The two Asian species Heriades cancavus and Heriades parvulus were placed in the subgenus Heriades by Wu (2006). However, they most probably belong to the subgenus Michenerella (J. Ascher and T. Griswold, personal communication).
Category: Taxonomy
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Generic and subgeneric placement of Osmia excisa
The generic and subgeneric placement of Osmia excisa Morawitz, 1880 was not clear. This species was treated as a member of Hoplitis (Stenosmia) by Mavromoustakis (1954b) or as a member of Osmia (Osmia) by Wu (2006). The recent discovery of the hitherto unknown male of Osmia excisa in a sample of bees from China revealed that it belongs to Hoplitis (Formicapis). The females possesses several characteristics typical of Formicapis as well.
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Hoplitis singularis group: new synonymies and distribution data
A closer study of the Hoplitis (Anthocopa) species belonging to the singularis group (“Glossosmia“) revealed that several erroneous or doubtful records exist in the literature, which are due to difficulties in reliably separating the different species in the female sex. In addition, three names have to be synonymized. The following new findings were incorporated into the website:
i) Hoplitis bipartita (Friese, 1899) is a synonym of Hoplitis grumi (Morawitz, 1894) based on the original description, Zanden (1986) and new material from Central Asia.
ii) Hoplitis cypriaca bayburtensis (Tkalcu, 1980) from eastern Turkey was hitherto known only in the female sex. In a sample of bees collected in the region around Erzurum (coll. H. ôzbek), a single male was found. Morphologically, this specimen closely corresponds to Hoplitis grumi (Morawitz, 1894) as do the females. Thus, H. cypriaca bayburtensis is newly synonymized with H. grumi.
iii) Hoplitis fasciculata described by Alfken (1934) in the female sex from Sardinia is not synonymous with Hoplitis rugidorsis (Pérez, 1895) as claimed by Zanden (1986), but is identical to Hoplitis idalia (Mavromoustakis, 1948). In fact, all Glossosmia males recorded so far from Sardinia are typical H. idalia. Thus, H. idalia is a junior synonym of H. fasciculata.
iv) The record of Hoplitis anipuncta (Alfken, 1935) from Crete (Zanden, 1989), which is based on collected females, is most probably erronoeus. These females certainly belong to Hoplitis fasciculata (Alfken, 1934).
v) Hoplitis hemisphaerica (Alfken, 1935) also occurs in Iran.
vi) The literature records of Hoplitis singularis (Morawitz, 1875) from Israel and Turkey are highly doubtful.
vii) Hoplitis grumi (Morawitz, 1894), for which reliable records exist for Spain, also occurs in Morocco.
viii) All females of Hoplitis grumi from Spain and Portugal in the collection of G. van der Zanden (Naturalis, Leiden) belong to Hoplitis zaianorum (Benoist, 1927). Thus, no reliable record of H. grumi exists for Portugal.
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Hoplitis villosa group: new synonymies and distribution data
A closer study of the Hoplitis (Anthocopa) species belonging to the villosa group (“Arctosmia“) revealed several erroneous distribution records and one new synonymy:
i) The records of Hoplitis graeca (Tkalcu, 2000) and Hoplitis villosa (Schenck, 1853) from Turkey and of Hoplitis unispina (Alfken, 1935) from Greece are erroneous.
ii) Hoplitis graeca ionica (Tkalcu, 2000) is synonymous to Hoplitis obtusa (Friese, 1899) based on material from Rhodes and western Turkey.
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New synonymies 5
Hoplitis (Anthocopa) jerichoensis (Zanden, 1996) is a junior synonym of Hoplitis (Anthocopa) semirubra (Friese, 1899) based on a topotypical male paratype and the original description.
Hoplitis (Anthocopa) quarzazati (Zanden, 1998) is a junior synonym of Hoplitis (Platosmia) platalea (Warncke, 1990) based on the male holotype.
Hoplitis (Anthocopa) maroccana (Zanden, 1998) is a junior synonym of Hoplitis (Anthocopa) batyamae (Zanden, 1986) based on the male holotype.
Male type specimens of Hoplitis (Anthocopa) maghrebensis (Zanden, 1992) are identical to Hoplitis (Platosmia) incognita Zanden, 1996, rendering H. incognita a junior synonym of H. maghrebensis. The female of H. maghrebensis as described in Zanden (1992) is a still undescribed Hoplitis (Anthocopa) species.
Osmia (Helicosmia) ardeola Warncke, 1988 is a junior synonym of Osmia (Helicosmia) niveibarbis Pérez, 1902 based on new material from Spain. According to Zanden (1996b), Osmia (Helicosmia) heteracantha Pérez, 1896 is synonymous to O. ardeola. Thus, the valid name of this taxon is O. heteracantha.
The female paratypes of Hoplitis (Anthocopa) conosimilis Zanden, 1992 are identical to Hoplitis (Hoplitis) benoisti (Alfken, 1935), whereas the male holotype is a typical Hoplitis (Anthocopa) species.
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Unknown male of Osmia picena discovered
Osmia (Hoplosmia) picena (Tkalcu, 1999) has a very restricted geographic distribution. To our present knowledge, it exclusively occurs in mountaineous areas of Central Italy. The species was known so far only in the female sex. On an excursion to the Abbruzzi mountains in August 2010, A. Müller discovered the unknown male.
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Replacement name for Microhoplitis
The subgenus name Microhoplitis Tkalcu, 1993 is a junior homonym of the lepidopteran genus name Microhoplitis Marumo, 1920 (Kocak and Kemal, 2010). As there is no junior synonym of Microhoplitis Tkalcu, 1993, Kocak and Kemal propose Tkalcua as replacement name.
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New synonymies 4
Based on the type specimens, Hoplitis (Annosmia) lefeberi Zanden, 1991 and Hoplitis (Annosmia) hierichonica wolfi (Warncke, 1991) are identical species. The former name is the junior synonym due to the date of publication.
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Osmia oramara and Osmia livida
In two samples of bees collected at the same locality and date in Turkey and Iran, respectively, females of Osmia (Pyrosmia) oramara Warncke, 1992 were found together with several males that exactly correspond to the description of the male of Osmia (Helicosmia) livida by Tkalcu (1978). As in both samples no females of O. livida were found, the male of O. livida as described by Tkalcu (1978) might be the still unknown male of O. oramara. If further material should support this assumption, then i) O. oramara would be a member of the subgenus Helicosmia rather than of the subgenus Pyrosmia, and ii) the male of O. livida would be still unknown.
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New synonymies 3
Hoplitis (Pentadentosmia) laeviscutum (Alfken, 1933) is a junior synonym of Hoplitis (Pentadentosmia) rufopicta (Morawitz, 1875). Several males and females of Pentadentosmia from Central Asia, which were identified by V. B. Popov as Hoplitis rufopicta, were found to be morphologically identical with typical specimens of Hoplitis laeviscutum from Turkey and Israel (A. Müller, unpublished). The extent of the red colour of the cuticula appears to vary much intraspecifically: specimens from Turkey, Israel and Jordan are virtually devoid of red, while some specimens from Central Asia and Pakistan have their abdomen entirely red coloured. Even among individuals flying at the same locality, there are transitions from purely black specimens to specimens with differing amounts of red, as exemplified by a series of Hoplitis rufopicta recently collected by C. Praz, C. Sedivy and A. Monfared in Iran.