Osmia (Tergosmia) avosetta Warncke, 1988

Müller, Andreas, 2020, Palaearctic Osmia bees of the subgenera Hemiosmia, Tergosmia and Erythrosmia (Megachilidae, Osmiini): biology, taxonomy and key to species, Zootaxa 4778 (2), pp. 201-236 : 218-219

Osmia (Tergosmia) avosetta Warncke, 1988

Osmia (Tergosmia) avosetta Warncke, 1988: 394 . Type material: Holotype ♀, “Erçek/ Van ” ( Turkey), Oberösterreichisches Lan- desmuseum Linz. Type species of Ozbekosmia Zanden.

Literature records. TURKEY: Agri (Agri), Antalya (Akseki, Taurus Mts.), Erzurum (Erzurum, Ispir pass, Pasinler, Umudum Yaylasi), Hakkari (Semdinli, Suvari-Halil pass, Varegös, Yüksekova), Malatya (Durolova) ( Warncke 1988; Özbek & Zanden 1992).

New records. IRAN: Fars: 10 km NE Sepidan , 30°20ʹ16ʺN / 51°50ʹ22ʺE, 31.5.2009, 25♀ (leg. C. Sedivy, C. Praz, A. Monfared) . JORDAN: Jerash: 10 km NE Jerash , 20.4.2002, 1♀, 1♂ (leg. M. Snizek) . LEBANON: North: Bsharri, Dahr el Adib , 2440 m, 34°11ʹ02.2ʺN / 35°02ʹ01.9ʺE, 8.6.2017 (leg. M. Boustani) . SYRIA: Al-Quneitra: Mt. Hermon , 2050 m, 31.5.1991, 1♀ (leg. K. Warncke) ; Rif Dimashq: Rankus , 40 km NE Damascus, 23.5.1996, 1♀, 3♂ (leg. M. Halada) . TURKEY: Antalya: 6 km E Saklikent , 1.6.2009, 3♀, 2♂ (leg. J.S. Ascher, J.G. Rozen, H. Özbek) ; Erzurum: between Erzurum and Tekman , 39°43ʹ16ʺN / 41°25ʹ20ʺE, 8.7.2009, 1♀ (leg. J.S. Ascher, J.G. Rozen, H. Özbek) ; Kars: 10 km E Karakurt , 1.6.1988, 1♂ (leg. K. Warncke) ; Konya: Bozkir, dry forest near Ucepinar , 1200m, 4.6.1993, 2♂ (leg. S. Risch) ; Nevşehir: Capadoica, Ürgüp , 13.6.1998, 1♀ (leg. M. Halada) ; Van: Van town, 28.6.1993, 1♀ (leg. K. Denes) .

Distribution. From Turkey eastwards to central Iran and southwards over Syria and Lebanon to northern Jordan.

Pollen hosts. Oligolectic on Fabaceae (Tab. 1; Özbek & Zanden 1992; Rozen et al. 2010); exclusive pollen hosts are species of Hedysareae (e.g. Hedysarum , Onobrychis ).

Nesting biology. O. avosetta nests in excavated, 3–7 cm deep burrows in rather loose, sandy to gravelly ground usually containing one vertically oriented brood cell at the end of the burrow, rarely two cells immediately beside each other ( Fig. 17 ; Rozen et al. 2010). The cells, which range in depth from 1.5–5 cm and have a length of 15–17.5 mm and a diameter of 7–9 mm, are distinctly three-layered with a thin mud layer sandwiched between two layers of large petal pieces of Hedysarum , Onobrychis (both Fabaceae ) or other plant taxa. Whether the short and 6–7 mm wide entrance burrow leading to the brood cell(s) remains open after cell closure is unclear, but indications exist that the females do not actively fill it with soil or other particles. Brood parasites: probably Sapyga pulcherrima Morawitz (Sapygidae) ( Rozen et al. 2010).

Figures

FIGURES 15–23: Osmia (Tergosmia). 15: Female of O. tergestensis in front of her brood cell hidden in a rock fissure (photo A. Krebs). 16: Female of O. tergestensis folding petal after having it bitten off from flower of Geranium pyrenaicum (Geraniaceae; photo A. Krebs). 17: Brood cells of O. tergestensis between blades of dense grass tussock. 18: Brood cell of O. avosetta at the end of a short burrow in the ground (photo C. Sedivy). 19: Female of O. lunata depositing nectar in her brood cell built in a short burrow in the ground. 20–22: Male terga 6–7 of O. avosetta (20), O. lunata (21), O. rhodoensis (22) and O. tergestensis (23).