Osmia (Ozbekosmia)

Taxonomy

Family: Megachilidae
Subfamily: Megachilinae
Tribe: Osmiini
Genus: Osmia Panzer, 1806
Subgenus: Ozbekosmia Zanden, 1994
Common name: none

Overview

Osmia (Ozbekosmia) are non-metallic bees with pale hairs. They range in body length from 7–13 mm (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.).

Diagnostic characteristics

(modified from Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.)

• Clypeus clypeus:
  a section of the face below the antennae, demarcated by the epistomal sutures
  with anterioranterior:
  toward the head or on the head side of a segment being described
  margin produced and rounded.
• Hind coxacoxa:
  the basal segment of the leg
  without strong longitudinal carinacarina:
  a clearly defined ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute; usually appears on bees as simply a raised line
  along inner ventralventral:
  of, on, or relating to the underside of an animal, or segment of an animal
  angle.
• Mandibular mandibular:
  near the mandible
  base has long, overhanging curved hairs, and a impunctateimpunctate:
  marked with punctures or pits
  hairless area behind the base.
• Female hypostomalhypostomal:
  the notched region underneath the head and behind the mandible that holds the folded tongue
  area is impunctateimpunctate:
  marked with punctures or pits
  and roughened with long overhanging hairs.
• Female mandiblemandible:
  bee teeth, so to speak, usually crossed and folded in front of the mouth
  it tridentatetridentate:
  having three teeth
  and medially more narrow than the base.
• Male genitaliagenitalia:
  all the genital structures collectively
  are long and slender.
• Male S2S2:
  the plates on the underside of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, or S8
  and S3S3:
  the plates on the underside of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, or S8
  with a straight apicalapical:
  near or at the apex or end of any structure
  margin.
• Male S5S5:
  the plates on the underside of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, or S8
  is emarginateemarginate:
  a notched or cut out place in an edge or margin, can be dramatic or simply a subtle inward departure from the general curve or line of the margin or structure being described
  with a fringe of hair in the emarginationemargination:
  a notched or cut out place in an edge or margin, can be dramatic or simply a subtle inward departure from the general curve or line of the margin or structure being described
  .
• Male T6T6:
  the segments on the top side of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, or T7
  has strong laterallateral:
  relating, pertaining, or attached to the side
  teeth.
• Male T7T7:
  the segments on the top side of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, or T7
  is produced with a heavily sclerotizedsclerotized:
  hardened by the formation of sclerotin, specifically the exoskeleton of an insect
  median apicalapical:
  near or at the apex or end of any structure
  projection.

May be confused with

Osmia (Ozbekosmia) may be confused with O. (Tergosmia) due to similar non-metallic and pale-haired bodies, tridentatetridentate:
having three teeth
and medially narrowed female mandibles, and straight apicalapical:
near or at the apex or end of any structure
margins of male S2S2:
the plates on the underside of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, or S8
and S3S3:
the plates on the underside of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, or S8
(Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.). Osmia (Ozbekosmia) can be differentiated from O. (Tergosmia) by the produced clypeal margin of female Osmia (Ozbekosmia), the presence of a strong laterallateral:
relating, pertaining, or attached to the side
tooth on male T6T6:
the segments on the top side of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, or T7
, and the heavily sclerotizedsclerotized:
hardened by the formation of sclerotin, specifically the exoskeleton of an insect
apicalapical:
near or at the apex or end of any structure
projection of T7T7:
the segments on the top side of the abdomen, often abbreviated when referring to a specific segment to T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, T6, or T7
(Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.).

