Bulletin 25 - March 1985: Bees and Wasps of the Ruus al Jibal

Bees and Wasps of the Ruus al Jibal

by Ian Hamer

This is a provisional list of Aculeata collected in the Wadis Khabb Shamsi and Al Bih. Specific names are given where possible (in the short form omitting the detailer), otherwise generic names only have been given. One unidentified bee is noted only as 'sp'.

M - male
F - female
U - unclear

Sphecoidea - a superfamily of bees and wasps.

Sphecidae - solitary wasps, including mud daubers and digging wasps.

Stizus sp. M
Tachysphex sp. F
Lirris haemorrhoidalis M
Tachysphex erythropus M F
Lirris sp. F
Eremiasphecium sp. M
Ammatomus sp. M F
Cerceris sp. M
Chlorion sp. F
Gastrosericus sp. F
Tachysphex sp. M
Holotachysphex sp. F

Vespoidea - a superfamily of bees and wasps including true bees and hornets.

Eumenidae - a wasp family including solitary mason wasps and potter wasps.

Euodynerus excellens M F
Euodynerus excellens M (stylopised)
Cyrtolabulus gracilis M

Polistinae - a family of social wasps, in UAE all yellow, nests consisting of single suspended combs of papery material.

Polistes Walt U

Apoidea - true bees (one unknown sp. M)

Apidae - a family of social bees including common honeybees and stingless bees.

Apis florea U

Halictidae - a family of small black or brightly metallic solitary bees.

Pseudapis nilotica M

Xylocopidae - mostly tropical bees that excavate nest galleries in dry wood or pithy stems.

Ceratina sp. F

Also collected were the parasite wasps Chrysididae sp. M and Scoiioidea sp. M