Wainia (Caposmia) guichardi (Zanden, 1991) was known so far only in the male sex. On an excursion to southern Morocco in April 2009, the unknown female was discovered (A. Müller, unpublished).
Author: muelandr
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New synonymies 1
Hoplitis alexandrina (Warncke, 1991) is a junior synonym of Hoplitis hofferi (Tkalcu, 1977) based on types and the original description (A. Müller, unpublished).
Hoplitis acuticornis penelope (Warncke, 1991) is the so far unknown male of Hoplitis nigrocolor (Zanden, 1991) based on recently collected material in Tunisia (A. Müller, unpublished). Thus, it is newly treated as a synonym of H. nigrocolor. The synonymization of Hoplitis acuticornis penelope with Hoplitis camelina (Benoist, 1934) by Zanden (1996b) is erroneous.
Hoplitis brevifurca (Benoist, 1934) is the so far unknown male of Hoplitis sinuata (Pérez, 1895) based on recently collected material in Morocco (A. Müller, unpublished). Thus, H. brevifurca is a junior synonym of H. sinuata.
Osmia frunseensis Warncke, 1992 is junior synonym of Osmia carinoclypearis Wu, 1985 based on the original descriptions and recently collected material (A. Müller, unpublished).
Osmia atroalba Morawitz, 1875 is junior synonym of Osmia fasciata Latreille, 1811 based on type specimens and original description (A. Müller, unpublished).
Osmia prasina Morawitz, 1875 is a valid species based on type material and original description (A. Müller, unpublished); its synonymization with Osmia sogdiana Morawitz, 1875 by Warncke (1988a. 23) is erroneous.
Chelostoma palaeastinum (Benoist, 1935) is a junior synonym of Chelostoma schlettereri (Friese, 1899) based on comparison of type specimens (A. Müller, unpublished).
Chelostoma subnitidum (Benoist, 1935) is a junior synonym of Chelostoma ventrale Schletterer, 1889 based on comparison of type specimens (A. Müller, unpublished).
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Nests of several osmiine bee species detected for the first time
On their excursion to Iran in June 2009, C. Praz and C. Sedivy detected together with A. Monfared and A. Talebi for the first time nests of Osmia (Hemiosmia) difficilis, Osmia (Ozbekosmia) avosetta, Osmia (Pyrosmia) oramara and Hoplitis (Chlidoplitis) heinrichi. In addition, the discovery of two nests of Hoplitis (Pentadentosmia) laeviscutum allowed insights into the hitherto unknown nest architecture of this species. For details see the species accounts on the Palaearctic osmiine bee website.
During an excursion to southern Morocco in April 2009, A. Müller detected for the first time nests of the rare Osmia (Tergosmia) lunata. For details see the species account on the Palaearctic osmiine bee website.
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Wainiella sp.
The subgenus Wainiella Griswold contains 2 Afrotropical species (Michener, 2007). According to Griswold and Michener (1998), Wainiella marginally reaches the Palaearctic region in Yemen. Indeed, a Wainiella species was recently found in a sample of bees from Yemen (C. Praz, personal communication). As it is improbable that this species is conspecific with Wainia (Wainiella) albobarbata from South Africa and DR Congo or with Wainia (Wainiella) sakaniensis from DR Congo, the species from Yemen is probably new to science.
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Heriades fujiyamai
Heriades (Michenerella) fujiyamai Yasumatsu & Hirashima, 1952 from Japan is newly added to the Catalogue.
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Heriades sakishimanus
Heriades (Michenerella) sakishimanus Yasumatsu & Hirashima, 1965 from Japan is newly added to the Catalogue.
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Changes at tribal level 1
The genera Afroheriades, Pseudoheriades and Noteriades, formerly believed to belong to the Osmiini (Michener, 2007), do not appear to be members of this tribe (Praz et al., 2008b). Therefore, they are removed from the osmiine bees.
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Molecular phylogeny of Hoplitis
Claudio Sedivy (ETH Zurich, Applied Entomology) has recently started a PhD project on the phylogeny of Hoplitis, the most diverse osmiine bee genus in terms of number of species.
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Changes at generic and subgeneric level 1
Ceraheriades Tkalcu, 1984, formerly treated as subgenus of Chelostoma (Michener, 2007; Ungricht et al., 2008), is newly treated as a junior synonym of the subgenus Prochelostoma Robertson, 1903: a recent phylogenetic analysis of the genus Chelostoma on a worldwide scale (Sedivy et al. 2008) revealed a close relationship between the North American Chelostoma (Prochelostoma) philadelphi and the eastern Palaearctic Chelostoma (Ceraheriades) petersi (= lamellum) with respect to morphology, DNA sequences and flower preferences. Thus, their inclusion in two different subgenera is no longer justified.
Chelostoma ventrale Schletterer, 1889 is moved from the subgenus Foveosmia to subgenus incertum: a recent phylogenetic analysis of the genus Chelostoma on a worldwide scale (Sedivy et al., 2008) revealed that this species does not belong to Foveosmia. However, its phylogenetic position could not be resolved with certainty. Depending on the analysis, the species was either sister to the subgenus Gyrodromella or sister to the clade Gyrodromella+Chelostoma.
A recent molecular phylogeny of the osmiine bees on a worldwide scale (Praz et al., 2008b) revealed that Stenosmia, formerly treated as a genus (Michener, 2007; Ungricht et al., 2008), branched off from within the genus Hoplitis. Therefore, Stenosmia is newly treated as subgenus of Hoplitis.
A recent molecular phylogeny of the osmiine bees on a worldwide scale (Praz et al., 2008b) revealed that Hoplosmia, formerly treated as a genus (Michener, 2007; Ungricht et al., 2008), branched off from within the genus Osmia. Therefore, Hoplosmia is reduced to subgeneric rank in Osmia. Acoordingly, the former subgenera Odontanthocopa and Paranthocopa are put into synonymy with Hoplosmia.
Hoplitis oxypyga (Benoist, 1927), the only representative of the subgenus Exanthocopa Tkalcu, was known so far only in the male sex. Recently, females of this rare North African species were detected (A. Müller, unpublished). The females are morphologically so close to the females of Hoplitis (Anthocopa) bisulca (Gerstaecker, 1869) that they can hardly be distinguished. Therefore, the subgenus Exanthocopa is synonymized here with the subgenus Anthocopa Lepeletier & Serville (A. Müller, unpublished).
Michener (2007) included the species that were formerly attributed to the subgenus Micreriades Mavromoustakis in the subgenus Alcidamea Cresson. However, a recent molecular phylogenetic study of the osmiine bees clearly supported the view that Micreriades should be recognized as a valid subgenus of Hoplitis rather than as a synonym of Alcidamea (Praz et al., 2008b).