The InBIO Barcoding Initiative Database: DNA barcodes of Iberian Bees.

Background: Bees are important actors in terrestrial ecosystems and are recognised for their prominent role as pollinators. In the Iberian Peninsula, approximately 1,100 bee species are known, with nearly 100 of these species being endemic to the Peninsula. A reference collection of DNA barcodes, based on morphologically identified bee specimens, representing 514 Iberian species, was constructed. The "InBIO Barcoding Initiative Database: DNA Barcodes of Iberian bees" dataset contains records of 1,059 sequenced specimens. The species of this dataset correspond to about 47% of Iberian bee species diversity and 21% of endemic species diversity. For peninsular Portugal only, the corresponding coverage is 71% and 50%. Specimens were collected between 2014 and 2022 and are deposited in the research collection of Thomas Wood (Naturalis Biodiversity Center, The Netherlands), in the FLOWer Lab collection at the University of Coimbra (Portugal), in the Andreia Penado collection at the Natural History and Science Museum of the University of Porto (MHNC-UP) (Portugal) and in the InBIO Barcoding Initiative (IBI) reference collection (Vairão, Portugal). New information: Of the 514 species sequenced, 75 species from five different families are new additions to the Barcode of Life Data System (BOLD) and 112 new BINs were added. Whilst the majority of species were assigned to a single BIN (94.9%), 27 nominal species were assigned to multiple BINs. Although the placement into multiple BINs may simply reflect genetic diversity and variation, it likely also represents currently unrecognised species-level diversity across diverse taxa, such as Amegillaalbigena Lepeletier, 1841, Andrenarussula Lepeletier, 1841, Lasioglossumleucozonium (Schrank, 1781), Nomadafemoralis Morawitz, 1869 and Sphecodesalternatus Smith, 1853. Further species pairs of Colletes, Hylaeus and Nomada were placed into the same BINs, emphasising the need for integrative taxonomy within Iberia and across the Mediterranean Basin more broadly. These data substantially contribute to our understanding of bee genetic diversity and DNA barcodes in Iberia and provide an important baseline for ongoing taxonomic revisions in the West Palaearctic biogeographical region.

New Old World Andrena species, with a focus on Turkey (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae).

Andrena is the second most speciose genus of bees, but much taxonomic work is still required to describe taxa from its centre of diversity-the Old World Mediterranean basin including Turkey to Central Asia-as well as to resolve nomenclatural issues. An additional 16 new species discovered in museum collections are described here: Andrena (Taeniandrena) laevicorpus spec. nov. and Andrena (Ulandrena) graciliata spec. nov. from Cyprus; Andrena (Taeniandrena) taedium spec. nov. from Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, and Iran; Andrena (incertae sedis) maharashtra spec. nov. from India; Andrena (Leimelissa) claves spec. nov. from Kazakhstan; Andrena (Hoplandrena) cephalgia spec. nov. from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan; Andrena (Habromelissa) angustula spec. nov. from Mongolia; Andrena (Tarsandrena) palliata spec. nov. from Mongolia & China; and Andrena (Graecandrena) peculiaris spec. nov., Andrena (incertae sedis) colatorium spec. nov., Andrena (incertae sedis) discordia spec. nov., Andrena (incertae sedis) orichalcum spec. nov., Andrena (Melandrena) nox spec. nov., Andrena (Margandrena) cilicia spec. nov., Andrena (Notandrena) ayna spec. nov., and Andrena (Notandrena) taurus spec. nov. from Turkey. A lectotype is designated for Andrena (Avandrena) heterodoxa Pérez, 1903 sp. resurr. which is recognised as the senior synonym of A. (Avandrena) siciliana Warncke, 1980 syn. nov. Andrena (Andrena) bulgariensis Warncke, 1965 is synonymised syn. nov. with A. (Andrena) inconstans Morawitz, 1877. Andrena (Hoplandrena) schoenitzeri Gusenleitner, 1998 is synonymised syn. nov. with A. (Hoplandrena) rosae Panzer, 1801. Andrena (Truncandrena) medeninensis usura Warncke, 1967 is synonymised syn. nov. with A. (Truncandrena) pareklisiae Mavromoustakis, 1957. The female of A. (Chlorandrena) tricuspidata Scheuchl, 2010 and the males of A. (Poecilandrena) adjacens Morawitz, 1875, A. (Aciandrena) palmyriae Wood, 2021, and A. (Tarsandrena) sarydzhasi Osytshnjuk, 2005 are described for the first time. Lectotypes are designated for Andrena (Melandrena) metallica Radoszkowski, 1876 (=Andrena metallescens Cockerell, 1906) and Andrena (Leimelissa) mimetes Cockerell, 1929. Eighteen additional Andrena species are reported from Turkey for the first time, emphasising its status as the likely centre of diversity for this hyper-speciose genus.

