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TaxonomyBrowse
Info
ImagesLinksBooksData

Species Euglossa dilemma - Dilemma Orchid Bee

Green Bee? - Euglossa dilemma - female Orchid bee - Euglossa dilemma - female Orchid Bee - Euglossa dilemma Green Bee - Euglossa dilemma - female Halictidae? - Euglossa dilemma - female Orchid bee in flight - Euglossa dilemma - male Orchid bee - Euglossa dilemma - female Orchid Bee - Euglossa dilemma - male
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Hymenoptera (Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies)
No Taxon (Aculeata - Ants, Bees and Stinging Wasps)
No Taxon (Apoidea (clade Anthophila) - Bees)
Family Apidae (Cuckoo, Carpenter, Digger, Bumble, and Honey Bees)
Subfamily Apinae (Honey, Bumble, Longhorn, Orchid, and Digger Bees)
Tribe Euglossini (Orchid Bees)
Genus Euglossa (Typical Orchid Bees)
Species dilemma (Dilemma Orchid Bee)
Other Common Names
green orchid bee or dilemma orchid bee
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
A cryptic species formerly misidentified as Euglossa viridissima
Identification
Brilliant metallic green with "inflated" hind legs, used to store floral oils. (1)


If you see their tongue, it's is nearly as long as its body. (1)
Range
Florida. Native range is Mexico to Costa Rica.
Food
Recorded on Cheilocostus and Datura. The Hosts section on its Discover Life species page lists known associations based on specimen records and images.
Life Cycle
Males visit particular species of neotropical orchids and use the fragrance for courtship.
Females build nests that may contain up to twenty cells.
Remarks
A recent arrival in Florida from the Neotropics (most likely Mexico).
First identified as Euglossa viridissima, but further study revealed that E. viridissima as previously defined consisted of two cryptic species, and the one present in Florida was new to science
Works Cited
1.The Bees in Your Backyard: A Guide to North America's Bees.
Joseph S. Wilson & Olivia J. Messinger Carril. 2015. Princeton University Press.