A new vernal species of Hesperapis from the lower Midwestern United States (Hymenoptera: Melittidae)

A new species of vernal Hesperapis Cockerell (Melittidae: Dasypodainae: Hesperapini) is described and figured from localities spanning Texas, Oklahoma, and southern Kansas in the United States. Hesperapis (Carinapis) infuscata Engel & Michez, new species, is distinguished from its relatives in subgenus Carinapis Stage and particularly the carinata species group, to which it belongs.  The species is most notable for the apically infuscate wings and is possibly specialized (broadly oligolectic) on Gaillardia Foug., Helianthus L., Ratibida Raf., and Rudbeckia L. (Asteraceae).

Validation of some species- and genus-group names in Melitta (Hymenoptera: Melittidae)

Four recently proposed names in the genus Melitta Kirby (Melittidae: Melittinae) were left as nomenclaturally unavailable owing to minor conflicts with the recently established criteria for electronic publication.  These oversights are here corrected, thereby validating the following new names: Melitta (Afromelitta) Michez & Kuhlmann, new subgenus; Melitta (Afromelitta) richtersveldensis Michez & Kuhlmann, new species; Melitta (Plesiomelitta) Michez & Kuhlmann, new subgenus; and M. (Plesiomelitta) avontuurensis Michez & Kuhlmann, new species

Supplementary note on the solitary bee fauna from the Suez Canal region of Egypt (Hymenoptera: Apoidea)

Previous surveys (2011–2013) of the bee fauna from the Suez Canal region, Egypt, recorded a total of 55 species.  Those surveys did not include important floral species among the Asteraceae, a family known to be associated with various oligolectic bees.  The aim of the present note is to report bees visiting four uncultivated species of Asteraceae that are common in the region during the Spring of 2014.  Nine species of bees were recorded from these flowers, these increasing the number of species recorded from the Suez Canal region to 62.  Some species, such as Daypoda sinuata Pérez (Melittidae) and Panurgus dentatus Friese (Andrenidae), are known oligoleges of Asteraceae.

Book review: The Bumblebees of the Himalaya – An Identification Guide, by Paul H. Williams

Book review: The Bumblebees of the Himalaya – An Identification Guide, by Paul H. William

New records of bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) from the Maltese Islands

A total of 95 bee species have been recorded from the Maltese Islands (central Mediterranean Sea).  The aim of the present note is to report newly recorded species within the study area.  A total of nine new species belonging to four families are recorded here: Andrenidae (1 species), Apidae (1 species), Halictidae (5 species), and Megachilidae (2 species)

Ensuring access to high-quality resources reduces the impacts of heat stress on bees

Pollinators are experiencing declines globally, negatively affecting the reproduction of wild plants and crop production. Well-known drivers of these declines include climatic and nutritional stresses, such as a change of dietary resources due to the degradation of habitat quality. Understanding potential synergies between these two important drivers is needed to improve predictive models of the future effects of climate change on pollinator declines. Here, bumblebee colony bioassays were used to evaluate the interactive effects of heat stress, a reduction of dietary resource quality, and colony size. Using a total of 117 colonies, we applied a fully crossed experiment to test the effect of three dietary quality levels under three levels of heat stress with two colony sizes. Both nutritional and heat stress reduced colony development resulting in a lower investment in offspring production. Small colonies were much more sensitive to heat and nutritional stresses than large ones, possibly because a higher percentage of workers helps maintain social homeostasis. Strikingly, the effects of heat stress were far less pronounced for small colonies fed with suitable diets. Overall, our study suggests that landscape management actions that ensure access to high-quality resources could reduce the impacts of heat stress on bee decline.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

SAPOLL : A cross-border action plan for wild pollinators

Wild pollinators in the France-Wallonia-Vlaanderen cross-border zone represent a valuable but highly endangered resource. In order to protect these pollinators, it is essential to set up a cross-border organization that enables coordinated actions and synergies between regions. Indeed, isolated actions on both sides of the border are unlikely to lead to the sustainable management of this indispensable resource. The challenge is huge because wild pollinators, wild bees, syrphs and butterflies, are essential to maintaining agriculture and ecosystems in our regions. In order to meet this challenge, the SAPOLL project initiates the implementation of a cross-border action plan for wild pollinators with the actors from Wallonia, Flanders and northern France. This plan is the initiator of actions in favor of pollinators, bringing the necessary scientific, didactic and applied context to citizens, decision-makers, entrepreneurs or enrionmental managers. It is also adapted to the regional context of each area. The action plan, which is co-built with the partners in the cross-border territory. The SAPOLL project also organizes activities that aim to homogenize and share scientific knowledge, awareness-raising experience and naturalistic competences

