Melitta (genus)

The bee genus Melitta is a small group, with some 40 species, restricted to Africa and the northern temperate zone. Most of the species are Palaearctic, though three rare species occur in North America.

They are typically moderate-sized bees (8-15 mm), which are commonly oligolectic, greatly resembling bees of the genus Andrena (family Andrenidae), though with radically different mouthparts and a scopa limited to the hind tibia and basitarsus.