A gynandromorph record of Colletes hederae (Hymenoptera: Colletidae)

Authors

  • Joseph Gillson Department of Biology, Life and Mind Building, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3EL, UK

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17161/jom.vi157.25148

Abstract

Bees sometimes exhibit both male and female morphological features and these individuals are termed gynandromorphs. Here, I report and describe the first documented case of gynandromorphism in Colletes hederae Schmidt & Westrich (Hymenoptera: Colletidae), representing the third known case in this genus. The individual was collected on ivy (Hedera helix L.) flowers in Oxfordshire, UK, and appears to be a mosaic gynandromorph.

References

Barrett, M. 2021. The first case of gynandromorphy in Centris pallida (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Centridini). Journal of Melittology 104: 1–8. https://doi.org/10.17161/jom.i104.13782

Carreck, N.L., J. Andernach, A. Ariss, H. Dowd, A. Gant, M. Garbuzov, G. Hennessy, L. Nash, A. Stagg, & F.L.W. Ratnieks. 2023. Distribution and abundance of the ivy bee, Colletes hederae Schmidt & Westrich, 1993, in Sussex, southern England. BioInvasions Records 12(3): 681–697. https://doi.org/10.3391/bir.2023.12.3.06

Dalla Torre, K.W., & H. Friese. 1899. Die Hermaphroditen und Gynandromorphen Hymenopteren. Berichte des Naturwissenschaftlich-Medizinischen Vereins in Innsbruck 24: 1–96.

Dathe, H.H. 1995. Studien zur Systematik und Taxonomie der Gattung Hylaeus F. (Apidae, Colletinae). 2. Klärung und Neubeschreibung von Arten arabischer Länder. Beiträge Zur Entomologie 45(1): 155–174. https://doi.org/10.21248/contrib.entomol.45.1.155-174

Dathe H.H. 2022. Contributions to a revision of the Hylaeus brevicornis group (Hymenoptera, Anthophila, Colletidae). Contributions to Entomology 72(1): 37-66. https://doi.org/10.3897/contrib.entomol.72.e87230

Else, G.R. 2001. Two bees new to Britain. Bees, Wasps and Ants Recording Society Newsletter, Spring 2001: 6–7.

Exley, E.M. 1976. Notes on flying characteristics of Euryglossa (Xenohesma) bees and how a gynandromorph resolves a taxonomic problem. Journal of the Australian Entomological Society 15(4): 469–470. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-6055.1976.tb01734.x

Falk, S., & R. Lewington. 2016. Field Guide to the Bees of Great Britain and Ireland. Bloomsbury Publishing; London, UK; 432 pp.

Ferrari, R.R., T.M. Onuferko, & C.D. Zhu. 2021. Description of a gynander of Colletes hedini (Hymenoptera: Colletidae) from the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, China: The first record of gynandromorphism for the genus after 30 years. Far Eastern Entomologist 440: 1–12. https://doi.org/10.25221/FEE.440.1

Gorman, M., & L. Best. 2025. First report of gynandromorphy in Hoplitis: A bilateral specimen of H. (Alcidamea) producta (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). Journal of Melittology 129: 1–11. https://doi.org/10.17161/jom.vi129.23384

Hinojosa-Díaz, I.A., V.H. Gonzalez, R. Ayala, J. Mérida, P. Sagot, & M.S. Engel. 2012. New orchid and leafcutter bee gynandromorphs, with an updated review (Hymenoptera: Apoidea). Zoosystematics and Evolution 88(2): 205–214. https://doi.org/10.1002/zoos.201200017

Lightburn, K., R. van Acker, & N.E. Raine. 2022. The first gynandromorph record of the North American bee Hylaeus modestus (Hymenoptera: Colletidae). Journal of the Entomological Society of Ontario 153: jeso2022003. https://doi.org/10.21083/jeso.v153i.6957

Michez, D., P. Rasmont, M. Terzo, & N.J. Vereecken. 2009. A synthesis of gynandromorphy among wild bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea), with an annotated description of several new cases. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France 45(3): 365–375. https://doi.org/10.1080/00379271.2009.10697621

Morice, F.D. 1915. Remarkable Hymenoptera. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of London 3–4: 81–83.

Noskiewicz, J. 1923. Einige Abnormitäten bei den Apiden. Polskie Pismo Entomologiczne 2: 20–24.

Oram, R. 2022. Gynandromorphy and other morphological aberrations in Hylaeus Fabricius (Hymenoptera: Colletidae: Hylaeinae) specimens from Colorado, USA. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 94(1): 59–65. https://doi.org/10.2317/0022-8567-94.1.59

O’Toole, C. 1989. Profile of Colletes cunicularius (L.) in the British Isles (Hymenoptera: Colletidae). Bees, Wasps and Ants Recording Society Newsletter, Spring 1989: 3–7.

Ouyang, W., F. Mueller, M. Hjelmare, E. Lundberg, & C. Zimmer. 2019. ImJoy: An open-source computational platform for the deep learning era. Nature Methods 16(12): 1199–1200. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41592-019-0627-0

Rolke, D. 2020. Über einen Fall von Gynandromorphie bei der Lauch-Maskenbiene Hylaeus punctulatissimus Smith, 1842 (Hymenoptera: Anthophila). Eucera—Beiträge zur Apidologie 15: 8–10. [https://www.wildbienen.info/eucera/2020_15.php; last accessed 18 September 2026].

Schoder, S. 2018. Another gynandromorph specimen of the genus Hylaeus (Hymenoptera: Apidae) from Vienna. Zeitschrift der Arbeitsgemeinschaft Österreichischer Entomologen 70: 75–79. [https://www.entomologie.at/permalink/articles/1422-zeitschrift-der-arbeitsgemeinschaft-oesterreichischer-entomologen-70-2018-0075-0079; last accessed 18 September 2026].

Schoder, S., & H. Zettel. 2017. Description of a gynandromorph specimen of Hylaeus intermedius Förster, 1871 (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Zeitschrift der Arbeitsgemeinschaft Österreichischer Entomologen 69: 5–11. [https://www.entomologie.at/permalink/articles/1397-zeitschrift-der-arbeitsgemeinschaft-oesterreichischer-entomologen-69-2017-0005-0011; last accessed 18 September 2026].

Sommaggio, D., G. Fusco, M. Uliana, & A. Minelli. 2021. Possible epigenetic origin of a recurrent gynandromorph pattern in Megachile wild bees. Insects 12(5): 437. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12050437

Spring, M.R., K.S. Lustofin, & M.M. Gardiner. 2015. Occurrence of a gynandromorphic Bombus bimaculatus (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in southeastern Ohio. The Great Lakes Entomologist 48(3–4): 150–158. https://doi.org/10.22543/0090-0222.1020

Stöckhert, F.K. 1924. Über Gynandromorphie bei Bienen und die Beziehungen zwischen den primären und sekundären Geschlechtscharakteren der Insekten. Archiv für Naturgeschichte 90: 109–131.

Wcislo, W.T., V.H. Gonzalez, & L. Arneson. 2004. A review of deviant phenotypes in bees in relation to brood parasitism, and a gynandromorph of Megalopta genalis (Hymenoptera: Halictidae). Journal of Natural History 38(11): 1443–1457. https://doi.org/10.1080/0022293031000155322

Several angles of a gynandromorphic bee

Downloads

Published

03-11-2026

How to Cite

Gillson, J. (2026). A gynandromorph record of Colletes hederae (Hymenoptera: Colletidae). Journal of Melittology, 157. https://doi.org/10.17161/jom.vi157.25148