www.small-beings.org
www.small-beings.org
Lasioglossum ist die artenreichste Gattung der Bienen mit mehr als 1700 Arten weltweit in zahlreichen Untergattungen. Lasioglossum-Arten werden im deutschen Schmalbienen genannt. Zusammen mit der Gattung Halictus werden die Lasioglossum-Arten im Deutschen auch als Furchenbienen bezeichnet.
Lasioglossum is a genus of bees that are very variable in size, color, and body structure. They range from 3.5 to 12 mm in length and can have a black, brown, green, blue, or bronze body. Males often have a red abdomen, while females have a brush on their hind legs and a bare longitudinal furrow lined with hairs at the end of their abdomen. Lasioglossum species do not have bright hair bands on the ends of their tergites but often have them at the base of the segments. They also have reduced wing venation. Most Lasioglossum species live in varying social communities, including solitary, communal, and eusocial species. They typically overwinter in nests, and in the spring, the females raise the first brood themselves. The offspring then take over the care of the brood. Nests can be founded by a single female or multiple females. Most species nest in the ground, while some nest in decaying tree trunks. Lasioglossum species are mostly generalist feeders, but there are also kleptoparasites, nocturnal flyers, and oligolectic species (specialized on a few food plants). The genus Lasioglossum belongs to the subfamily Halictinae, tribe Halictini. It is divided into two series, the Lasioglossum series, consisting mostly of solitary or communal species, and the Hemihalictus series, containing species with a wide range of social behaviors, including kleptoparasitic and social parasitic species. There are 88 native species of Lasioglossum in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, with many being rare and difficult to identify. Some common species include Lasioglossum albipes, Lasioglossum calceatum, and Lasioglossum zonulum. The European Lasioglossum calceatum and Lasioglossum malachurum, as well as the North American Lasioglossum zephyrum and Lasioglossum marginatum, are better-known species. Lasioglossum marginatum has a multi-year life cycle and a unique caste system.
The sweat bee genus Lasioglossum is the largest of all bee genera, containing over 1800 species in numerous subgenera worldwide. They are highly variable in size, coloration, and sculpture; among the more unusual variants, some are cleptoparasites, some are nocturnal, and some are oligolectic. Most Lasioglossum species nest in the ground, but some nest in rotten logs.Social behavior among species of Lasioglossum is extraordinarily variable; species are known to exhibit solitary nesting, primitive eusociality, and social parasitism. Colony sizes vary widely, from small colonies of a single queen and four or fewer workers to large colonies of >400 workers and perennial life cycles.The genus Lasioglossum can be divided into two informal series based on the strength of the distal veins of the forewing. The Lasioglossum series (or strong-veined Lasioglossum) is mostly composed of solitary or communal species, even if some species like L. aegyptiellum show signs of division of labour indicative of eusociality. The Hemihalictus series (or weak-veined Lasioglossum) includes species with a wide range of sociality. The Hemihalictus series is composed of species which are solitary, communal, primitively eusocial, cleptoparasitic, or socially parasitic. Eusocial species may have small colonies with only one or a few workers or large colonies with dozens of workers. Large colony sizes occur in L. marginatum, which forms perennial colonies lasting five or six years, with hundreds of workers; this species is the only halictine bee with perennial colonies.
This summary provides a list of subgenera of Lasioglossum, a genus of bees. The classification of Lasioglossum into subgenera is still a topic of debate among experts. The summary also mentions two well-known species, Lasioglossum malachurum from Europe and Lasioglossum zephyrus from North America. Additionally, it refers to a list of Lasioglossum species and provides external links to an identification guide, a list of species, and a worldwide species map.