Palaearctic Osmiine Bees

Systematics and Biology of a Fascinating Group of Solitary Bees

Author: muelandr

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Hoplitis turcestanica

    Specimens from Ukraine and Astrakhan assumed to be Hoplitis (Alcidamea) turcestanica by Fateryga & Proshchalykin, 2020) proved to be Hoplitis (Alcidamea) mollis (Ukraine, new country record) and a still undescribed H. (Alcidamea) species (Astrakhan). Most probably, H. turcestanica is restricted to Central Asia, it does neither occur in Ukraine nor in southern and central European Russia, and “H. turcestanica” in Banaszak & Romasenko (2001), Medvedev (1978) and Osytshnjuk et al. (1978) likely refers to H. mollis.

  • Nesting biology of two species uncovered

    In two recent articles in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research (96, 641-656 and 735-750, 2023) the nesting biology of Hoplitis (Hoplitis) astragali and of Hoplitis (Alcidamea) curvipes is described. See species accounts for details.

  • Osmia steinmanni

    Osmia steinmanni was recently found in northwesternmost Slovenia close to the Austrian border by Heinz Wiesbauer (Beiträge zur Entomofaunistik, 24, 55-61, 2023). This is the first record of O. steinmanni for Slovenia and the easternmost record for the species, indicating that the species’ distribution might extend over the entire alpine bow.