Nomia

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Hymenopterida
Ordo: Hymenoptera
Subordo: Apocrita
Superfamilia: Apoidea

Familia: Halictidae
Subfamilia: Nomiinae
Genus: Nomia
Species: N. melanderi – N. omanomano
...

Nomia is a cosmopolitan genus of sweat bees in the family Halictidae. Many species have opalescent bands on the metasoma. Nomia species are moderate-sized bees that nest in the ground. Most species nest solitarily, but some species also nest communally where females share a nest but where there are no queen or worker castes.[1] Nomia species are found Africa, tropical Asia, Australia, and in North America.[2] There are about 130 species world wide.[3]

Nomia melanderi is an important pollinator of alfalfa. They prefer to nest in salty soils. The Walla Walla Valley farmers in Washington State not only sell alfalfa, but some farmers also raise and sell this species of bee.[4]

Identification
Wings

The marginal cell is rounded with the second submarginal cell being shorter than the first and third (three submarginal cells total). The basal vein is not as curved as other members of the family Halictidae.[2]
Face & body

Nomia has a rounded face with the eyes melding into the lower margin of the clypeus. As a result, the clypeus doesn't appear to extend abruptly below the face. The abdomen has bands of pearl/ivory that can be tinged with blue or green.[2]
Nesting

Some Nomia nests in large aggregations, with over 700 nests per square yard found at one site (the largest aggregation of bees found in the world).[2] There have been reports of N. melanderi sisters sharing nests as well.[4] Nomia tunnel into the ground.[2]
Nomia species

