• Family: Megachilidae
• Approximate # species in region: 1
• Common name: burrowing resin bees

Paranthidium are tiny, compact anthidiines, with only a single member of the genus in eastern North America. They are ground-nesting, either digging their own tunnels or co-opting the abandoned tunnels of other bees, and line their nests with plant resins and occasionally pebbles. Our sole northeastern species, P. jugatorium, prefers medium-sized yellow composites like Helianthus and Heliopsis. Unlike exotic Anthidium and Pseudoanthidium, Paranthidium have black (not colored) eyes. The tiny Anthidiellum notatum is also similar, but has darker blackish wings, only one pair of long yellow bands on the abdomen (the others are reduced to pairs of spots), and generally prefers legumes to composites. The black and yellow Megachile parasite Stelis louisae is another Paranthidium look-alike, but it has an unbanded black square in the middle of the abdomen (viewed from above) which Paranthidium lacks.

Species covered:

Species requiring accounts: none