The first annotated checklist of the bees of Colombia reveals an overlooked diversity and areas with major data deficiencies.

ABSTRACT: Most existing knowledge about bee biodiversity comes from temperate regions, where diversity is presumed highest-yet substantial data gaps across the tropics confound this pattern. Checklists are critical for documenting species presence, identifying knowledge gaps, and guiding conservation. We present the first comprehensive bee checklist for Colombia, a country in tropical northern South America that serves as a key biogeographic bridge between Central and South America. We hypothesize that Colombia's complex topography, its position at the intersection of multiple biogeographic regions, and its partial Gondwanan origin contribute to exceptionally high bee diversity and endemism. We built a network of local entomological collections to compile specimen data (n = 62,158), combined with oc

SUBMITTER: Martin-Rojas RD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC13634308 | biostudies-literature | 2026

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature