Dialictus zephyrus

Yes, Dialictus zephyrus is an older classification name for the bee more commonly referred to today as Lasioglossum zephyrum. Dialictus is now generally treated as a subgenus within Lasioglossum, so both names refer to the same small North American sweat bee in the family Halictidae.

Like other sweat bees in the family Halictidae, females of Lasioglossum zephyrum are capable of stinging but are generally not aggressive toward humans. Their sting is mild compared to honeybees, and they are more likely to be noticed landing on skin to drink perspiration than to sting.

Lasioglossum zephyrum nests in the ground, excavating tunnels in soil where they provision cells with pollen and nectar for their larvae. Some females in a nest serve as workers assisting a reproductive queen, making this species one of the classic examples of primitively eusocial behavior studied by entomologists.

Lasioglossum zephyrum has been extensively studied by researchers such as Charles Michener because it exhibits a form of primitive eusociality where colonies have a reproductive female assisted by other females. This makes it a valuable model for understanding how social behavior may have evolved in bees.