andreniformis Smith in North America (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society, 787-795.
Gibbs, J., Hanuschuk, E., Miller, R., Dubois, M., Martini, M., Robinson, S., ... & Onuferko, T. M. (2023). A checklist of the bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) of Manitoba, Canada. The Canadian Entomologist, 155, e3.
Mitchell, T. B. (1960). Bees of the eastern United States. Technical Bulletin No. 141. North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station.
Portman, Z. M., Gardner, J., Lane, I. G., Gerjets, N., Petersen, J. D., Ascher, J. S., ... & Cariveau, D. P. (2023). A checklist of the bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) of Minnesota. Zootaxa, 5304(1), 1-95.
Wilson, J. S., & Messinger Carril, O. J. (2016). The bees in your backyard: a guide to North America's bees. Princeton University Press.
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