Palaearctic Osmiine Bees

Author: muelandr

  • New species records 7

    Several samples of osmiine bees received from L. Noren, C. Schmid-Egger and E. Scheuchl revealed the following new country records:

    Bulgaria: Hoplitis (Anthocopa) perezi, Osmia (Neosmia) jason

    United Arab Emirates: Hoplitis (Stenosmia) minima

     

  • Specialized pollen-harvesting device in Erythrosmia

    The females of all four species of the subgenus Erythrosmia are equipped with a specialized facial pilosity composed of curved bristles. As has been observed in Osmia andrenoides (Müller, 1996b), this facial pilosity serves to remove pollen from nototribic anthers of Lamiaceae and Antirrhineae. In fact, nototribic flowers are important pollen sources of all four Erythrosmia species (see species accounts for details).

  • Osmia (Erythrosmia)

    A closer study of the four species of the subgenus Erythrosmia clarified their distribution.  i) Osmia sparsipuncta is confined to the Maghreb. ii) Osmia relicta exclusively occurs in Central Asia. iii) Osmia erythrogastra, which is a valid species based on the examination of the type material, occurs in Southern Europe, Turkey and the Near East. iv) Osmia andrenoides occurs in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe as well as in Turkey and the Near East; all literature records of Osmia andrenoides from Northern Africa are most probably erroneous and refer to Osmia sparsipuncta. v) Osmia erythrogastra and Osmia andrenoides are sympatric in Southern Europe, Turkey and the Near East and were in several cases even found to be syntopic.

  • Pollen hosts of Osmia nasoproducta

    Osmia nasoproducta is a rare southwestern mediterranean bee whose biology is virtually unknown. Ivo Raemakers observed numerous females of this species collecting pollen on Cistus flowers near Perpignan in spring 2010, which is in line with recent observations made by A. Müller in the Alpilles, where several females visited the flowers of Cistus. As the few pollen samples analysed so far also contain small amounts of Asteraceae and Lamiaceae pollen, Osmia nasoproducta is probably not a Cistaceae oligolege. It appears, however, to have a strong preference for Cistus flowers, which might explain why this species is so rarely found.

  • New results of pollen analytical studies 3

    Results of the microscopical analysis of 350 pollen samples from about 110 osmiine bee species were incorporated into the species accounts. For the following 6 species, the first pollen samples became available: Hoplitis (Alcidamea) decaocta, Hoplitis (Annosmia) fulica, Hoplitis (Annosmia) gentilis, Hoplitis (Annosmia) eremophila, Hoplitis (Anthocopa) antigae, Osmia (Hemiosmia) chrysolepta.

  • New publication on Osmia (Melanosmia)

    In a recent paper, Rightmyer, Griswold and Arduser (2010) review the non-metallic Osmia (Melanosmia) species of North America. They include detailed keys for the Palaearctic Melanosmia species.

  • Holarctic distribution of Osmia (Melanosmia)

    In a recent paper, Rightmyer, Griswold and Arduser (2010) review the non-metallic Osmia (Melanosmia) species of North America. Interestingly, Osmia laticeps Thomson, 1872 and Osmia maritima Friese, 1885, which were thought to be confined to the Palaearctic region, also occur in North America. Other Melanosmia species with a holarctic distribution are Osmia inermis (Zetterstedt, 1838) and Osmia nigriventris (Zetterstedt, 1838). The northern temperate to boreoalpine distribution of most non-metallic Melanosmia species may have facilitated the intercontinental exchange of some species via Beringia.

  • Nesting biology of Hoplitis (Annosmia)

    In a recent paper, Le Goff (2010) describes the nest architecture of Hoplitis (Annosmia) annulata and Hoplitis (Annosmia) tkalcuella. For details see the species accounts on the Palaearctic osmiine bee website.

  • Hoplitis flavicornis does not occur in the Near East

    Hoplitis (Stenosmia) flavicornis was described by Morawitz (1877) from the Caucasus. Recent material from southern Israel kindly loaned by Ariella Gotlieb revealed that H. flavicornis sensu Warncke (1991b) is a still undescribed species, which is distinctly larger than the true H. flavicornis and possesses much shorter antennal segments in the male sex. Thus, H. flavicornis does not occur in the Near East and the species keyed out by Warncke (1991b) under the name Osmia flavicornis is a still unnamed species.

  • Unknown female of Osmia milenae discovered

    Osmia (Helicosmia) milenae, which has been described by Tkalcu (1992) based on a couple of males from eastern Turkey, was known so far only in the male sex. In a sample of bees from Israel kindly loaned by Ariella Gotlieb both males and females of this rare species have been found.