Colletidae

Hylaeus anthracinus

(Smith, 1873)

Anthricinan yellow-faced bee, Hawaiian yellow-faced bee

A medium-sized black bee of the Hawaiian Islands, where it lives in coastal and lowland dry forest habitat. Like other Hawaiian yellow-faced bees, it has no external pollen-carrying structure and carries pollen inside its body. It was listed as endangered under the US Endangered Species Act in 2016.

What we know

How to recognise it

It is a medium-sized black bee with clear to smoky wings and black legs.
Confirmed fact[2]
The male has a single large yellow spot on his face.
Confirmed fact[2]
The female has no yellow face markings: she is entirely black.
Confirmed fact[3]

Where it lives

Historically it lived in many coastal and lowland dry forest habitats in the Hawaiian Islands.
Confirmed fact[2]
When assessed in 2011, it was known from only 13 small patches of coastal and lowland dry forest habitat.
Confirmed fact[2]
On Oahu it seems to have declined sharply since collections made between 1892 and 1906.
Confirmed fact[2]
It has not been seen on Lanai for more than 100 years and has probably disappeared from that island.
Confirmed fact[2]

Nest

Scientists think it nests inside the stems of coastal shrubs, though this has not been confirmed in detail.
Open question[2]

Flowers and food

Like other Hawaiian yellow-faced bees, it has no external pollen basket or brush, and instead carries pollen mixed with nectar inside its crop.
Confirmed fact[2]
Adults have been seen visiting the flowers of native plants such as Sesbania tomentosa and Scaevola sericea.
Confirmed fact[2]

Bees and people

Hawaiian yellow-faced bees collect nectar and pollen almost exclusively from native plants.
Confirmed fact[2]

Conservation

In 2016 the US Fish and Wildlife Service listed this bee as endangered, together with six other Hawaiian yellow-faced bees.
Confirmed fact[1]
The endangered listing came into force on 31 October 2016.
Confirmed fact[1]
Because it lives in coastal areas, the listing rule names tsunamis as one of the threats it faces.
Confirmed fact[1]

Where it has been recorded

Each hexagon contains at least one record of Hylaeus anthracinus shared with GBIF: museum specimens, surveys and photographs.

164 records

United States80

GBIF.org occurrence data for taxon key 1349739, retrieved 2026-10-19. Observation[4]

Records show where the bee has been found and reported, not its full range or its abundance. Isolated points far from the main cluster can be misidentifications, captive or imported bees, or genuine rare finds.

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More from this part of the bee family tree

Colletes hederaeIvy beeColletidae

Apis ceranaAsian honey beeApidae

Apis dorsataGiant honey beeApidae

Apis floreaDwarf honey beeApidae

Sources

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (2016). Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Endangered Status for 49 Species From the Hawaiian Islands. Final rule. Federal Register 81(190): 67786-67860 (30 September 2016). Link
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (2011). Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; 12-Month Finding on Five Petitions To List Seven Species of Hawaiian Yellow-faced Bees as Endangered. Federal Register 76: 55170 (6 September 2011). Link
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Anthricinan yellow-faced bee (Hylaeus anthracinus). Species profile. Link
GBIF.org (2026). Occurrence search and density maps for Hylaeus anthracinus, taxon key 1349739. Link

Last checked: 20 October 2026. Every statement on this page was compared with the source it cites. Spotted an error? Report it.