Amegilla cingulata

Tilcayo Cats original · Amegilla · Sources and editorial assessment · Originals retention rule

Amegilla cingulata is an Australian bee with metallic blue abdominal bands and orange hair on the upper thorax. Its name is often associated with blue-banded bees, but blue bands occur in several species of Amegilla. The 2017 revision records A. cingulata along the east coast of New South Wales and Queensland.

Identification

Both sexes have the blue bands and orange thoracic hair. Females lack the dark hind-leg streak present in several similar species, and the fifth upper abdominal plate lacks pale hair. The female redescribed in the revision measured 14 mm in body length, with a 9 mm forewing. These measurements describe that specimen, rather than the full range of adult sizes.

History of the name

Fabricius described the species in 1775 as Andrena cingulata, from material collected by Joseph Banks. It was the first Australian bee species to receive a scientific description, according to the 2017 revision. The name-bearing female remains in the Banks Collection at the Natural History Museum in London.

The revision placed A. emendata, A. gilberti, A. lilacine and A. fabriciana in synonymy with A. cingulata. One historical specimen of fabriciana was labelled as coming from a tunnelled cell in the plaster of an old house. That is a particular nesting record, not evidence that all individuals use buildings.

Seasonal records

The revision's collection table contains records in every month. It does not establish that adults fly continuously at every locality, or that all Australian blue-banded bees share the same season.