Palaearctic Osmiine Bees

Ceraheriades Tkalcu, 1984, formerly treated as subgenus of Chelostoma (Michener, 2007; Ungricht et al., 2008), is newly treated as a junior synonym of the subgenus Prochelostoma Robertson, 1903: a recent phylogenetic analysis of the genus Chelostoma on a worldwide scale (Sedivy et al. 2008) revealed a close relationship between the North American Chelostoma (Prochelostoma) philadelphi and the eastern Palaearctic Chelostoma (Ceraheriades) petersi (= lamellum) with respect to morphology, DNA sequences and flower preferences. Thus, their inclusion in two different subgenera is no longer justified.

Chelostoma ventrale Schletterer, 1889 is moved from the subgenus Foveosmia to subgenus incertum: a recent phylogenetic analysis of the genus Chelostoma on a worldwide scale (Sedivy et al., 2008) revealed that this species does not belong to Foveosmia. However, its phylogenetic position could not be resolved with certainty. Depending on the analysis, the species was either sister to the subgenus Gyrodromella or sister to the clade Gyrodromella+Chelostoma.

A recent molecular phylogeny of the osmiine bees on a worldwide scale (Praz et al., 2008b) revealed that Stenosmia, formerly treated as a genus (Michener, 2007; Ungricht et al., 2008), branched off from within the genus Hoplitis. Therefore, Stenosmia is newly treated as subgenus of Hoplitis.

A recent molecular phylogeny of the osmiine bees on a worldwide scale (Praz et al., 2008b) revealed that Hoplosmia, formerly treated as a genus (Michener, 2007; Ungricht et al., 2008), branched off from within the genus Osmia. Therefore, Hoplosmia is reduced to subgeneric rank in Osmia. Acoordingly, the former subgenera Odontanthocopa and Paranthocopa are put into synonymy with Hoplosmia.

Hoplitis oxypyga (Benoist, 1927), the only representative of the subgenus Exanthocopa Tkalcu, was known so far only in the male sex. Recently, females of this rare North African species were detected (A. Müller, unpublished). The females are morphologically so close to the females of Hoplitis (Anthocopa) bisulca (Gerstaecker, 1869) that they can hardly be distinguished. Therefore, the subgenus Exanthocopa is synonymized here with the subgenus Anthocopa Lepeletier & Serville (A. Müller, unpublished).

Michener (2007) included the species that were formerly attributed to the subgenus Micreriades Mavromoustakis in the subgenus Alcidamea Cresson. However, a recent molecular phylogenetic study of the osmiine bees clearly supported the view that Micreriades should be recognized as a valid subgenus of Hoplitis rather than as a synonym of Alcidamea (Praz et al., 2008b).