In a recent publication in the Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France, 125, 427-431, 2020, R. Le Divelec reports on the occurrence of Osmia bidentata in southeastern France. This finding disproves the assumption of Müller (Zootaxa, 4415, 297-329, 2018), who supposed O. bidentata to be entirely absent from France.
Author: muelandr
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Nesting biology of Osmia argyropyga
Osmia (Hemiosmia) argyropyga was reported to nest in old brood cells of Megachile (Chalicodoma) pyrenaica Lepeletier (Grandi, 1962), which was assumed to be erroneous in a recent publication (Müller, Zootaxa, 4778, 201-236, 2020) as such a behaviour strongly deviates from the nesting biology of the closely related and morphologically very similar species O. balearica and O. uncicornis. This assumption is now supported by observations made by David Genoud, who observed a female of O. argyropyga nesting in a self-excavated burrow in loose soil in southern France. The record of O. argyropyga from Emilia-Romagna (Italy) given by Grandi (1962) is thus most probably also erroneous.
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Hoplitis turcestanica
In a recent paper, Fateryga and Proshchalykin (Caucasian Entomological Bulletin, 16, 225-231, 2020) resurrect Hoplitis (Alcidamea) turcestanica (Dalla Torre) from synonymy with Hoplitis (Alcidamea) caularis (Morawitz) as postulated by Warncke (1991h).
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New Osmia (Hemiosmia) species
An article in Zootaxa has recently been published dealing with the biology and taxonomy of Osmia bees of the subgenera Hemiosmia, Tergosmia and Erythrosmia (Zootaxa, 4778, 201-236, 2020). One new species is described: Osmia (Hemiosmia) spinicoxa spec. nov. from southwestern Morocco.
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Nesting biology of two Osmia (Melanosmia) species uncovered
In two recent publications, the nesting biology of Osmia (Melanosmia) laticeps (Theunert, Beiträge zur Naturkunde Niedersachsens, 72, 53-71, 2019) and Osmia (Melanosmia) uncinata (Müller et al., Alpine Entomology, 4, 157-171, 2020) are described. The first species nests in insect burrows in dead wood, whereas the second constructs its brood cells within self-excavated short burrows in the bark of living trees and dead stumps of Pinus sylvestris or – more rarely – Larix decidua (see species accounts for details).
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Description of the nesting biology of three osmiine bees
In three recent publications, the nesting biology of Hoplitis (Alcidamea) princeps (Ivanov & Fateryga, Entomological Review, 98, 995-1005, 2018), Osmia (Erythrosmia) andrenoides (Müller & Richter, Entomo Helvetica, 12, 69-79, 2019) and Osmia (Melanosmia) nigriventris (Müller et al., Alpine Entomology, 3, 105-119, 2019) is described. The first species nests in self excavated short burrows in loose soil, the second species colonizes empty snail shells as nesting sites and the third species tunnels out burrows in the bark of larch and pine (see species accounts for details).
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New species records 16
The examination of osmiine bee material received from several institutions and private bee researchers revealed the following new country records:
Azerbaijan: Chelostoma (Foveosmia) garrulum, Chelostoma (Gyrodromella) orientale, Heriades (Heriades) truncorum, Hoplitis (Alcidamea) acuticornis, Hoplitis (Alcidamea) eburnea, Hoplitis (Alcidamea) mollis, Hoplitis (Alcidamea) tridentata, Hoplitis (Anthocopa) bisulca, Hoplitis (Anthocopa) dalmatica, Hoplitis (Anthocopa) fasciculata, Hoplitis (Anthocopa) grumi, Hoplitis (Anthocopa) perezi, Hoplitis (Anthocopa) yermasoyiae asiae, Hoplitis (Hoplitis) flabellifera, Hoplitis (Hoplitis) manicata, Hoplitis (Hoplitis) mutica, Hoplitis (Pentadentosmia) tringa, Osmia (Allosmia) melanura, Osmia (Allosmia) rufohirta, Osmia (Erythrosmia) andrenoides, Osmia (Helicosmia) aeruginosa, Osmia (Helicosmia) dimidiata, Osmia (Helicosmia) dives, Osmia (Helicosmia) labialis, Osmia (Helicosmia) leaiana, Osmia (Helicosmia) melanogaster, Osmia (Helicosmia) saxatilis, Osmia (Helicosmia) signata, Osmia (Hemiosmia) difficilis, Osmia (Hoplosmia) bidentata, Osmia (Hoplosmia) distinguenda, Osmia (Hoplosmia) ligurica, Osmia (Hoplosmia) scutellaris, Osmia (Metallinella) brevicornis, Osmia (Osmia) apicata, Osmia (Osmia) bicornis, Osmia (Osmia) cerinthidis, Osmia (Osmia) cornuta, Osmia (Osmia) mustelina, Osmia (Osmia) nigrohirta, Osmia (Pyrosmia) cyanoxantha, Osmia (Pyrosmia) forticornis, Osmia (Pyrosmia) versicolor
