Palaearctic Osmiine Bees

Two articles in Zootaxa have been recently published, one dealing with the biology and taxonomy of Osmia bees of the subgenera Allosmia and Neosmia (Zootaxa, 5188, 201-232, 2022) and the other with the description of new Moroccan osmiine bee species (Zootaxa, 5188, 233-263, 2022). In these two articles, 16 new species are described, of which six belong to Hoplitis (Anthocopa), three to Hoplitis (Hoplitis), two to Protosmia (Nanosmia) and one each to Hoplitis (Alcidamea), Hoplitis (Tkalcua), Osmia (Allosmia), Osmia (Nasutosmia) and Osmia (Neosmia). Furthermore, one species of Osmia (Neosmia) is resurrected from synonymy, two former subspecies of Osmia (Allosmia) and Osmia (Neosmia), respectively, are elevated to species rank and one name of Osmia (Neosmia) is newly regarded as nomen dubium.

Osmia (Helicosmia) kuznetzovi Cockerell, 1930 was synonymized with Osmia fasciata Latreille 1811 by Warncke (1992b). However, differences in morphology (clypeal shape, tergal punctation and fasciae, colour of scopa) and the disjunct distribution in mountaineous areas of eastern Turkey, the Levant, northern Iran and Central Asia do not support conspecifity with O. fasciata, which is a desert species ranging from the Levant over the Arabian Peninsula to Central Asia. Thus, O. kuznetzovi is tentatively regarded here as a species of its own.

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).

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.

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.

In a recent paper in Entomofauna (39, 187-191, 2018), G. Le Goff and A.R. Gonçalves described a new Protosmia species from Portugal.

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.

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.

An article in Zootaxa has recently been published dealing with the biology and taxonomy of Hoplitis (Formicapis) and Hoplitis (Tkalcua) (Zootaxa, 4127, 105-120, 2016). Two new species are described: Hoplitis (Formicapis) coreensis spec. nov. from South Korea and Hoplitis (Tkalcua) emiratensis spec. nov. from the United Arab Emirates.

Hoplitis (Hoplitis) galichicae, a new European osmiine bee species has recently been described in Zootaxa (4111, 167-176, 2016). It is currently known only from the Galichica national park in southwestern Macedonia, where it was found to collect pollen on Sedum (Crassulaceae). In the same article, an identification key for all European representatives of the Hoplitis adunca species group is given.