What statistic highlights the significant radiation of *Hylaeus* diversity in the Hawaiian Islands compared to mainland North America?
Diversity in Hawaii surpasses that of all of mainland North America combined
The evolutionary success and rapid speciation within the Hawaiian Islands are striking when comparing the localized diversity there to continental areas. The Hawaiian Islands host about 64 known species of *Hylaeus*, which represent the *only* native bees found in that island chain. Critically, this total volume of diversity exceeds the combined diversity found across all of mainland North America, despite North America being vastly larger and containing an established population of about 130 species spread across multiple regions. This massive diversification in Hawaii is thought to have resulted from a single colonization event, leading to an incredibly rapid speciation rate.
