A key to species of Nomada ruficornis species-group (Hymenoptera: Apidae) of South Korea, with descriptions of three new species.

In this study, three new species (Nomada adustaspinae, sp. n., Nomada atra, sp. n., Nomada biaulacis, sp. n.) and two species new to South Korea (Nomada aswensis Tsuneki, 1973, Nomada fusca Schwarz, 1986) are reported. The adult external morphology and male genitalia are illustrated with a key to 29 species of Nomada ruficornis species-group in South Korea. Additionally, the flower associations for each species are also provided.

Harrison's rule corroborated for the body size of cleptoparasitic cuckoo bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Nomadinae) and their hosts.

Harrison's rule, that body size is positively correlated between parasites and hosts, has been reported in a range of taxa, but whether the rule is applicable to cleptoparasitic insects is poorly understood. Subfamily Nomadinae, the largest group of cleptoparasitic bees, usurp the nests of a variety of host bees. Within the subfamily, Nomada exploits the most diverse hosts, using at least ten genera from five families. Here, we reassess the phylogeny of Nomadinae, including the expanded sampling of the genus Nomada, to explore host shift fluctuations throughout their evolutionary history and test the applicability of Harrison's rule for the subfamily. Our phylogenetic results are mostly congruent with previous investigations, but we infer the tribe Hexepeolini as a sister taxon to the tribe Nomadini. Additionally, the results reveal discrepancies with the traditional classifications of Nomada. Ancestral state reconstruction of host use indicates that, early in their evolution, parasites used closer relatives, before attacking less related groups later. Lastly, we confirm Harrison's rule in Nomadinae, supporting that body size dynamics influence the host shifts of cleptoparasitic bees.

Comparing the Appetitive Learning Performance of Six European Honeybee Subspecies in a Common Apiary.

The Western honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) is one of the most widespread insects with numerous subspecies in its native range. How far adaptation to local habitats has affected the cognitive skills of the different subspecies is an intriguing question that we investigate in this study. Naturally mated queens of the following five subspecies from different parts of Europe were transferred to Southern Germany: A. m. iberiensis from Portugal, A. m. mellifera from Belgium, A. m. macedonica from Greece, A. m. ligustica from Italy, and A. m. ruttneri from Malta. We also included the local subspecies A. m. carnica in our study. New colonies were built up in a common apiary where the respective queens were introduced. Worker offspring from the different subspecies were compared in classical olfactory learning performance using the proboscis extension response. Prior to conditioning, we measured individual sucrose responsiveness to investigate whether possible differences in learning performances were due to differential responsiveness to the sugar water reward. Most subspecies did not differ in their appetitive learning performance. However, foragers of the Iberian honeybee, A. m. iberiensis, performed significantly more poorly, despite having a similar sucrose responsiveness. We discuss possible causes for the poor performance of the Iberian honeybees, which may have been shaped by adaptation to the local habitat.