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Apoidea

Bees, digger wasps

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taxon links [up-->]Apidae sensu lato [up-->]Crabronidae [down<--]Aculeata Interpreting the tree
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This tree diagram shows the relationships between several groups of organisms.

The root of the current tree connects the organisms featured in this tree to their containing group and the rest of the Tree of Life. The basal branching point in the tree represents the ancestor of the other groups in the tree. This ancestor diversified over time into several descendent subgroups, which are represented as internal nodes and terminal taxa to the right.

example of a tree diagram

You can click on the root to travel down the Tree of Life all the way to the root of all Life, and you can click on the names of descendent subgroups to travel up the Tree of Life all the way to individual species.

For more information on ToL tree formatting, please see Interpreting the Tree or Classification. To learn more about phylogenetic trees, please visit our Phylogenetic Biology pages.

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Tree and classification after Brothers (1999).
Containing group: Aculeata

Other Names for Apoidea

References

Alexander, B. 1990. A preliminary phylogenetic analysis of sphecoid wasps and bees. Sphecos 20: 7-16.

Alexander, B. 1992. An exploratory analysis of cladistic relationships within the superfamily Apoidea, with special reference to sphecid wasps. Journal of Hymenoptera Research 1: 25-61.

Brothers, D. J. 1999. Phylogeny and evolution of wasps, ants and bees (Hymenoptera, Chrysidoidea, Vespoidea and Apoidea). Zoologica Scripta 28 (1-2): 233-249.

Engel, M. S. 2001. A monograph of the Baltic Amber bees and evolution of the Apoidea (Hymenoptera). Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 259: 1-192.

Finnamore, A. T. 1993. Series Spheciformes. In: Goulet, H. & Huber, J. T. (Eds). Hymenoptera of the World: an Identification Guide to Families. pp. 280-306, Research Branch, Agriculture Canada, Ottawa.

Krombein, K. V. 1979. Superfamily Sphecoidea. In: Krombein, K. V., Hurd, P. D. Jr., Smith, D. R. & Burks, B. D. (Eds.). Catalog of Hymenoptera in America North of Mexico (Volume 2, pp. 1573-1740J). Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C.

Lomholdt, O. 1982. On the origin of the bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Sphecidae). Entomologica Scandinavica 13: 185-190.

Melo, G. A. R. 1997. Phylogenetic Relationships and Classification of the Major Lineages of Apoidea (Hymenoptera), with Emphasis on the Crabronid Wasps. Unpublished doctoral Dissertation, University of Kansas, Lawrence.

Menke, A. S. 1997. Family-group names in Sphecidae (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). Journal of Hymenoptera Research 6: 243-255.

Information on the Internet

Title Illustrations
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window
Scientific Name Podalonia
Location United States
Specimen Condition Live Specimen
Source #5138033
Source Collection Bugwood Network/Forestry Images
Image Use creative commons This media file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License - Version 3.0.
Copyright © Susan Ellis
Scientific Name Bombus impatiens
Specimen Condition Live Specimen
Behavior feeding on goldenrod
Source #2107025
Source Collection Bugwood Network/Forestry Images
Image Use creative commons This media file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License - Version 3.0.
Copyright © David Cappaert
Scientific Name Philanthus sp. and Polygonum cuspidatum
Location Boulevard Park, Seattle, Washington, United States
Specimen Condition Live Specimen
Behavior Nectaring on Japanese Knotweed, Polygonum cuspidatum
Sex Female
Source Beewolf - Philanthus species
Source Collection Flickr
Image Use creative commons This media file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License - Version 2.0.
Copyright © 2007 Cheryl Moorehead
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Citing this page:

Tree of Life Web Project. 1995. Apoidea. Bees, digger wasps. Version 01 January 1995 (temporary). http://tolweb.org/Apoidea/11190/1995.01.01 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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This page is a Tree of Life Branch Page.

Each ToL branch page provides a synopsis of the characteristics of a group of organisms representing a branch of the Tree of Life. The major distinction between a branch and a leaf of the Tree of Life is that each branch can be further subdivided into descendent branches, that is, subgroups representing distinct genetic lineages.

For a more detailed explanation of the different ToL page types, have a look at the Structure of the Tree of Life page.

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