The genus Amegilla (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Anthophorini) in Australia: A revision of the subgenera Notomegilla and Zonamegilla

The Australian bees in the subgenera Notomegilla and Zonamegilla of the genus Amegilla are revised. Commonly in Australia the species in these subgenera are called blue-banded bees, although not all species have blue bands. A phylogeny based on mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase 1 sequence data was used to delineate the species and a set of morphological criteria was developed for species identification. Strong support was obtained for separating the Australian species into the three subgenera previously proposed on the basis of morphology. Two species, are recognised in the subgenus Notomegilla and eleven new synonymies are proposed. Twelve Australian species are recognised in the subgenus Zonamegilla including four new species: indistincta, karlba, paeninsulae and viridicingulata, and twenty new synonymies are proposed. Keys to the species of both sexes and descriptions or redescriptions of all species are provided. Distribution maps, data on flower visitation and phenology are given.