In a recent publication (Journal of Hymenoptera Research, 97, 127-189, 2024), Le Divelec et al. (2024) elevate the Corsican endemite Hoplitis (Hoplitis) annulata corsaria (Warncke, 1991) to species rank based on clear morphological gaps and substantially diverging COI sequences compared to Iberian populations.
Author: muelandr
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New Hoplitis (Hoplitis) species
In a recent article in Alpine Entomology (8, 65-79, 2024), Hoplitis (Hoplitis) onosmaevae Aubert is described, which shows a spectacular geographic disjunction occurring in the southwestern French Alps and in mountainous areas in Turkey and northern Iraq, two areas separated by at least 2000 km.
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New species records 27
Osmiine bee material collected by D. Baiocchi in northern Iraq in 2023 and provided by M. Selis revealed the following new country records: Chelostoma (Chelostoma) comosum, Chelostoma (Chelostoma) diodon, Chelostoma (Chelostoma) dolosum, Chelostoma (Chelostoma) emarginatum, Chelostoma (Chelostoma) mocsaryi, Chelostoma (Gyrodromella) hebraeum, Hoplitis (Anthocopa) serainae, Osmia (Allosmia) rufohirta, Osmia (Allosmia) sybarita, Osmia (Helicosmia) aquila, Osmia (Helicosmia) clypearis acuta, Osmia (Helicosmia) signata, Osmia (Pyrosmia) cephalotes, Osmia (Pyrosmia) nana, Osmia (Pyrosmia) saxicola, Osmia (Pyrosmia) teunisseni, Stenoheriades asiatica.
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New synonymies
R. Le Divelec discovered in the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle de Paris the male holotype of Protosmia (Protosmia) monstrosa (Pérez, 1895), which was assumed to be lost. The male clearly belongs to P. (Protosmia) tiflensis (Morawitz, 1875). Thus, P. monstrosa is a junior synonym of P. tiflensis and not identical with P. (Protosmia) mirabilis (Friese, 1899) as assumed by Alfken (1935b).
After examination of the types, the two following synonymies suspected by Branstetter et al. (2021) are confirmed: i) Osmia (Osmia) yanbianense Wu, 2004 is a junior synonym of O. (Osmia) opima Romankova, 1985 and ii) Osmia (Osmia) rufinoides Wu, 2004 is a junior synonym of O. (Osmia) rufina Cockerell, 1931.
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New species records 26
Heinz Wiesbauer recently published the first record of Osmia (Melanosmia) inermis for Slovenia (Beiträge zur Entomofaunistik, 24, 55-61, 2023). Teodor Trifonov recorded Hoplitis (Hoplitis) pici for the first time in Bulgaria; he will publish this new country record soon.
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New species records 25
Osmiine bee material collected by T. Wood revealed the following new country records for the Lebanon: Osmia (Allosmia) lhotelleriei, Osmia (Allosmia) rufotibialis, Osmia (Helicosmia) dives, Osmia (Helicosmia) saxatilis, Osmia (Pyrosmia) cyanoxantha, Osmia (Pyrosmia) hellados and Osmia (Pyrosmia) viridana.
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New species records 24
Osmiine bee material collected by C. Schmid-Egger revealed the following new country records:
Iran: Osmia (Helicosmia) breviata
Oman: Hoplitis (Stenosmia) jordanica
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Biology of Hoplitis perambigua
In a recent publication (Ampulex, 22-30, 2023), B. Jacobi and T. Wood describe the biology of Hoplitis (Hoplitis) perambigua, an endemic species of the Canary Islands. See species account for details.
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New species records 23
Osmiine bee material provided by W. H. Liebig revealed the following new country records for Iran: Hoplitis (Alcidamea) curvipes, Hoplitis (Alcidamea) stellaris and Hoplitis (Anthocopa) perezi.
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New species records 22
Osmiine bee material recently collected by A. Fateryga and M. Proshchalykin in Dagestan revealed the following new country records for Russia: Hoplitis (Alcidamea) caucasica, Hoplitis (Alcidamea) scita, Hoplitis (Pentadentosmia) tringa, Osmia (Helicosmia) breviata and Osmia (Osmia) scheherazade
Both sexes of Hoplitis scita from Dagestan have a significantly shorter proboscis than those from Kyrgistan, Siberia (Altai, Buryatia, Khakassia, Tyva), Mongolia and China. In addition, the females from Dagestan have a rather dense whitish hair band on the marginal zone of tergum 5, which is missing in females from the more eastern populations. Otherwise, the morphology (including the male sterna and genitalia), pubescense and colour are identical. Unfortunately, no specimens of H. scita are known from the large geographic area between the Dagestan population and the more eastern populations (e.g. from Kazakhstan) that would allow us to assess whether the intermediate populations have intermediate character states indicating a gradual morphological change. As long as no specimens from Kazakhstan are available, the specimens from Dagestan are tentatively treated as conspecific with specimens of H. scita from Kyrgistan, Siberia, Mongolia and China.