Euglossa hyacinthina

Description

Euglossa hyacinthina, is a species of the orchid bee tribe Euglossini in the family Apidae. With a tongue that can get up to as long as 4 cm, this orchid bee species is found in Central America. Living in a neotropical climate, E. hyacinthina has adapted to hot and humid weather. The bee has darkly shaded, translucent wings and a metallic, glossy blue skeleton. "Medium sized, large body stature, long-tongued, and fast," E. hyacinthina is characterized by its eusociality and unique solitary life-style. Additionally, this species has no worker or queen bees and females dominate in an atypical social hierarchy. The many individual nests of E. hyacinthina reveal the sociality of the bees, and the origin of this can be discovered by studying these nests. E. hyacinthina may also be part of mimicry complexes within Euglossa.