Category: Distribution

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.

Vesniç et al. (2023) report three new country records for Bosnia and Herzegovina, i.e. Hoplitis (Alcidamea) claviventris, Osmia (Helicosmia) latreillei and Osmia (Helicosmia) leaiana.

Osmiine bee material provided by A. Fateryga revealed the following new country records:

Azerbaijan (Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic): Heriades (Heriades) rubicola, Hoplitis (Hoplitis) parasitica, Hoplitis (Hoplitis) strymonia, Hoplitis (Pentadentosmia) rufopicta, Osmia (Pyrosmia) amathusica, Osmia (Pyrosmia) dilaticornis, Osmia (Pyrosmia) viridana, Protosmia (Protosmia) glutinosa

Russia (southern European Russia): Osmia (Pyrosmia) hellados, Osmia (Pyrosmia) saxicola

Russia (western Siberia): Hoplitis (Kumobia) abbreviata

Ukraine (Crimea): Osmia (Pyrosmia) cyanoxantha

In a large sample of osmiine bees from Morocco collected by Thomas Wood in 2022, three new species for the country were found: Chelostoma (Foveosmia) campanularum, Hoplitis (Anthocopa) peniculifera and Osmia (Pyrosmia) lobata.

Hoplitis peniculifera: The new record for Tunisia is also the first record for Africa

Osmia xanthomelana: Villu Soon recorded this species for the first time for Estonia

Chelostoma mocsaryi: Romania

Hoplitis mocsaryi: Romania

The examination of osmiine bee material received from several institutions and private bee researchers revealed the following new country records:

Georgia: Chelostoma (Chelostoma) mocsaryi, Hoplitis (Alcidamea) ozbeki, Hoplitis (Hoplitis) adunca, Osmia (Hoplosmia) spinulosa

Greece: Hoplitis (Pentadentosmia) laevifrons

Iran: Hoplitis (Anthocopa) duckeana, Hoplitis (Chlidoplitis) allii, Osmia (Tergosmia) rhodoensis

Israel and Palestine: Hoplitis (Anthocopa) duckeana

Kazakhstan: Hoplitis (Alcidamea) mollis*, Hoplitis (Alcidamea) morinella*, Hoplitis (Pentadentosmia) minor, Hoplitis (Pentadentosmia) rufopicta, Hoplitis (Stenosmia) dispersipunctata*, Hoplitis (Stenosmia) flavicornis*, Osmia (Osmia) fedtschenkoi, Osmia (Melanosmia) pilicornis, Osmia (Pyrosmia) dilaticornis, Hoplitis (Hoplitis) kaszabi

Kyrgyzstan: Hoplitis (Alcidamea) mollis, Hoplitis (Alcidamea) pinkeunia, Hoplitis (Alcidamea) turcestanica, Hoplitis (Hoplitis) hyperplastica, Osmia (Helicosmia) cinerea

Russia: Hoplitis (Alcidamea) ozbeki

Spain: Hoplitis (Anthocopa) saundersi

Syria: Hoplitis (Alcidamea) grossepunctata

Tajikistan: Heriades (Heriades) truncorum, Hoplitis (Hoplitis) hyperplastica, Hoplitis (Hoplitis) kaszabi*, Osmia (Erythrosmia) relicta, Osmia (Helicosmia) kirgisiana, Osmia (Hoplosmia) spinulosa, Osmia (Osmia) longicornis

Turkmenistan: Chelostoma (Chelostoma) emarginatum, Hoplitis (Alcidamea) grossepunctata, Hoplitis (Alcidamea) irania, Hoplitis (Alcidamea) turcestanica, Hoplitis (Anthocopa) semirubra, Hoplitis (Jaxartinula) malyshevi, Hoplitis (Pentadentosmia) minor, Hoplitis (Pentadentosmia) nitidula, Hoplitis (Pentadentosmia) ruficornis, Osmia (Erythrosmia) andrenoides, Osmia (Helicosmia) aquila, Osmia (Helicosmia) cinerea, Osmia (Hoplosmia) scutellaris, Osmia (Osmia) nigrohirta

Ukraine (mainland): Osmia (Erythrosmia) andrenoides

Uzbekistan: Hoplitis (Alcidamea) laminifera, Hoplitis (Alcidamea) mollis, Hoplitis (Alcidamea) morinella, Hoplitis (Pentadentosmia) fascicularia*, Hoplitis (Pentadentosmia) karakalensis*, Hoplitis (Pentadentosmia) nitidula*, Hoplitis (Stenosmia) dispersipunctata*, Hoplitis (Stenosmia) flavicornis*, Osmia (Helicosmia) prasina, Protosmia (Nanosmia) montana

* = published in Proshchalykin (2022)

In a recent paper on the bee fauna of the Lebanon, Boustani et al. (Zootaxa, 4976, 1-146, 2021) list almost 50 osmiine bee species recorded for the first time in Lebanon.

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.

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

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.