Nomia albofasciata Smith, 1875
Nomia alluaudi (Pauly, 2000)
Nomia amabilis Cockerell, 1908
Nomia amboinensis Cockerell, 1907
Nomia ampliata Vachal, 1903
Nomia angustitibialis Ribble, 1965
Nomia antecedens Cockerell, 1931
Nomia anthracoptera Cockerell, 1918
Nomia apicalis Friese, 1941
Nomia ardjuna Cockerell, 1911
Nomia atripes Friese, 1909
Nomia aurantifer Cockerell, 1910
Nomia aurata Bingham, 1897
Nomia austrovagans Cockerell, 1905
Nomia bicoloripes Walker, 1871
Nomia bongo (Pauly, 2000)
Nomia borneana Cameron, 1902
Nomia bouyssoui Vachal, 1903
Nomia brevipes Friese, 1914
Nomia brothersi (Pauly, 2000)
Nomia buddha Westwood, 1875
Nomia callichlora Cockerell, 1911
Nomia camerunensis (Pauly, 1990)
Nomia candida Smith, 1875
Nomia capitata Smith, 1875
Nomia carinata Smith, 1875
Nomia chalybeata Smith, 1875
Nomia chandleri (Ashmead, 1899)
Nomia clavicauda Cockerell, 1947
Nomia clypeonitida (Pauly, 2000)
Nomia crassipes (Fabricius, 1789)
Nomia crassiuscula Friese, 1913
Nomia crocisaeformis Bingham, 1903
Nomia cuneata Saussure, 1890
Nomia curvipes (Fabricius, 1793)
Nomia darwinorum Cockerell, 1910
Nomia dayi (Pauly, 1997)
Nomia dimidiata Vachal, 1897
Nomia eburneifrons Walker, 1871
Nomia elegans Smith, 1857
Nomia elegantula Friese, 1913
Nomia elephas Strand, 1911
Nomia ellioti Smith, 1875
Nomia epileuca Cockerell, 1939
Nomia ethiopica (Pauly, 2000)
Nomia expulsa Cockerell, 1918
Nomia fedorensis Cockerell, 1910
Nomia felina Cockerell, 1947
Nomia ferruginipennis Cockerell, 1947
Nomia ferruginipes Cockerell, 1947
Nomia flavipennis Friese, 1909
Nomia forbesii (W. F. Kirby, 1900)
Nomia formosa Smith, 1858
Nomia foxii Dalla Torre, 1896
Nomia froggatti Cockerell, 1911
Nomia fulvata (Fabricius, 1804)
Nomia fuscipennis Smith, 1875
Nomia garambensis (Pauly, 2000)
Nomia gorytoides Strand, 1911
Nomia granulata Vachal, 1903
Nomia guangxiensis Wu, 1983
Nomia howardi Crawford, 1911
Nomia incerta Gribodo, 1894
Nomia iridescens Smith, 1853
Nomia ivoirensis (Pauly, 1990)
Nomia kinduna Strand, 1920
Nomia laevidorsata Benoist, 1962
Nomia lusoria Cockerell, 1919
Nomia lutea Warncke, 1976
Nomia lyonsiae Cockerell, 1912
Nomia maculata Friese, 1904
Nomia maneei Cockerell, 1910
Nomia marana Cockerell, 1941
Nomia marginata (Pauly, 1990)
Nomia maturans Cockerell, 1912
Nomia mcgregori Cockerell, 1920
Nomia medionitens Cockerell, 1947
Nomia medogensis Wu, 1988
Nomia megasoma Cockerell, 1912
Nomia melanderi Cockerell, 1906 (alkali bee)
Nomia microlutea (Pauly, 2000)
Nomia mimosae Cockerell, 1925
Nomia mirabilis Friese, 1910
Nomia mlanjensis (Pauly, 2000)
Nomia montana Friese, 1941
Nomia montivaga Friese, 1941
Nomia nasicana Cockerell, 1911
Nomia nigrociliata Cockerell, 1932
Nomia nilssoni (Pauly, 1991)
Nomia nitens Cockerell, 1931
Nomia nortoni Cresson, 1868
Nomia omanica (Pauly, 2000)
Nomia opulenta Smith, 1864
Nomia oryzae Cockerell, 1929
Nomia papuana Cockerell, 1929
Nomia parvula Friese, 1909
Nomia pavonura Cockerell, 1912
Nomia penangensis Cockerell, 1920
Nomia perconcinna Cockerell, 1920
Nomia philippina Vachal, 1897
Nomia planiventris Friese, 1910
Nomia postscutellaris Strand, 1914
Nomia pretoriensis Cockerell, 1947
Nomia proxima Friese, 1910
Nomia pulawskii (Pauly, 1997)
Nomia pulchribalteata Cameron, 1901
Nomia punctulata Dalla Torre, 1896
Nomia puttalama Strand, 1913
Nomia quadridentata Smith, 1875
Nomia quadrifasciata Ashmead, 1904
Nomia quadrituberculata (Cameron, 1905)
Nomia ranavalona (Pauly, 1991)
Nomia recessa Cockerell, 1919
Nomia ridleyi Cockerell, 1910
Nomia robinsoni Cresson, 1865
Nomia robusta Cameron, 1902
Nomia rozeni (Pauly, 2000)
Nomia rubroviridis Cockerell, 1905
Nomia rufa Friese, 1918
Nomia rufitarsis Smith, 1875
Nomia rufocaudata Wu, 1988
Nomia rufoclypeata Wu, 1983
Nomia rufosuffusa Cockerell, 1935
Nomia scitula Bingham, 1903
Nomia scutellaris Saussure, 1890
Nomia selangorensis Cockerell, 1920
Nomia senticosa Vachal, 1897
Nomia seyrigi Benoist, 1964
Nomia simplicipes Friese, 1897
Nomia somalica Friese, 1908
Nomia spinosipes Cockerell, 1947
Nomia stageri (Pauly, 2000)
Nomia starkei (Pauly, 2000)
Nomia strigata (Fabricius, 1793)
Nomia subpurpurea Cockerell, 1920
Nomia swainsoniae Cockerell, 1921
Nomia terminata Smith, 1876
Nomia tetrazonata Cockerell, 1910
Nomia theryi Gribodo, 1894
Nomia thoracica Smith, 1875
Nomia tibiaplumosa (Pauly, 2000)
Nomia trichonota Cockerell, 1939
Nomia universitatis Cockerell, 1908
Nomia vassei (Pauly, 2000)
Nomia vespoides Walker, 1871
Nomia viridicincta Meade-Waldo, 1916
Nomia viridicinctula Cockerell, 1931
Nomia viridilimbata Saussure, 1890
Nomia westwoodi Gribodo, 1894
Nomia whiteana (Cameron, 1905)
Nomia yunnanensis Wu, 1983
Nomia zonaria Walker, 1871

References

Hannan, Abdul (2013). "Nesting biology and life cycle of Nomia (Acunomia) chalybeata Smith on Iriomote Island, southernmost Archipelago of Japan, with notes on the simultaneous occurrence of diapausing and non-diapausing prepupae within the same nests (Hymenoptera: Halictidae)". Journal of the Saudi Society of Agricultural Sciences. 12 (2): 91–99. doi:10.1016/j.jssas.2012.08.002.
"Frontmatter", The Bees in Your Backyard, Princeton University Press, pp. 1–4, 2016-12-31, doi:10.1515/9781400874156-fm, ISBN 978-1-4008-7415-6
"Genus Nomia - BugGuide.Net". bugguide.net. Retrieved 2020-03-09.
Wine, Emily (2016). "Determining ideal soil conditions for rearing alkali bees (Nomia melanderi)". 2016 International Congress of Entomology. Entomological Society of America. doi:10.1603/ice.2016.115623.