An all-black species with bifasciate wings. It most resembles Dipogon bifasciatus from which it may be told in the female by the shorter antenna; the third segment being about equal in length to the scape and subequal to the fourth. The male has crenulate antennae and a subgenital plate with short hairs medially.

A large, black and yellow, ground nesting solitary wasp. A key can be found in Lomholdt (1984). (Richards (1980) mentions the genus in his introduction but does not provide a key to the species.)

Clearly one of the Lasioglossum calceatum group of bees, although it is fairly large for the genus, with males and females about 8 mm long. Females have mid-brown abdomens with paler apices to the segments; the males are similar, but also have red-brown markings on the anterior tergites of the abdomen. The species may abound within its very restricted range, creating very large nesting aggregations.

One of four brown bumblebees known from the British Isles, two of which, B. muscorum and B. humilis, are declining greatly. B. pascuorum, however, although it may well be less frequent than it used to be, is currently extending its range northward, being fairly recently found on Orkney. It may be seen in a great variety of habitats and is a regular inhabitant of gardens. Identification may be very difficult in the field, unless the black patches on the sides of the abdomen are well-… Read more

One of two large metallic green Lasioglossum bees in Britain. This species has a rather blue-green sheen over both the thorax and abdomen which can often be discerned in the field. Although these features often serve to distinguish it from the similarly green L. morio and L. leucopus, separation from the closely related, but more northerly and westerly distributed,… Read more

One of four brown bumblebees known from the British Isles; two of which, B. muscorum and B. humilis, are declining greatly and were  included in research undertaken by the Bumblebee Working Group. The biology of these two species is very similar. Both are associated with extensive areas of tall, but open, flower-rich grasslands, especially those which have many flowers with long corollae, such as clovers, dead-nettles and yellow-rattle. B. muscorum is the more northerly distributed species… Read more

Although immediately recognisable as one of the small metallic green Lasioglossum bees, separation from the similarly-sized, and often more numerous, Lasioglossum morio requires a more detailed examination. The round face of the female and the white hind tarsi of the male should be sufficient to confirm L. leucopus.

This species was formerly referred to in the British and Irish literature either as a form of Lasioglossum smeathmanellum, with the female gaster mostly black and not metallic (Stelfox 1927), or as a species without a name (R C L Perkins 1935). This neglected species was later considered to consist of two allied, but undescribed species, by A W Ebmer. He described them under the names Lasioglossum scoticum (described from Scotland, but clearly known also from England and Wales) and L. hibernicum (described from Ireland) (Ebmer 1970). Later he considered them to… Read more