HYMENOPTERA > APOCRITA | Aculeata > APOIDEA > Halicidae

The females of this species can be distinguished by the translucent hind margins of the tergites, which appear orange or pale brownish due to the basal colour of the adjoining segment showing through giving the appearance of a second coloured band alongside the flattened white hairs. This effect is particularly noticeable on tergites 2 and 3 and is a feature only shared with Lasioglossum albipes. Separation of the two species can be tricky, but Lasioglossum calceatum can be confirmed by the rounder face, coupled with the shinier and darker abdomen with more widely separated lateral ridges on tergite 1 (if visible), and a brighter brown-orange hair pile on the thorax. The similar sized although slimmer males have longer antennae and either an all-black or partially red abdomen, and are almost impossible to separate from Lasioglossum albipes without a clear front view of the face showing the colour of the labrum (the small oval plate below the clypeus), which is often hidden from view or difficult to see: it should be black in L.calceatum, yellow in L.albipes. The species is widespread and common in most areas, flying from early spring through to mid-autumn and occurring in various habitats.