''Eulaema cingulata'' is a large-bodied black and orange corbiculate bee in the genus ''

Eulaema ''Eulaema'' is a genus of large-bodied euglossine bees that occur primarily in the Neotropics. They are robust brown or black bees, hairy or velvety, and often striped with yellow or orange, typically resembling bumblebees. They lack metallic c ...

''. It is characterized by its size and flashy orange segments of its

metastoma The metastoma is a ventral single plate located in the opisthosoma of non-arachnid dekatriatan chelicerates such as eurypterids, chasmataspidids and the genus '' Houia''. The metastoma located between the base of 6th prosomal appendage pair and ...

. Unlike other

, E. cingulata has white markings on its face. Specifically, T1 andT3 are black while T2 and T4 through T7 are cream or slightly orange in color. These bees are easily mistaken for bumblebees (''Bombus'' spp.). However, they are actually members of the

Euglossini The tribe (biology), tribe Euglossini, in the subfamily Apinae, commonly known as orchid bees or euglossine bees, are the only group of Pollen basket, corbiculate bees whose non-parasitic members do not all possess Eusociality, eusocial behavior. ...

, or orchid bees.

Distribution

''E. cingulata'' can be found 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 biogeog ...

, extending its range from Mexico to Brazil. They can occur at elevations as high as 2500 m and persist in anthropogenically disturbed habitats.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1827232 Insects described in 1804

cingulata Cingulata, part of the superorder Xenarthra, is an order of armored New World placental mammals. The armadillos, whose species are split between the families Dasypodidae and Chlamyphoridae, are the only surviving members of the order. Two grou ...

Orchid pollinators Hymenoptera of South America