Palaearctic Osmiine Bees

In a recent paper (Zootaxa, 5631, 83-102, 2025), nine new osmiine bee species from Europe were described (see species accounts for details): Heriades (Michenerella) clypeonitida from Spain, southeastern Europe and western Turkey, Hoplitis (Anthocopa) nevadensis and Hoplitis (Anthocopa) spinidorsa from the Sierra Nevada in southern Spain, Hoplitis (Hoplitis) cretensis from Crete, Hoplitis (Micreriades) andalusiae from southwesternmost Andalusia, Hoplitis (Micreriades) hispaniae and Hoplitis (Micreriades) fuscospina from central and southern Spain, Osmia (Helicosmia) inflatipes from Greece, and Osmia (Helicosmia) sardoa from Sardinia.

In two recently published papers, Hoplitis (Hoplitis) andreasmuelleri from Dagestan and Hoplitis (Stenosmia) muelleri from central Spain were newly described (Fateryga et al., Journal of Hymenoptera Research, 97, 1417-1433, 2024; Álvarez Fidalgo, P. and Pascual Hergueto, J.I., Boletín de la Sociedad Entomológica Aragonesa, 75, 103-113, 2024). See species accounts for details.

In a recent paper (Annales de la société Entomologie de France, 2024, DOI: 10.1080/00379271.2024.2419083), R. le Divelec described the following three new species: Chelostoma (Foveosmia) incisum from Corsica, Hoplitis (Alcidamea) agnielae from Corsica and Hoplitis (Hoplitis) legoffi from Corsica and Sardinia. Hoplitis agnielae also occurs on Sardinia (A. Müller, unpublished). The three newly described species have very close relatives on the European mainland, i.e. Ch. distinctum, H. acuticornis and H. adunca, respectively.

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. 

In a recent article in the Journal of Hymenoptera Research (96, 641-656, 2023), two new Hoplitis species of the subgenus Hoplitis from southern Russia, Azerbaijan and Central Asia are described, i.e. H. astragali and H. dagestanica. See species accounts for details.

In a recent article in the Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine (159, 79-86, 2023), I. Cross described Hoplitis halophila, a new species of the subgenus Stenosmia from southern Iberia. See species account for details.

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.