Host associations

Pollen collected from Osmia (Ozbekosmia) avosetta scopal hairs was used to identify host associations (Rozen et al. 2010Rozen et al. 2010:
Rozen Jr., J.G., H. Ouml;zbek, J.S. Ascher, C. Sedivy, C. Praz, A. Monfared, and A. Muller. 2010. Nests, petal usage, floral preferences, and immatures of Osmia (Ozbekosmia) avosetta (Megachilidae: Megachilinae: Osmiini), including biological comparisons with other osmiine bees. American Museum Novitates 3680: 1ndash;22.). In Turkey, O. avosetta rely on Onobrychis viciifolia (Fabaceae), whereas in Iran they rely on Hedysarum elymaiticum (Fabaceae). These bees appear to be specialists on the plant tribe Hedysareae (Rozen et al. 2010Rozen et al. 2010:
Rozen Jr., J.G., H. Ouml;zbek, J.S. Ascher, C. Sedivy, C. Praz, A. Monfared, and A. Muller. 2010. Nests, petal usage, floral preferences, and immatures of Osmia (Ozbekosmia) avosetta (Megachilidae: Megachilinae: Osmiini), including biological comparisons with other osmiine bees. American Museum Novitates 3680: 1ndash;22.).

Nesting behavior

Osmia (Ozbekosmia) nest cells are lined with two layers of colorful flower petals with a thin layer of mud in the middle (Rozen et al. 2010Rozen et al. 2010:
Rozen Jr., J.G., H. Ouml;zbek, J.S. Ascher, C. Sedivy, C. Praz, A. Monfared, and A. Muller. 2010. Nests, petal usage, floral preferences, and immatures of Osmia (Ozbekosmia) avosetta (Megachilidae: Megachilinae: Osmiini), including biological comparisons with other osmiine bees. American Museum Novitates 3680: 1ndash;22.). The bees use either the whole petal or large pieces of the petals to line the cell walls. Nests are located in barren areas within soil that is loosely compact, fine, and easily crumbled (Rozen et al. 2010Rozen et al. 2010:
Rozen Jr., J.G., H. Ouml;zbek, J.S. Ascher, C. Sedivy, C. Praz, A. Monfared, and A. Muller. 2010. Nests, petal usage, floral preferences, and immatures of Osmia (Ozbekosmia) avosetta (Megachilidae: Megachilinae: Osmiini), including biological comparisons with other osmiine bees. American Museum Novitates 3680: 1ndash;22.). Each nest contained one or two cells (Rozen et al. 2010Rozen et al. 2010:
Rozen Jr., J.G., H. Ouml;zbek, J.S. Ascher, C. Sedivy, C. Praz, A. Monfared, and A. Muller. 2010. Nests, petal usage, floral preferences, and immatures of Osmia (Ozbekosmia) avosetta (Megachilidae: Megachilinae: Osmiini), including biological comparisons with other osmiine bees. American Museum Novitates 3680: 1ndash;22.).

Diversity

Osmia (Ozbekosmia) is monotypic with one species: O. avosetta (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.).

Known invasives

There are no known invasives.

Distribution

Osmia (Ozbekosmia) avosetta occurs in Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey (Michener 2007Michener 2007:
Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.; Rozen et al. 2010Rozen et al. 2010:
Rozen Jr., J.G., H. Ouml;zbek, J.S. Ascher, C. Sedivy, C. Praz, A. Monfared, and A. Muller. 2010. Nests, petal usage, floral preferences, and immatures of Osmia (Ozbekosmia) avosetta (Megachilidae: Megachilinae: Osmiini), including biological comparisons with other osmiine bees. American Museum Novitates 3680: 1ndash;22.; Müller 2018).

​Distribution map generated by Discover Life -- click on map for details, credits, and terms of use.

References

Michener, C.D. 2007. The Bees of the World (2nd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 953 pp.

Rozen Jr., J.G., H. Özbek, J.S. Ascher, C. Sedivy, C. Praz, A. Monfared, and A. Müller. 2010. Nests, petal usage, floral preferences and immatures of Osmia (Ozbekosmia) avosetta (Megachilidae: Megachilinae: Osmiini), including biological comparisons with other osmiine bees. American Museum Novitates 3680, 22 pp.