Cyprus: Chelostoma (Chelostoma) mocsaryi, Hoplitis (Chlidoplitis) onychophora, Hoplitis (Hoplitis) pallicornis
France, Corsica: Hoplitis (Hoplitis) anthocopoides, Hoplitis (Hoplitis) ravouxi
Georgia: Osmia (Helicosmia) signata, Osmia (Metallinella) brevicornis, Osmia (Osmia) bicornis
Greece, Crete: Chelostoma (Chelostoma) mocsaryi, Osmia (Helicosmia) melanogaster, Osmia (Helicosmia) niveata, Hoplitis (Micreriades) illyrica
Iran: Chelostoma (Gyrodromella) clypeale, Chelostoma (Gyrodromella) orientale, Chelostoma (Gyrodromella) hebraeum, Chelostoma (Chelostoma) lucens, Hoplitis (Anthocopa) batyamae, Hoplitis (Anthocopa) bisulca, Hoplitis (Alcidamea) hofferi
Israel and Palestine: Chelostoma (Chelostoma) lucens, Chelostoma ventrale, Hoplitis (Anthocopa) fasciculata, Hoplitis (Anthocopa) nicolaei, Osmia (Helicosmia) breviata, Osmia (Hoplosmia) padri, Osmia (Osmia) cornuta, Osmia (Osmia) nigrohirta, Osmia (Pyrosmia) oramara, Protosmia (Protosmia) glutinosa
Italy, Sardinia: Chelostoma (Chelostoma) emarginatum
Kazakhstan: Hoplitis (Anthocopa) picicornis, Osmia (Helicosmia) subcornuta, Osmia (Hoplosmia) tyrneri, Osmia (Osmia) maxillaris
Russia: Heriades (Heriades) rubicola, Hoplitis (Alcidamea) beijingensis, Hoplitis (Alcidamea) curvipes, Hoplitis (Hoplitis) kaszabi, Osmia (Helicosmia) cinerea, Osmia (Hoplosmia) ligurica, Osmia (Tergosmia) tergestensis, Osmia (Pyrosmia) cyanoxantha, Protosmia (Protosmia) glutinosa
Spain, Canary Islands: Osmia (Helicosmia) latreillei
Ukraine: Hoplitis (Hoplitis) carinata
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Osmiine bees of Morocco
A critical evaluation of the occurrence of certain osmiine bee species in Morocco resulted in the following findings:
a) Hoplitis (Pentadentosmia) helouanensis most probably does not occur in Morocco as already assumed by Warncke (1991a). It is replaced in the Maghreb by the closely related H. villiersi. The records of H. helouanensis from Morocco listed by Warncke (1991a) are exactly the same as those given for H. villiersi in the same publication, which clearly points to an error made by the author. Thus, H. helouanensis is eliminated from the list of Moroccon bees.
b) Hoplitis (Anthocopa) bisulca most probably does not occur in Morocco. It is replaced in the Maghreb by the closely related H. quadrispina. Thus, H. bisulca is eliminated from the list of Moroccon bees.
c) The two records of Hoplitis (Alcidamea) grandiscapa from Morocco given by Warncke (1991h) refer to H. occidentalis; as no other records exist for Morocco, the species is eliminated from the list of Moroccon bees.
d) Among the material of Osmia (Helicosmia) melanogaster from Morocco, a female of the closely related O. labialis was found; this is the first record of this species for Morocco.
e) The identity of Protosmia (Protosmia) stelidoides described from Algeria is unclear as the type specimen is lost (Griswold, 1985). Since there are no reliable records from Morocco, the species is eliminated from the list of Moroccon bees.
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Palaearctic Wainia bees are snail shell nesters
Wainia (Caposmia) sexsignata, which occurs in southern Morocco and northern Western Sahara, nests in empty snail shells as reported in a recent publication in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research, 65, 61-89, 2018 (see species account for details). As several Afrotropical Wainia (Caposmia) species also use snail shells as nesting site, snail shell nesting appears to be a subgeneric trait of Wainia (Caposmia).
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New synonymy
Based on topotypical specimens from the Chelmos mountains (Greece) and the original description, Hoplitis (Alcidamea) abnormis Zanden 1992 is a junior synonym of Hoplitis (Alcidamea) subbutea (Warncke, 1991).