Family Megachilidae > Genus Stelis
Stelis
Dark Cuckoo Bees
In Minnesota, there are seven described species within the genus Stelis. Bees in this genus are cleptoparasitic (cuckoo bees). Their hosts include cavity-nesting Heriades, Hoplitis, Osmia and possibly other cavity-nesting genera in the family Megachilidae.
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Stelis are dark gray or black bees with a densely punctured thorax and white or light blue markings/spots on their abdomen. A common Stelis species in eastern North America, Stelis louisae has bold yellow markings on the head, thorax, and abdomen but does not occur in Minnesota. These cuckoo bees have a long narrow glossa (tongue), mandibles with three teeth, an arolium (pad between the tarsal claws), and two forewing submarginal cells. Stelis do not have a pygidial plate or hairs on their eyes. Females lack pollen-collecting hairs; males lack spines on the end of their abdomen. Bees in this genus range in length from 3 to 12 mm (0.11 to 0.47 inches).
Stelis lateralis
wing
position
on flowers
N0. species in MN
7
size range
Phenology
Genus Characteristics
Dark gray or black integument with white markings on the abdomen.
male
female
Females lack pollen-collecting hairs. Thorax densely pitted.
Distribution
Stelis coarctatus
Stelis foederalis
Stelis labiata
Stelis lateralis
Stelis nitida
Stelis permaculata
Stelis subemarginata
Portman et al (2023)
Additional Record
Stelis Species in Minnesota
Scientific Name | Host |
|---|---|
Stelis coarctatus | Heriades, Hoplitis (Gibbs 2023) Heriades carinata (Satyshur et al. 2023) |
Stelis foederalis | Hoplitis, Osmia (Gibbs 2023) |
Stelis labiata | Hoplitis (Gibbs 2023), Hoplitis spoliata (Medler 1967) |
Stelis lateralis | Hoplitis (Gibbs 2023), Hoplitis pilosifrons (Michener 1955), Hoplitis spoliata (Medler 1967) |
Stelis nitida | Unknown |
Stelis permaculata | Heriades carinata (Gibbs 2023, Satyshur et al. 2021) |
Stelis subemarginata | Hoplitis, Osmia (Gibbs 2023) |
Source: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota Bee Species List (August 2023).
https://files.dnr.state.mn.us/eco/mcbs/mn-statewide-bee-list.pdf
Explore More Megachilidae Genera
Note: Two genera/species on the state list are not included in this guide: Ashmeadiella bucconis (last seen in Minnesota in 1949) and Trachusa zebrata (last seen in Minnesota in 1939). If either of these species is rediscovered in the state, they will be added to the guide at that time.
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Citations and Further Reading
Droege, S., et al. (2024). The Very Handy Bee Manual: 2.0. How to Catch and Identify Bees and Manage a Collection.
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.
Rozen Jr, J. G., & Kamel, S. M. (2009). Last larval instar and mature oocytes of the Old World cleptoparasitic bee Stelis murina, including a review of Stelis biology (Apoidea: Megachilidae: Megachilinae: Anthidiini). American Museum Novitates, 2009(3666), 1-19.
Satyshur, C. D., Evans, E. C., Forsberg, B. M., Evans, T. A., & Blair, R. (2023). Determining Minnesota bee species’ distributions and phenologies with the help of participatory science. PeerJ, 11, e16146.
Satyshur, C. D., Evans, T. A., Forsberg, B. M., & Gibbs, J. (2021). First records of Stelis permaculata Cockerell (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) in Minnesota, United States of America and Manitoba, Canada. The Great Lakes Entomologist, 54(2), 12.
Wilson, J. S., & Messinger Carril, O. J. (2016). The bees in your backyard: a guide to North America's bees. Princeton University Press.
Page Photography Credits
Heather Holm
Joel Gardner CC BY-ND-NC 1.0 (Melittidae)
Martin Lucas CC BY-ND-NC 4.0 (Anthidiellum)