On the status of Nomiapis valga (Gerstäcker) and its distribution (Hymenoptera, Halictidae, Nomiinae), with an identification key for European Nomiapis

Bees of the subfamily Nomiinae are renowned for their morphological diversity, particularly in the male sex, which often shows enormously modified hind legs and metasomal sterna. This has led to an array of generic and subgeneric classification systems, but nomiine bees also suffer from problems at...

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Main Author: Thomas J. Wood
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Pensoft Publishers 2025-06-01
Series:Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift
Online Access:https://dez.pensoft.net/article/153052/download/pdf/
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author Thomas J. Wood
author_facet Thomas J. Wood
author_sort Thomas J. Wood
collection DOAJ
description Bees of the subfamily Nomiinae are renowned for their morphological diversity, particularly in the male sex, which often shows enormously modified hind legs and metasomal sterna. This has led to an array of generic and subgeneric classification systems, but nomiine bees also suffer from problems at the species level. This is well-illustrated in the genus Nomiapis Cockerell, 1919, which is particularly difficult to delineate in the female sex. One such case involves Nomiapis valga (Gerstäcker, 1872), described from southern Spain, which nominally has a fragmented distribution from Spain and southeastern Europe across to Central Asia, and for which type material is lost. New studies show that N. valga is actually entirely restricted to Spain, where it is strongly geographically separated from populations ranging from southeastern Europe to Central Asia; these latter populations are best referred to as Nomiapis caucasica (Friese, 1897) sp. resurr. Type material for N. caucasica is definitively located, and a neotype is designated for N. valga to fix the concept of this species. Additional support for the species status of Nomiapis susannae Arens, 2018, is presented, along with a modern identification key for European Nomiapis species. These results highlight the persistent problems with the alpha-level taxonomy of nomiine bees even within well-studied parts of their global range.
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spelling doaj-art-fbf02649aeea4cfb8aaa7908db0eb05e2025-08-20T03:27:52ZengPensoft PublishersDeutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift1860-13242025-06-017218510010.3897/dez.72.153052153052On the status of Nomiapis valga (Gerstäcker) and its distribution (Hymenoptera, Halictidae, Nomiinae), with an identification key for European NomiapisThomas J. Wood0Naturalis Biodiversity CenterBees of the subfamily Nomiinae are renowned for their morphological diversity, particularly in the male sex, which often shows enormously modified hind legs and metasomal sterna. This has led to an array of generic and subgeneric classification systems, but nomiine bees also suffer from problems at the species level. This is well-illustrated in the genus Nomiapis Cockerell, 1919, which is particularly difficult to delineate in the female sex. One such case involves Nomiapis valga (Gerstäcker, 1872), described from southern Spain, which nominally has a fragmented distribution from Spain and southeastern Europe across to Central Asia, and for which type material is lost. New studies show that N. valga is actually entirely restricted to Spain, where it is strongly geographically separated from populations ranging from southeastern Europe to Central Asia; these latter populations are best referred to as Nomiapis caucasica (Friese, 1897) sp. resurr. Type material for N. caucasica is definitively located, and a neotype is designated for N. valga to fix the concept of this species. Additional support for the species status of Nomiapis susannae Arens, 2018, is presented, along with a modern identification key for European Nomiapis species. These results highlight the persistent problems with the alpha-level taxonomy of nomiine bees even within well-studied parts of their global range.https://dez.pensoft.net/article/153052/download/pdf/
spellingShingle Thomas J. Wood
On the status of Nomiapis valga (Gerstäcker) and its distribution (Hymenoptera, Halictidae, Nomiinae), with an identification key for European Nomiapis
Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift
title On the status of Nomiapis valga (Gerstäcker) and its distribution (Hymenoptera, Halictidae, Nomiinae), with an identification key for European Nomiapis
title_full On the status of Nomiapis valga (Gerstäcker) and its distribution (Hymenoptera, Halictidae, Nomiinae), with an identification key for European Nomiapis
title_fullStr On the status of Nomiapis valga (Gerstäcker) and its distribution (Hymenoptera, Halictidae, Nomiinae), with an identification key for European Nomiapis
title_full_unstemmed On the status of Nomiapis valga (Gerstäcker) and its distribution (Hymenoptera, Halictidae, Nomiinae), with an identification key for European Nomiapis
title_short On the status of Nomiapis valga (Gerstäcker) and its distribution (Hymenoptera, Halictidae, Nomiinae), with an identification key for European Nomiapis
title_sort on the status of nomiapis valga gerstacker and its distribution hymenoptera halictidae nomiinae with an identification key for european nomiapis
url https://dez.pensoft.net/article/153052/download/pdf/
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