Category: Distribution

A field trip by Christophe Praz and Claudio Sedivy to Israel in spring 2010 revealed the following new country records: Chelostoma (Foveosmia) maidli, Haetosmia circumventa, Hoplitis (Alcidamea) tridentata, Hoplitis (Prionohoplitis) campanularis and Hoplitis (Stenosmia) jordanica. In addition, the hitherto unknown male of Hoplitis (Bytinskia) negevensis and the unknown female of Hoplitis (Pentadentosmia) enslini were found.

Several samples of osmiine bees received from M. Schwarz, F. Gusenleitner, A. Dorchin, C. Praz and C. Sedivy revealed the following new country records:

Azerbaijan: Hoplitis (Alcidamea) leucomelana, Hoplitis (Annosmia) annulata crenulata, Hoplitis (Anthocopa) agis, Hoplitis (Hoplitis) carinata

Bulgaria: Osmia (Osmia) cerinthidis

Iran: Hoplitis (Annosmia) mutica, Hoplitis (Annosmia) uncaticornis, Hoplitis (Chlidoplitis) illustris, Hoplitis (Hoplitis) flabellifera, Hoplitis (Pentadentosmia) minor, Hoplitis (Pentadentosmia) tringa, Osmia (Helicosmia) aeruginosa, Osmia (Helicosmia) chrysaetos, Osmia (Helicosmia) dives, Osmia (Helicosmia) fasciata, Osmia (Orientosmia) maxillaris scheherazade, Osmia (Pyrosmia) cyanoxantha, Osmia (Pyrosmia) dilaticornis, Osmia (Pyrosmia) laticauda, Osmia (Pyrosmia) saxicola, Osmia (Pyrosmia) viridana

Israel and Palestine: Hoplitis (Alcidamea) acuticornis, Hoplitis (Anthocopa) agis, Osmia (Helicosmia) melanogaster, Osmia (Helicosmia) saxatilis, Osmia (Tergosmia) rhodoensis

Morocco: Heriades (Heriades) truncorum, Hoplitis (Anthocopa) batyamae, Hoplitis (Anthocopa) longispina

Portugal: Hoplitis (Alcidamea) tridentata, Osmia (Tergosmia) tergestensis

Syria: Hoplitis (Annosmia) mutica, Hoplitis (Prionohoplitis) curvipes, Osmia (Hoplosmia) distinguenda, Osmia (Pyrosmia) dilaticornis

Tunisia: Heriades (Heriades) fertoni, Hoplitis (Alcidamea) tricolor, Hoplitis (Anthocopa) ilamana, Hoplitis (Anthocopa) oxypyga, Hoplitis (Anthocopa) rubricrus, Hoplitis (Anthocopa) saundersi, Hoplitis (Anthocopa) zaianorum, Hoplitis (Prionohoplitis) epeoliformis, Osmia (Erythrosmia) sparsipuncta, Osmia (Hoplosmia) scutellaris, Osmia (Metallinella) brevicornis subcyanea, Osmia (Osmia) emarginata infuscata, Wainia (Caposmia) eremoplana

Gogala (2009b) recorded Hoplitis (Micreriades) mazzuccoi for the first time in Slovenia.

Three samples of bees from Israel (collected by A. Dorchin), Crete (collected by U. Frommer) and Morocco (collected by M. Snizek) revealed first records of Osmia (Erythrosmia) erythrogastra and Osmia (Osmia) bicornis for Israel, Chelostoma (Foveosmia) hellenicum and Heriades (Heriades) rubicola for Crete, and Osmia (Helicosmia) dimidiata for Northern Africa.

The mention of Hoplitis (Annosmia) uncaticornis as occurring in Greece by Ungricht et al. (2008) is erroneous. The reexamination of the Greek material attributed to H. uncaticornis revealed that these specimens belong to a still undescribed species (or subspecies) close to Hoplitis (Annosmia) gentilis.

Osmia (Osmia) ariadne was known only from Crete so far. In a sample of bees collected by B. Merz near Antalya, the species was newly recorded for Turkey.

Hoplitis (Annosmia) nisa was known so far only from Morocco and Algeria. In a sample of bees collected by M. Schwarz in southern Tunisia, a male and a female of H. nisa were found. Interestingly, the abdomen of these bees are red-coloured in contrast to specimens of H. nisa from southern Morocco, which possess a black-coloured abdomen.

In a sample of bees from Central Asia collected by L. R. Best, two new species for Kyrgyzstan (Hoplitis (Alcidamea) capsulifer and Osmia (Helicosmia) prasina) and one new species for Tajikistan (Hoplitis (Anthocopa) perezi) were found.

Hoplitis (Annosmia) aqabaensis has been recorded only in Jordan so far. In a sample of bees collected by M. Schwarz in Tunisia, bee specimens were found that exactly correspond to the type material of H. aqabaensis. Thus, H. aqabaensis has a considerably wider distribution than previously assumed.

The collection of the Slovenian Museum of Natural History contains specimens of the following three species, which are new records for Macedonia: Hoplitis (Pentadentosmia) pomarina, Osmia (Hoplosmia) spinigera and Osmia (Pyrosmia) laticauda (A. Gogala, personal communication).