Subgenus Metallinella

The subgenus Metallinella Tkalcu is confined to the Palaearctic region. It contains a single species.

Pollen-collecting female of Osmia (Metallinella) brevicornis (Fabricius, 1798) on a flower of Hesperis matronalis (Brassicaceae). Foto A. Krebs.

Species accounts

Osmia (Metallinella) brevicornis (Fabricius, 1798)

1798 Eucera brevicornis Fabricius, Supplementum Entomologiae Systematicae, p. 278. Type material: Holotype m, “Habitat in Italia” [Italy], ZMUC (Copenhagen).-Combination Metallinella brevicornis (Fabricius) in Tkalcu (1970: 11). Combination Osmia (Cephalosmia) brevicornis (Fabricius) in Warncke (1991d: 284).

1849 Osmia atrocaerulea Schilling, Übersicht der Arbeiten und Veränderungen der schlesischen Gesellschaft für vaterländische Cultur im Jahre 1848: 100. Type material: f(f), “Schlesien” [Poland?]. Type species of Metallinella Tkalcu.-Synonymy in Tkalcu (1970: 11).

1868 Osmia Panzeri Morawitz, Horae Societatis Entomologicae Rossicae (St. Petersburg), 6: 65. Type material: Syntypes m(m), f(f), “Europa media et meridionali” [Europe].-Synonymy in Tkalcu (1970: 11).

Distribution-Europe: A, AND, ARM, AZ, BG, CH, CZ, D, DK, E, F, FL, GE, GR, GR(Aegean Islands), H, HR, I, L, LT, MK, P, PL, RO, RUS(SR), SCG, SK, SLO, UA, UA(Crimea); Caucasus. Northern Africa: DZ, MA, TN. Northern Asia: KS, KZ, TJ, TM, UZ; Central Asian Ranges. Southwestern Asia: AFG, CY, IR, IRQ, TR.

Identification-Keys, Descriptions: Amiet et al. (2004); Banaszak and Romasenko (2001); Benoist (1931); Ducke (1900); Mavromoustakis (1956a: 859); Medvedeva (1978); Móczár (1958); Radoszkowski (1874c: 159-160, 1887a: 290); Scheuchl (1996); Schmiedeknecht (1885-1886); Warncke (1991d).

Nesting biology-Nesting site: Preexisting cavities: insect burrows in dead wood and drilled borings in wooden blocks; hollow stems (e.g. Phragmites) and drilled borings in pithy stems; holes and cavities in walls; glass tubes. Reports of nesting in Helix shells by the subspecies leucogastra (Friese 1911b) are most probably wrong. Nesting material: Nest plug is made of chewed leaves. The cell partitions are lacking and the eggs are evenly distributed in the pollen mass, which completely fills the nest cavity. According to Banaszak and Romasenko (2001) however, cell partitions are occasionally built. (Banaszak and Romasenko, 2001; Brechtel, 1986; Bosch, Vicens and Blas, 1993; Friese, 1923; Müller et al., 1997; Stoeckhert, 1933; Radchenko, 1978; Westrich, 1989; Ivanov et al., 2019)

Flower preferences: Oligolectic on Brassicaceae (Amiet et al., 2004; Müller et al., 1997; Westrich, 1989; A. Müller, unpublished, based on 39 pollen samples from 29 different localities).

subspecies brevicornis (Fabricius, 1798)

1798 Automatically established nominotypical subspecific taxon (original description and type specimen are identical with those of the species rank taxon of the same name above).

Distribution-Europe: A, CH, CZ, D, DK, E, F, FL, H, HR, I, L, PL, RO, SCG, SK, SLO, UA.

Identification-Keys, Descriptions: No supplementary or more detailed morphological description known.

subspecies leucogastra Morawitz, 1875

1875 Osmia leucogastra Morawitz, Travel to Turkestan by A. P. Fedtschenko, p. 87. Type material: Syntypes m(m), f(f), “in Sarafschan” [Tajikistan].-Combination Metallinella brevicornis leucogastra (Morawitz) in Zanden (1988b: 123). Combination Osmia (Cephalosmia) brevicornis leucogastra Morawitz in Warncke (1991d: 284).

Distribution-Europe: ARM, AZ, BG, GE, GR, GR(Aegean Islands), MK, RUS(SR), UA(Crimea); Caucasus. Northern Asia: KS, KZ, TJ, TM, UZ; Central Asian Ranges. Southwestern Asia: AFG, CY, IR, IRQ, TR.

Identification-Keys, Descriptions: Ducke (1900).

subspecies subcyanea Alfken, 1935

1931 Osmia atrocaerulea cyanella Alfken, Entomologische Zeitung (Stettin), 92: 57. NOMEN PRAEOCCUPATUM [not Osmia cyanella Cockerell, 1897]. Type material: Holotype f, “Mittlerer Atlas, Azru” [Morocco], FMNH (Helsinki).

1935 Osmia atrocaerulea subcyanea Alfken, Veröffentlichungen aus dem Deutschen Kolonial- und Übersee-Museum in Bremen, 1: 316. NOMEN NOVUM with same type specimen for preoccupied Osmia atrocaerulea cyanella Alfken, 1931 [not Osmia cyanella Cockerell, 1897].-Combination Metallinella brevicornis subcyanea (Alfken) in Zanden (1987: 75). Combination Osmia (Cephalosmia) brevicornis subcyanea Alfken in Warncke (1991d: 284).

Distribution-Europe: E, P. Northern Africa: DZ, MA, TN.

Identification-Keys, Descriptions: Zanden (1987: 78).