Category: Taxonomy

The species of the subgenus Tergosmia and and the only species of the subgenus Ozbekosmia, Osmia avosetta, share many morphological characteristics (Warncke, 1988b). In addition, the construction of their brood cells is unique in that the cells are composed of two layers of flower petals that sandwich a thin middle layer of mud (Rozen et al., 2010). Furthermore, all Tergosmia species as well as Osmia avosetta exhibit a strong or exclusive preference for Fabaceae as pollen hosts (Müller, 2013). For these reasons, we propose to merge the subgenera Tergosmia and Ozbekosmia into one subgenus Tergosmia comb. nov.

The examination of a number of type specimens of osmiine bee species described by Benoist, van der Zanden, Pérez and Warncke revealed several new synonymies:

Heriades (Heriades) hierosolomita Benoist, 1935 is a junior synonym of Heriades (Heriades) rubicola Pérez, 1890;

Zanden (1995: 429) erroneously synonymized the female of Heriades syriaca Benoist, 1928 with the male of Heriades (Michenerella) punctulifera Schletterer, 1899. Instead, Heriades syriaca Benoist, 1928 is a junior synonym of Heriades (Rhopaloheriades) clavicornis Morawitz, 1875;

Hoplitis (Alcidamea) dumonti (Benoist, 1929) is a junior synonym of Hoplitis (Prionohoplitis) epeoliformis (Ducke, 1899);

Hoplitis (Hoplitis) oreades (Benoist, 1934) is a junior synonym of Hoplitis (Hoplitis) fortispina (Pérez, 1895);

Hoplitis (Stenosmia) denticulata (Zanden, 1992) is a junior synonym of Hoplitis (Stenosmia) jordanica (Warncke, 1991);

Osmia (Helicosmia) niveibarbis Pérez, 1902 is a junior synonym of Osmia (Helicosmia) alfkeni Ducke, 1899; Osmia niveibarbis sensu Warncke (1988a) is Osmia (Helicosmia) heteracantha Pérez, 1896;

Protosmia (Protosmia) exenterata (Pérez, 1895) is conspecific with Protosmia (Protosmia) octomaculata (Pérez, 1895) syn. nov.;

Protosmia limbata (Benoist 1935) is a junior synonym of Protosmia mirabilis (Friese 1899), which has been synonymized with Protosmia monstrosa (Pérez 1895) by Alfken (1935);

Wainia (Caposmia) guichardi (Zanden, 1991) is a junior synonym of Osmia sexsignata Benoist, 1950.

Friese (1899) described Osmia lativentris albiscopa from Tunisia. Zanden (1988b) synonymized this species with Hoplitis pulchella (Pérez, 1895). The examination of the female lectotype of O. lativentris albiscopa revealed that this synonymization is erroneous and that Hoplitis (Anthocopa) albiscopa is a valid species, which is widely distributed from the Iberian peninsula to Tunisia.

Based on the original descriptions and topotypical specimens, the male of Osmia (Allosmia) decorata described by Morawitz (1886) is conspecific with the female of Osmia (Allosmia) melanura described by Morawitz (1871). Thus, O. decorata is a junior synonym of O. melanura.

Based on the original description, Tkalcu (1974b) and a large Allosmia material from North Africa, Osmia (Allosmia) fossoria Pérez, 1890 is a junior synonym of Osmia (Allosmia) lhotelleriei Pérez, 1887 and not a subspecies of Osmia (Allosmia) sybarita Smith, 1853 as assumed by Tkalcu (1974b). O. sybarita most probably does not occur in North Africa.

 

Osmia lamina Pérez, 1896 is, based on the original description, a Hoplitis species of the subgenus Anthocopa rather than of Alcidamea. The description of the female of H. maghrebensis by Zanden (1992) refers to the female of Hoplitis lamina (see post “New synonymies 5”).

Based on the type material, Osmia (Helicosmia) gutturalis Warncke, 1988 is a senior synonym of Osmia (Helicosmia) milenae Tkalcu, 1992 (A. Müller, unpublished).

In a recent paper, Rightmyer, Griswold and Arduser (2010) review the non-metallic Osmia (Melanosmia) species of North America. They include detailed keys for the Palaearctic Melanosmia species.

Hoplitis (Stenosmia) flavicornis was described by Morawitz (1877) from the Caucasus. Recent material from southern Israel kindly loaned by Ariella Gotlieb revealed that H. flavicornis sensu Warncke (1991b) is a still undescribed species, which is distinctly larger than the true H. flavicornis and possesses much shorter antennal segments in the male sex. Thus, H. flavicornis does not occur in the Near East and the species keyed out by Warncke (1991b) under the name Osmia flavicornis is a still unnamed species.

Osmia (Helicosmia) milenae, which has been described by Tkalcu (1992) based on a couple of males from eastern Turkey, was known so far only in the male sex. In a sample of bees from Israel kindly loaned by Ariella Gotlieb both males and females of this rare species have been found.

The female lectotype of Osmia nuda Friese, 1899 is a dwarfish individual of Osmia rufohirta Latreille 1811; thus O. nuda is a junior synonym of O. rufohirta (A. Müller, unpublished).