The Monteverde region of Costa Rica is a hotspot of endemism and biodiversity. The region is however disturbed by human activities such as agriculture and urbanization. This study provides a list of orchid bees (Hymenoptera: Euglossini) compiled from field surveys conducted during January-October 2019 in the premontane wet forest of San Luis, Monteverde, Costa Rica. We collected 36 species of Euglossine bees across four genera. We provide new geographic distribution and elevation data for nine species in two genera. Due to their critical role in the pollination of orchids and other plants, the distribution and abundance of Euglossine bees has relevance to plant biodiversity and conservation efforts. This is especially important in a region with a high diversity of difficult to study epiphytic orchids such as in the Monteverde region.

A total of 2,742 Euglossine male individuals across four genera (Eufriesea, Eulaema, Euglossa, and Exaerete) were collected in this study. Updated geographic distributions and elevation ranges were established for nine species of Euglossini in two genera: Eufriesea concava (Friese, 1899), Eufriesea mussitans (Fabricius, 1787), Eufriesea rufocauda (Kimsey, 1977), Euglossa dodsoni (Moure, 1965), Euglossa dressleri (Moure, 1968), Euglossa hansoni (Moure, 1965), Euglossa ignita (Smith, 1874), Euglossa tridentata (Moure, 1970), Euglossa turbinifex (Dressler, 1978). For all species except Eufriesea concava (Friese), which had one prior recording in 1993, these are the first recorded occurrences in the Monteverde region of Costa Rica, according to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) database (https://doi.org/10.15468/9f9kgp). Expanded elevation ranges are also provided for Euglossa allosticta, Euglossa bursigera, Euglossa mixta, Euglossa heterosticta, and Euglossa maculabris, though these 5 species have been previously recorded in the Monteverde region and thus are not described in detail here.