Twenty-five new species of mining bees (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae: Andrena) from Israel and the Levant.

Andrena is one of the most diverse bee genera, comprising about 1,600 described species of ground-nesting solitary bees. Many Andrena species are plant specialists, and several taxa have been indicated to be important pollinators of wild and/or crop plants. The Eastern Mediterranean Basin and Israel in particular are one of the main world diversity hotspots of Andrena. Based on extensive examination of museum specimens combined with DNA barcoding, we hereby describe twenty-five Levantine species of Andrena new to science: Andrena anathema Pisanty sp. nov., A. ardentia Pisanty sp. nov., A. asluji Pisanty sp. nov., A. curviocciput Pisanty & Wood sp. nov., A. dividicincta Pisanty sp. nov., A. dorchini Pisanty sp. nov., A. euphorbiae Pisanty sp. nov., A. gageae Wood & Pisanty sp. nov., A. herodesi Pisanty & Wood sp. nov., A. hulae Pisanty sp. nov., A. igraeca Pisanty & Wood sp. nov., A. inusitata Pisanty sp. nov., A. janthinoides Pisanty sp. nov., A. longistilus Pisanty & Wood sp. nov., A. lunaris Pisanty & Wood sp. nov., A. macula Pisanty & Wood sp. nov., A. obtusa Pisanty sp. nov., A. ornithogali Pisanty & Wood sp. nov., A. petrae Wood sp. nov., A. protuber Pisanty sp. nov., A. sulfurea Wood sp. nov., A. turmalina Pisanty & Wood sp. nov., A. veronicae Pisanty & Wood sp. nov., A. veterana Pisanty sp. nov., and A. xera Pisanty sp. nov. We synonymise Andrena edentula Wood with A. tadauchii Gusenleitner syn. nov., and recognise four infraspecific names as valid species: Andrena mediterranea Pisanty & Scheuchl stat. nov., A. mizorhina Warncke stat. nov., A. noacki Alfken sp. resurr. and A. ochraceohirta Alfken sp. resurr. We additionally describe the hitherto unknown sexes of four species, provide new records for fifteen species previously unknown from Israel, and list fourteen taxa whose previously reported presence in Israel is considered erroneous or questionable.

Fifteen new Andrena species from little-visited arid, Mediterranean, and mountainous parts of the Old World (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae).

Andrena is the second most speciose genus of bees, with around 1,500 species known globally. It is predominantly distributed through the Holarctic with severely limited diversity in other biogeographical regions, and with the greatest species richness in arid and Mediterranean areas. Despite a long history of study, many species remain undescribed. As part of an ongoing revision of undetermined Old World material, many new species have been discovered in museum collections. Andrena (Micrandrena) atlantea spec. nov. from Morocco, Andrena (Carandrena) hoggara spec. nov. from Algeria, Andrena (Aciandrena) plumbea spec. nov., Andrena (Carandrena) inflata spec. nov., Andrena (Chrysandrena) rubricorpora spec. nov., Andrena (Orandrena) densissima spec. nov. from Tunisia, Andrena (?Aciandrena) badiyah spec. nov., Andrena (Micrandrena) convexifrons spec. nov. from Jordan, Andrena (?Aciandrena) palmyriae spec. nov., Andrena (Graecandrena) virguladivina spec. nov., Andrena (Suandrena) inaquosa spec. nov., Andrena (Truncandrena) syriensis spec. nov. from Syria, Andrena karia spec. nov. (incertae sedis) from Turkey, and Andrena (Pallandrena) persica spec. nov. and Andrena (Pallandrena) zagrosa spec. nov. from Iran are described. The description of these 15 new species confirms the extent to which our understanding of this genus remains incomplete in the arid, Mediterranean, and mountainous parts of the Old World.

An update and revision of the Andrena fauna of Morocco (Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Andrenidae) with the description of eleven new North African species.