A new interpretation of the bee fossil Melitta willardi Cockerell (Hymenoptera, Melittidae) based on geometric morphometrics of the wing

Although bees are one of the major lineages of pollinators and are today quite diverse, few well-preserved fossils are available from which to establish the tempo of their diversification/extinction since the Early Cretaceous. Here we present a reassessment of the taxonomic affinities of Melitta willardi Cockerell 1909, preserved as a compression fossil from the Florissant shales of Colorado, USA. Based on geometric morphometric wing shape analyses M. willardi cannot be confidently assigned to the genus Melitta Kirby (Anthophila, Melittidae). Instead, the species exhibits phenotypic affinity with the subfamily Andreninae (Anthophila, Andrenidae), but does not appear to belong to any of the known genera therein. Accordingly, we describe a new genus, Andrenopteryx gen. n., based on wing shape as well as additional morphological features and to accommodate M. willardi. The new combination Andrenopteryx willardi (Cockerell) is established

Morphometric analysis of fossil bumble bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Bombini) reveals their taxonomic affinities

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.Bumble bees (Bombus spp.) are a widespread corbiculate lineage (Apinae: Corbiculata: Bombini), mostly found among temperate and alpine ecosystems. Approximately 260 species have been recognized and grouped recently into a simplified system of 15 subgenera. Most of the species are nest-building and primitively eusocial. Species of Bombus have been more intensely studied than any other lineages of bees with the exception of the honey bees. However, most bumble bee fossils are poorly described and documented, making their placement relative to other Bombus uncertain. A large portion of the known and presumed bumble bee fossils were re-examined in an attempt to better understand their affinities with extant Bombini. The taxonomic affinities of fossil specimens were re-assessed based on morphological features and previous descriptions, and for 13 specimens based on geometric morphometrics of forewing shape. None of the specimens coming from Eocene and Oligocene deposits were assigned within the contemporary shape space of any subgenus of Bombus. It is shown that Calyptapis florissantensis Cockerell, 1906 (Eocene-Oligocene boundary, Florissant shale, Colorado, USA) and Oligobombus cuspidatus Antropov, 2014 (Late Eocene, Bembridge Marls) likely belong to stem-group Bombini. Bombus anacolus Zhang, 1994, B. dilectus Zhang, 1994, B. luianus Zhang, 1990 (Middle Miocene, Shanwang Formation), as well as B. vetustus Rasnitsyn & Michener, 1991 (Miocene, Botchi Formation) are considered as species inquirenda. In the Miocene, affinities of fossils with derived subgenera of Bombus s. l. increased, and some are included in the shape space of contemporary subgenera: Cullumanobombus (i.e., B. pristinus Unger, 1867, B. randeckensis Wappler & Engel, 2012, and B. trophonius Prokop, Dehon, Michez & Engel, 2017), Melanobombus (i.e., B. cerdanyensis Dehon, De Meulemeester & Engel, 2014), and Mendacibombus (i.e., B. beskonakensis (Nel & Petrulevičius, 2003), new combination), agreeing with previous estimates of diversification

Spatial and temporal patterns of genetic diversity in Bombus terrestris populations of the Iberian Peninsula and their conservation implications

The bumblebee Bombus terrestris is used worldwide for crop pollination. Despite its positive impact on crop yield, it has become a widespread threat to biodiversity due to its interactions with local bumblebee populations. Commercial subspecies introduced to the Iberian Peninsula since the 1990s without any regulation have colonized the environment, with evidence of naturalization and introgression with the endemic subspecies Bombus terrestris lusitanicus. We have used mitochondrial and nuclear genetic data to describe the current genetic diversity of the Iberian population and to estimate the expansion of commercial bumblebees. Samples from the natural distribution range of the commercial subspecies, the natural intergradation area between the two subspecies and from a period prior to the use of commercial colonies (i.e., before the 1990s) have been used for comparison. Our results show that the mitochondrial haplotype of the commercial breeds has spread throughout the territory, which, together with subtle changes observed in the nuclear genetic diversity of the populations, indicates that hybridization and consequent introgression are occurring in most of the peninsula. It is, therefore, necessary to improve the existing legislation concerning the management and exportation of commercial bumblebees to conserve locally adapted populations