''Osmia latreillei'' is a species of

mason bee Mason bee is a name now commonly used for species of bees in the genus ''Osmia'', of the family Megachilidae. Mason bees are named for their habit of using mud or other "masonry" products in constructing their nests, which are made in naturally ...

belonging to the family

Megachilidae Megachilidae is a cosmopolitan family of mostly solitary bees. Both that their pollen-carrying structure (called a ''scopa'') is restricted to the ventral surface of the abdomen (rather than mostly or exclusively on the hind legs as in other b ...

subfamily Megachilinae.

Subspecies

Subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

include: * '' Osmia latreillei iberoafricana'' Peters, 1975 * '' Osmia latreillei latreillei'' (Spinola, 1806)

Distribution

This species is mainly found in central and southern Europe (

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

, and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

). Occasionally these bees have also been found in North Africa and in the Middle East.

Biology

Females of this species dig tunnels in the ground. At the end of each tunnel the bees hollow out cells where they lay supplies of pollen and deposit eggs. After hatching, the larvae feed directly on pollen grains for about thirty days. The bees overwinter in the stage of prepupae. In the spring they enter the pupal stage, while the adults appear at the end of March.P. A. MOURIKIS, L. C. ARGYRIOU and ARGYRO TSOURGIANN
Crumbling of the Masonry of Ancient Settlements on Santorini Caused by the Hymenoptera Anthophora crinipes and Osmia latreillei
Department of Entomology, Benaki Phytopathological Institute, Kiphissia, Greece The flying season lasts from April through July. The bees are

oligolectic The term oligolecty is used in pollination ecology to refer to bees that exhibit a narrow, specialized preference for pollen sources, typically to a single family or genus of flowering plants. The preference may occasionally extend broadly to mult ...

, gathering pollen only from

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...

species.Wafa, A. K. & A. A. El-Berry, 1972b. Nesting behaviour of Osmia latreillei Spin. and Osmia submicans Mor. Hymenoptera: Megachilidae. Bull. Soc. Entomol. Egypte 55: 363-372 However, adults have been observed feeding on flowers of various families of plants, mainly '' Reichardia picroides'' (

), '' Echium angustifolium'' (

Boraginaceae Boraginaceae, the borage or forget-me-not family, includes about 2,000 species of shrubs, trees and herbs in 146, to 156 genera with a worldwide distribution. The APG IV system from 2016 classifies the Boraginaceae as single family of the order ...

), ''

Vicia villosa ''Vicia villosa'', known as the hairy vetch, fodder vetch or winter vetch, is a plant native to some of Europe and western Asia. It is a legume, grown as a forage crop, fodder crop, cover crop, and green manure. Although non-native, it occurs in ...

'' (

Leguminosae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...

), ''

Euphorbia ''Euphorbia'' is a very large and diverse genus of flowering plants, commonly called spurge, in the family Euphorbiaceae. "Euphorbia" is sometimes used in ordinary English to collectively refer to all members of Euphorbiaceae (in deference to t ...

'' spp. (

Euphorbiaceae Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of a genus in the family. Most spurges, such as ''Euphorbia paralias'', are herbs, but some, e ...

), '' Salvia verticillata'' (

Labiatae The Lamiaceae ( ) or Labiatae are a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint, deadnettle or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used culinary herbs like basil, mint, rosemary, sage, savory ...

), ''

Rosmarinus officinalis ''Salvia rosmarinus'' (), commonly known as rosemary, is a shrub with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers, native to the Mediterranean region. Until 2017, it was known by the scientific name ''Rosmari ...

'' (

) and ''

Morina persica ''Morina'' is a genus of the angiosperm family Caprifoliaceae. It is unofficially the provincial flower of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. ''Morina'' is named in honor of Louis Morin de Saint-Victor (1635–1715), a French physic ...

'' (

Dipsacaceae The Dipsacaceae have been recognized as a family (the teasel family) of the order Dipsacales containing 350 species of perennial or biennial herbs and shrubs in eleven genera. The species are currently placed in the family Caprifoliaceae. Native ...

References

External links

Biolib
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1874583 latreillei Insects described in 1806 Hymenoptera of Europe