Osmia emarginata

Taxonomy

Family: Megachilidae
Subfamily: Megachilinae
Tribe: Osmiini
Genus: Osmia Panzer, 1806
Subgenus: O. (Osmia) Panzer, 1806
Species: Osmia emarginata Lepeletier, 1841
Common name: none

Overview

Osmia (Osmia) emarginata are black bees, sometimes with a metallic blue shimmer to the body (Amiet et al. 2004Amiet et al. 2004:
Amiet, F., M. Herrmann, A. Mueller, and R. Neumeyer. 2004. Apidae 4: Anthidium , Chelostoma , Coelioxys , Dioxys , Heriades , Lithurgus , Megachile , Osmia , Stelis . Fauna Helvetica 9: 1ndash;273.). Females have intermixed black and pale hairs on the face, yellow-white hair on the thorax, pale hair on T1–T3, both black and pale hair on T4T4:
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 primarily black hair on T5–T6. Male hair coloration is similar to the females except for the head, which is primarily white on the face and often has intermixed black and white hairs on the vertexvertex:
the area between the ocelli and the back of the head
. Female body length is 13–15 mm, and male body length is 10–12 mm (Banaszak and Romasenko 1998Banaszak and Romasenko 1998:
Banaszak, J. and L. Romasenko. 1998. Megachilid bees of Europe (Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Megachilidae). Bydgoszcz University, Bydgoszcz, Poland.).

Diagnostic characteristics 

(modified from Peters 1978Peters 1978:
Peters, D.S. 1978. Systematik und Zoogeographie der west-palauml;arktischen Arten von Osmia Panzer, 1806 s. str., Monosmia Tkalcu, 1974 und Orientosmia n. subgen. (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). Senckenbergiana Biologica (Frankfurt) 58: 287ndash;346.; Banaszak and Romasenko 1998Banaszak and Romasenko 1998:
Banaszak, J. and L. Romasenko. 1998. Megachilid bees of Europe (Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Megachilidae). Bydgoszcz University, Bydgoszcz, Poland.)

• Mouthparts much smaller than the length of the entire body when extended.
• Terga terga:
  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
  without apicalapical:
  near or at the apex or end of any structure
  hair bandsbands:
  usually referring to bands of hair or bands of color that traverse across an abdominal segment
  .
• Female clypeusclypeus:
  a section of the face below the antennae, demarcated by the epistomal sutures
  with smooth apicalapical:
  near or at the apex or end of any structure
  margin that forms a wide median 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
  that can be somewhat triangular-shaped.
• Female clypeusclypeus:
  a section of the face below the antennae, demarcated by the epistomal sutures
  without laterallateral:
  relating, pertaining, or attached to the side
  horns.
• Female with a distinct pit at the bottom of the eye, just behind the malar spacemalar space:
  the shortest distance between the base of the mandible and the margin of the compound eye
  .
• Female mandibles are large, with acute, long lower teeth and wide cutting edge between inner teeth.
• Female scopascopa:
  modified hairs for carrying pollen; often branched and dense hairs on the hind-leg, or on the ventral surface of the abdomen in Megachilidae
  red to reddish-yellow.
• Male hind basitarsusbasitarsus:
  the segment of the tarsus that is the nearest to the body of the bee, usually the largest of all the tarsal segments
  with red or yellowish hair.
• Male S6S6:
  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
  without gradulusgradulus:
  A transverse line on abdominal segments of some bees that is formed by a groove or a step between two regions that differ in height. This line can be well developed and present across the entire segment but can also be diminished or absent through part of the segment, requiring close inspection.
  basally.
• Male gonocoxitegonocoxite:
  basal part of the appendage formed on each side of the male genitalia. It can be partly or completely fused to the gonostylus at the apical portion of the appendage, often making the two segments indistinguishable.
  almost right-angled subapically.

