In biology, Lipotriches is a large genus of sweat bees in the family Halictidae, distributed widely throughout the Eastern Hemisphere though absent from Europe. There are nearly 200 species in 9 subgenera. They commonly have prominent bands of hair on the margins of the metasomal segments.
Lipotriches | |
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Lipotriches sp. male | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Hymenoptera |
Family: | Halictidae |
Subfamily: | Nomiinae |
Genus: | Lipotriches Gerstaecker, 1858 |
Subgenera | |
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Members of this genus are important pollinators of plants, especially grasses,[1] in fact 5 species of this genus from South Africa are recorded to gather grass pollen, with four doing so exclusively.[2] They often have more slender bodies relative to other nomiine bees.[citation needed]