An article in Zootaxa has recently been published dealing with the biology and taxonomy of Osmia (Hoplosmia) (Zootaxa, 4415, 297-329, 2017). One new species is described: Osmia (Hoplosmia) centaurea spec. nov. from Jordan, Israel and Palestine.
Author: muelandr
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New species records for France
Matthieu Aubert recently discovered Osmia (Pyrosmia) nana and Osmia (Melanosmia) steinmanni in the Mercantour national park in southeastern France. These two species have never been found in France before. For O. nana it is the westernmost record known so far. The new record of O. steinmanni, which was known only from a few localities in Switzerland and one locality in South Tyrol, indicates that this very rare species has a wider distribution than hitherto assumed.
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New Protosmia species described
In a recent paper in Entomofauna (39, 187-191, 2018), G. Le Goff and A.R. Gonçalves described a new Protosmia species from Portugal.
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Hoplitis brunnescens belongs to the subgenus Stenosmia
The assignment of Hoplitis brunnescens (Benoist, 1950) to the subgenus Hoplitis by Warncke (1992a) is erroneous. The recent investigation of the female holotype revealed that H. brunnescens belongs to the subgenus Stenosmia and that the type specimen is probably conspecific with H. tagmouta (Warncke, 1991b). However, the type slightly differs from typical females of H. tagmouta by the longer vertex and the reddish colour of legs and terga 1-3 (partly also of terga 4 and 5), rendering a synonymization premature. Only further material including males will show whether H. brunnescens and H. tagmouta are conspecific or represent two distinct species. Hoplitis brunnescens sensu Warncke (1992a) has to be renamed.
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New species records 15
The examination of osmiine bee material received from Max Schwarz (Ansfelden) and the Oberösterreichische Landesmuseum Linz revealed the following new country records:
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Osmia (Helicosmia) aurulenta
Iran: Chelostoma (Chelostoma) dolosum, Heriades (Heriades) rubicola, Hoplitis (Anthocopa) semirubra, Hoplitis (Stenosmia) flavicornis, Osmia (Pyrosmia) nana, Osmia (Pyrosmia) nigricollis
Macedonia: Hoplitis (Micreriades) mazzuccoi, Protosmia (Protosmia) glutinosa
Kazakhstan: Hoplitis (Hoplitis) adunca, Osmia (Osmia) bicornis globosa, Osmia (Osmia) cornuta cornuta
Turkmenistan: Osmia (Helicosmia) subcornuta
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Two new Haetosmia species
In a recent paper in Zootaxa (4358, 351-364, 2017), two new Haetosmia species are described, i.e. H. ethiopiensis spec. nov. from eastern Africa and H. pakistaniensis spec. nov. from Pakistan. Formerly considered to be restricted to the southern Palaearctic region, the genus Haetosmia was found to also occur in the Afrotropics.
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Hoplitis mucida stecki elevated to species rank
Hoplitis mucida was considered to consist of two subspecies with H. mucida mucida (Dours 1873) ranging from northwestern Africa to Israel and Jordan and H. mucida stecki (Frey-Gessner 1908) occurring in southwestern Europe and Sicily. As described in a recent publication (Journal of Hymenoptera Research, 60, 99-109, 2017), the nesting biology of the two subspecies strikingly differs. In North Africa, females construct fully exposed, cake-like nests of mud on the flat surface of rocks and stones containing 8–12 vertically oriented brood cells, rendering these nests unique among osmiine bees regarding both nesting site and nest architecture. In contrast, in Europe females build their few-celled mud nests inside small rock cavities. This discrepancy in the nesting biology is paralleled by considerable morphological differences between the two subspecies suggestive of a long geographical isolation. Due to these biological and morphological differences, the European subspecies H. mucida stecki was elevated to species rank by the authors of the publication mentioned above.
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Unique nest architecture in Hoplitis mucida
Hoplitis mucida was considered to consist of two subspecies with H. mucida mucida (Dours 1873) ranging from northwestern Africa to Israel and Jordan and H. mucida stecki (Frey-Gessner 1908) occurring in southwestern Europe and Sicily. As described in a recent publication (Journal of Hymenoptera Research, 60, 99-109, 2017), the nesting biology of the two subspecies strikingly differs. In North Africa, females construct fully exposed, cake-like nests of mud on the flat surface of rocks and stones containing 8–12 vertically oriented brood cells, rendering these nests unique among osmiine bees regarding both nesting site and nest architecture. In contrast, in Europe females build their few-celled mud nests inside small rock cavities. This discrepancy in the nesting biology is paralleled by considerable morphological differences between the two subspecies suggestive of a long geographical isolation. Due to these biological and morphological differences, the European subspecies H. mucida stecki was elevated to species rank by the authors of the publication mentioned above.
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Osmia disjuncta known so far only from Mongolia also occurs in Europe
Osmia (Melanosmia) disjuncta was described by Tkalcu (1995) from Mongolia. In a recent paper published in Entomologisk Tidskrift (138, 25-32, 2017), Johansson & Paukkunen report this species also from central Sweden, central and northern Finland and the Kola peninsula in northern Russia. As no males have been discovered in Europe so far and the European females were found to slightly differ from the type specimens, there remained some uncertainty whether the European specimens indeed belong to Osmia disjuncta or whether they might represent a new species. However, material collected by T. Levchenko in Moscow province recently revealed typical males of Osmia disjuncta, indicating that this species is indeed a member of the European bee fauna. Further material kindly provided by T. Levchenko and J. Smit revealed the occurrence of Osmia disjuncta in western and eastern Siberia as well. Thus, Osmia disjuncta is distributed from Scandinavia over northern and central Russia to Mongolia.
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Newly described Palaearctic osmiine bee species
An article in Zootaxa has recently been published dealing with the biology and taxonomy of Protosmia (Chelostomopsis) (Zootaxa, 4227, 287-294, 2017). One new species is described: Protosmia (Chelostomopsis) angustimandibulae spec. nov. from the Levant.