May be confused with 

Osmia emarginata is similar enough to O. mustelina that it could possibly be considered a subspecies of O. mustelina (Peters 1978Peters 1978:
Peters, D.S. 1978. Systematik und Zoogeographie der west-palauml;arktischen Arten von Osmia Panzer, 1806 s. str., Monosmia Tkalcu, 1974 und Orientosmia n. subgen. (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). Senckenbergiana Biologica (Frankfurt) 58: 287ndash;346.). Females can be more easily distinguished by the shape of the apicalapical:
near or at the apex or end of any structure
margin of the clypeusclypeus:
a section of the face below the antennae, demarcated by the epistomal sutures
and the absence of an impunctateimpunctate:
marked with punctures or pits
median ridge on the discdisc:
a generic term for the middle surface of a plate (usually in reference to an abdominal segment)
of the clypeusclypeus:
a section of the face below the antennae, demarcated by the epistomal sutures
(Banaszak and Romasenko 1998Banaszak and Romasenko 1998:
Banaszak, J. and L. Romasenko. 1998. Megachilid bees of Europe (Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Megachilidae). Bydgoszcz University, Bydgoszcz, Poland.). Males are more difficult to distinguish; in general O. emarginata has fuller, reddish-brown hair on the thorax, the gonocoxitegonocoxite:
basal part of the appendage formed on each side of the male genitalia. It can be partly or completely fused to the gonostylus at the apical portion of the appendage, often making the two segments indistinguishable.
is almost right-angled subapically, and the ventralventral:
of, on, or relating to the underside of an animal, or segment of an animal
ridge is more apparent (Peters 1978Peters 1978:
Peters, D.S. 1978. Systematik und Zoogeographie der west-palauml;arktischen Arten von Osmia Panzer, 1806 s. str., Monosmia Tkalcu, 1974 und Orientosmia n. subgen. (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). Senckenbergiana Biologica (Frankfurt) 58: 287ndash;346.).

Phenology

Osmia emarginata adults have been recorded in flight from May to July (Banaszak and Romasenko 1998Banaszak and Romasenko 1998:
Banaszak, J. and L. Romasenko. 1998. Megachilid bees of Europe (Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Megachilidae). Bydgoszcz University, Bydgoszcz, Poland.).

Host associations 

Osmia emarginata are polylecticpolylectic:
bees that collect pollen from the flowers of a variety of unrelated plants
and have been associated with Fabaceae, Boraginaceae, Cistaceae, Scabiosa (Caprifoliaceae), and Ajuga (Lamiaceae) (Amiet et al. 2004Amiet et al. 2004:
Amiet, F., M. Herrmann, A. Mueller, and R. Neumeyer. 2004. Apidae 4: Anthidium , Chelostoma , Coelioxys , Dioxys , Heriades , Lithurgus , Megachile , Osmia , Stelis . Fauna Helvetica 9: 1ndash;273.).

Nesting behavior 

Osmia emarginata are known to nest in fissures between stones and cavities in rock, more often in broad cavities than narrow ones (Banaszak and Romasenko 1998Banaszak and Romasenko 1998:
Banaszak, J. and L. Romasenko. 1998. Megachilid bees of Europe (Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Megachilidae). Bydgoszcz University, Bydgoszcz, Poland.). Nest cells are arranged in an irregular, clump-like shape (Banaszak and Romasenko, 1998). Nest cells are composed from chewed leaves (Amiet et al. 2004Amiet et al. 2004:
Amiet, F., M. Herrmann, A. Mueller, and R. Neumeyer. 2004. Apidae 4: Anthidium , Chelostoma , Coelioxys , Dioxys , Heriades , Lithurgus , Megachile , Osmia , Stelis . Fauna Helvetica 9: 1ndash;273.).

Distribution

Osmia emarginata specimens have been recorded in North Africa and South and Central Europe (Banaszak and Romasenko 1998Banaszak and Romasenko 1998:
Banaszak, J. and L. Romasenko. 1998. Megachilid bees of Europe (Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Megachilidae). Bydgoszcz University, Bydgoszcz, Poland.).

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References