Morocco has a diverse bee fauna, but one that has also been relatively understudied in recent years. Here a revision of the species-rich genus Andrena is presented that reveals eleven new species for science and substantially improves our understanding of North African Andrena. From Morocco, Andrena (Aciandrena) semiadesus Wood, sp. nov., Andrena (Aciandrena) triangulivalvis Wood sp. nov., Andrena (Campylogaster) sparsipunctata Wood sp. nov., Andrena (Carandrena) hebescens Wood sp. nov., Andrena (Cnemidandrena) niveofacies Wood sp. nov., Andrena (incertae sedis) tenebricorpus Wood sp. nov., Andrena (Notandrena) acutidentis Wood sp. nov., Andrena (Poliandrena) breviceps Wood sp. nov., and Andrena (Poliandrena) farinosoides Wood sp. nov. are described and their ecology is discussed. Andrena (Aciandrena) astrella Warncke, 1975 is synonymised with Andrena (Aciandrena) fulica Warncke, 1974 syn. nov. The unknown female of Andrena (Nobandrena) ounifa Warncke, 1974, and the unknown male of Andrena (Poliandrena) guichardi Warncke, 1980 are described. Andrena (incertae sedis) gafsensis Wood sp. nov. from Tunisia is described due to its similarity to Andrena tenebricorpus. Andrena (Poecilandrena) nigriclypeus Wood sp. nov. from Algeria is also described as it was collected within 10 km of the Moroccan border. A further 18 species are recorded in Morocco for the first time. Andrena (Melandrena) nitida (Müller, 1776) and Andrena (Notandrena) nitidiuscula Schenck, 1853 are removed from the Moroccan list due to historic problems in the application of these names to Mediterranean taxa.

Updates to the bee fauna of Portugal with the description of three new Iberian Andrena species (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila).

Portugal is home to a rich but understudied bee fauna that was recently comprehensively documented for the first time. As part of ongoing work to improve the knowledge of Portuguese bees, efforts have been made to survey poorly recorded parts of the country and to continue to review existing material in museum collections. These efforts have resulted in 28 species newly discovered in Portugal, as well as eight species added from the literature and two taxa recently raised to full species status. Three additional species, Andrena (Lepidandrena) baetica spec. nov., Andrena (Micrandrena) omnilaevis spec. nov., and Andrena (Notandrena) foeniculae spec. nov. are described from material collected in southern Iberia, north-western Iberia, and southern Iberia, respectively. Andrena omnilaevis spec. nov. is the new name for north-western Iberian material previously identified as Andrena (Micrandrena) semilaevis Pérez. The male of Stelis hispanica Dusmet, previously only known from the holotype female, was also found and is described here. The taxon Andrena (Melandrena) limata mixtura Warncke has been various treated as a subspecies of A. limata Smith or A. nitida Müller. Examination of the holotype from Portugal shows that it actually belongs in its original combination Andrena limata comb. nov., and that true A. nitida is not present in Portugal. Seven additional species have been removed from the total due to misidentification or uncertainty. We also present discussion on the status of species complexes present in Portugal, and review species doubtfully recorded from the country. Altogether, this work increases the number of bee species recorded from mainland Portugal from 680 to 712, and to 722 for the country as a whole when including the faunas of the Madeira and Azores archipelagos.

The environmental risks of neonicotinoid pesticides: a review of the evidence post 2013.

Neonicotinoid pesticides were first introduced in the mid-1990s, and since then, their use has grown rapidly. They are now the most widely used class of insecticides in the world, with the majority of applications coming from seed dressings. Neonicotinoids are water-soluble, and so can be taken up by a developing plant and can be found inside vascular tissues and foliage, providing protection against herbivorous insects. However, only approximately 5% of the neonicotinoid active ingredient is taken up by crop plants and most instead disperses into the wider environment. Since the mid-2000s, several studies raised concerns that neonicotinoids may be having a negative effect on non-target organisms, in particular on honeybees and bumblebees. In response to these studies, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) was commissioned to produce risk assessments for the use of clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam and their impact on bees. These risk assessments concluded that the use of these compounds on certain flowering crops poses a high risk to bees. On the basis of these findings, the European Union adopted a partial ban on these substances in May 2013. The purpose of the present paper is to collate and summarise scientific evidence published since 2013 that investigates the impact of neonicotinoids on non-target organisms. Whilst much of the recent work has focused on the impact of neonicotinoids on bees, a growing body of evidence demonstrates that persistent, low levels of neonicotinoids can have negative impacts on a wide range of free-living organisms.