Epifamily

Anthophila (Bees)

Bombus californicus. Photo: (c) Brian Starzomski, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

iNaturalist • Wikipedia

Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their role in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the European honey bee, for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea and are presently considered a clade, called Anthophila. There are nearly 20,000 known species of bees in seven recognized biological families. They are found on every continent except Antarctica, in every habitat on…

Humboldt Life
- Kingdom: Animalia (Animals)
  - Phylum: Arthropoda (Arthropods)
    - Subphylum: Hexapoda (Hexapods)
      - Class: Insecta (Insects)
        Subclass: Pterygota (Winged and once-winged insects)
        Order: Hymenoptera (Ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies)
        Suborder: Apocrita (Narrow-waisted wasps, ants, and bees)
        Infraorder: Aculeata (Ants, bees, and stinging wasps)
        Superfamily: Apoidea (Bees and apoid wasps)
        Epifamily: Anthophila (Bees)
        Family: Apidae (Honey bees, bumble bees, and allies) (24)
        Family: Andrenidae (Mining bees) (3)
        Family: Megachilidae (Mason, leafcutter, carder, and resin bees) (14)
        Family: Halictidae (Sweat bees) (5)
        Family: Colletidae (Plasterer bees)

Subtaxa

Family: Apidae (Honey bees, bumble bees, and allies)

Family: Andrenidae (Mining bees)

Family: Megachilidae (Mason, leafcutter, carder, and resin bees)

Family: Halictidae (Sweat bees)

Family: Colletidae (Plasterer bees)

Where in Humboldt

Discussion

PLEASE SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT ANTHOPHILA, THE BEES