Perdita (genus)

Perdita
Perdita luteola, female
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Andrenidae
Subfamily:	Panurginae
Genus:	Perdita
Species
700+, see text

700+, see text

Perdita is a large genus of bees native to North America, particularly diverse in the desert regions of the United States and Mexico. There are over 600 recognized species and subspecies of Perdita, plus many more as yet unnamed. Perdita are usually quite small (2.0 mm to 10.0 mm) and often brightly colored with metallic reflections and/or yellow or white markings. The genus was extensively treated by P.H. Timberlake who, in addition to T.D.A. Cockerell, described most of the known species. Most species are extreme specialists (oligoleges) with respect to pollen and will only collect pollen from a few closely related species or genera of plants.

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