Author: muelandr

A recent study (Sedivy et al., 2013c) proposed to unite all Hoplitis species of the subgenera Annosmia, Bytinskia, Coloplitis and Hoplitis (the “Annosmia-Hoplitis group”) in a single subgenus Hoplitis because i) Annosmia is polyphyletic in its current circumscription, ii) the cleptoparasitic Bytinskia species have evolved from the same lineage as their Annosmia hosts, iii) the most basal clade of Hoplitis is morphologically and biologically intermediate between Annosmia and Hoplitis, and iv) Coloplitis is morphologically very close to Annosmia. An alternative solution to eliminate the polyphyly of Annosmia would be the establishment of a monotypic subgenus for the most basal species of the Annosmia-Hoplitis group, Hoplitis bassana, which, however, appears unjustified owing to the morphological similarity of H. bassana with Annosmia. Merging all four subgenera into a single large subgenus results in a monophylectic taxon, which is morphologically distinctive due to a conspicuous yellowish membrane below the lateral extremity of the labrum that is present in all species.

The species of the subgenus Tergosmia and and the only species of the subgenus Ozbekosmia, Osmia avosetta, share many morphological characteristics (Warncke, 1988b). In addition, the construction of their brood cells is unique in that the cells are composed of two layers of flower petals that sandwich a thin middle layer of mud (Rozen et al., 2010). Furthermore, all Tergosmia species as well as Osmia avosetta exhibit a strong or exclusive preference for Fabaceae as pollen hosts (Müller, 2013). For these reasons, we propose to merge the subgenera Tergosmia and Ozbekosmia into one subgenus Tergosmia comb. nov.

The examination of a number of type specimens of osmiine bee species described by Benoist, van der Zanden, Pérez and Warncke revealed several new synonymies:

Heriades (Heriades) hierosolomita Benoist, 1935 is a junior synonym of Heriades (Heriades) rubicola Pérez, 1890;

Zanden (1995: 429) erroneously synonymized the female of Heriades syriaca Benoist, 1928 with the male of Heriades (Michenerella) punctulifera Schletterer, 1899. Instead, Heriades syriaca Benoist, 1928 is a junior synonym of Heriades (Rhopaloheriades) clavicornis Morawitz, 1875;

Hoplitis (Alcidamea) dumonti (Benoist, 1929) is a junior synonym of Hoplitis (Prionohoplitis) epeoliformis (Ducke, 1899);

Hoplitis (Hoplitis) oreades (Benoist, 1934) is a junior synonym of Hoplitis (Hoplitis) fortispina (Pérez, 1895);

Hoplitis (Stenosmia) denticulata (Zanden, 1992) is a junior synonym of Hoplitis (Stenosmia) jordanica (Warncke, 1991);

Osmia (Helicosmia) niveibarbis Pérez, 1902 is a junior synonym of Osmia (Helicosmia) alfkeni Ducke, 1899; Osmia niveibarbis sensu Warncke (1988a) is Osmia (Helicosmia) heteracantha Pérez, 1896;

Protosmia (Protosmia) exenterata (Pérez, 1895) is conspecific with Protosmia (Protosmia) octomaculata (Pérez, 1895) syn. nov.;

Protosmia limbata (Benoist 1935) is a junior synonym of Protosmia mirabilis (Friese 1899), which has been synonymized with Protosmia monstrosa (Pérez 1895) by Alfken (1935);

Wainia (Caposmia) guichardi (Zanden, 1991) is a junior synonym of Osmia sexsignata Benoist, 1950.