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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Logan, Utah » Pollinating Insect-Biology, Management, Systematics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #383118
Research Project: Sustainable Crop Production and Wildland Preservation through the Management, Systematics, and Conservation of a Diversity of Bees

Location: Pollinating Insect-Biology, Management, Systematics Research

Title: New species of the genus Eoanthidium (Apoidea: Megachilidae: Anthidiini) from the Middle East link the Afrotropical and Palaearctic Realms, with a key to the Palaearctic taxa

Author
item KASPAREK, MAX - Consultant
item Griswold, Terry

Submitted to: Journal of Natural History
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/1/2021
Publication Date: 11/25/2021
Citation: Kasparek, M., Griswold, T.L. 2021. New species of the genus Eoanthidium (Apoidea: Megachilidae: Anthidiini) from the Middle East link the Afrotropical and Palaearctic Realms, with a key to the Palaearctic taxa. Journal of Natural History. 55(33-34):2083-2110. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2021.1977406.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2021.1977406

Interpretive Summary: The resin bees of the genus Eoanthidium are found across a large portion of the world Africa, Europe, and Asia, but they are not well known. This study focuses on the species of this genus that are found in the Middle East. We describe two new species, one known only from Turkey. The other new species is found on the Arabian Peninsula and west along the south edge of the Sahara Desert in northern Africa. Also, we found that one species had been given two different names so the older name is the one that should be used. Pictures of the new species are provided and a key is given to all the species in the region.

Technical Abstract: The genus Eoanthidium includes a relatively small number of species but has a wide distribution that extends over the Afrotropical, Palaearctic and Indomalayan regions. Eoanthidium afroarabi-cum sp. n. Kasparek & Griswold was found in southern Oman and the Gebel Elba area, Egypt, as well as in Mali and Burkina Faso, and is the only species of the genus known to occur in two zooge-ographic realms. It provides a geographic link between the Afrotropical and Palaearctic regions for a group of closely related species. Anthidiellum crenulatum Warncke, 1982 is transferred to the genus Eoanthidium, and E. bakerorum Engel, 2004 is recognised as a junior synonym of it. The distribution of E. crenulatum comb. n. extends over the surroundings of the Gulf of Oman. A structurally very similar species, E. flavifrontale sp. n. Kasparek, was found in south-east Anatolia and is regarded as its geographically isolated allospecies whose speciation is supposed to be triggered by the barrier imposed by the Syrio-Arabian desert.