The genus ''Tetrapedia'' contains approximately 13 species of small
apid bees occurring in the
Neotropics
The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone.
Definition
In bioge ...
(from
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
to
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
), and they are unusual in possessing adaptations for carrying floral oils rather than (or in addition to)
pollen or
nectar. The floral oils are typically gathered from plants of the family
Malpighiaceae, though other plants may be visited. They also apparently gather plant
resin
In polymer chemistry and materials science, resin is a solid or highly viscous substance of plant or synthetic origin that is typically convertible into polymers. Resins are usually mixtures of organic compounds. This article focuses on n ...
s for use in nest cell construction, sometimes mixed with sand.
They are small bees (8–13 mm), generally black in color, though they may have yellow faces.
Apinae
Bee genera
{{Apinae-stub