Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-1993
First Page
179
Last Page
227
Abstract
The rich bee fauna of Mexico encompasses 8 families and 153 genera, with approximately 1,589 currently recognized species. Due to gaps in collecting and the paucity of current revisions, the apifauna of Mexico is certainly much richer, perhaps well in excess of 2,000 species. By comparison, 3,745 species are recorded from the continental United States, whereas Panama has fewer than 400 species. The Apoidea of Mexico are of diverse origins, but little is known about the evolution of Mexico's fauna. The oldest fossil, Apoidea (96 million to 74 million years old), belongs to a genus of social bees, as does the only fossil bee known from Mexico (Middle Miocene).
Recommended Citation
Ayala, Ricardo; Griswold, Terry L.; and Bullock, Stephen H., "The Native Bees of Mexico" (1993). An. Paper 171.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/bee_lab_an/171