Mohamed A. Shebl

Notes on the Nesting Biology of the Small Carpenter Bee Ceratina smaragdula (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Northwestern Pakistan

Abstract The nesting biology and some foraging activities of the familiar, brilliant metallic green, small carpenter bee Ceratina (Pithitis) smaragdula (F.) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) is documented from the northwestern-most extent of its natural distribution, as the species is a potentially important pollinator of leguminous and cucurbit crops in the region. Numerous nests around the village of Ismaila, Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan, were observed and sampled from Jun through Aug 2012. Nest details were recorded and foraging times on various floral species were documented, with bees preferentially nesting in wooden stalks of Ravenna grass (Saccharum ravennae L.; Poales: Poaceae), life cycles lasting 28 to 32 d, and conditions offering the potential for easy management. The importance of such studies on wild bees in Pakistan is stressed, as are the development of biotic surveys on bees and the training of regional melittologists, coupled with outreach activities.

Bee Fauna (Apoidea: Hymenoptera) of the Suez Canal Region, Egypt

Summary The diversity of solitary bees varies depending on the vegetation, nesting habitats, and nesting fragmentation. The agriculture development in the Suez Canal region is receiving a great deal of attention in Egypt, thus, the diversity of solitary bees are essential for high quality production of seeds, vegetables, and fruit. The objective of this study was to evaluate the biodiversity of solitary bee populations around the Canal region. About 900 - 1000 specimens of bees were collected from different locations of the Ismailia, Suez, and Sinai Governorates. Fifty-five species of bees were identified. With the exception of Melittidae family, all the bee families were present in the Canal region. The total number of species for each family were 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15 species for Andrenidae, Colletidae, Apidae, Halictidae, and Megachilidae, respectively. Lasioglossum mandibularie (Morawitz, 1866) is a newly recorded species collected from Egypt. In the Suez Canal region, the most abundant species found with large populations were Andrena ovatula ssp. ovatula (Kirby, 1802), Ceratina tarsata Morawitz, 1872, and Colletes lacunatus Dours, 1872. Streszczenie Skład gatunkowy zgrupowań pszczół samotnic zmienia się w zależności od roślinności, obecności dogodnych siedlisk gniazdowania oraz stopnia fragmentacji tych siedlisk. W Egipcie rozwój rolnictwa w regionie Kanału Sueskiego stanowi duże wyzwanie z uwagi na fakt, że różnorodność pszczół samotnic jest kluczowa dla produkcji wysokiej jakości nasion, warzyw i owoców. Większość nielicznych badań fauny pszczół Egiptu przeprowadzono w latach siedemdziesiątych XX w. Badania te dotyczyły terenu całego Egiptu, ale region Kanału Sueskiego pozostał pod tym względem mało zbadany. Celem niniejszych badań była ewaluacja zróżnicowania gatunkowego populacji pszczół samotnic w regionie Kanału Sueskiego. Badania prowadzono w różnych częściach tego regionu w latach 2011 i 2012. Ogółem, za pomocą siatki entomologicznej, odłowiono około 900 - 1000 osobników z prowincji gubernatorskich Ismailia, Suez i Synaj. Osobniki zebrane zostały z różnych gatunków roślin uprawnych i dzikich. Oznaczono 55 gatunków owadów pszczołowatych. Stwierdzono obecność przedstawicieli wszystkich rodzin pszczołowatych z wyjątkiem rodziny Melittidae. W obrębie rodzin odnotowano następujące ilości gatunków: 7 (Andrenidae), 9 (Colletidae), 11 (Apidae), 13 (Halictidae) i 15 (Megachilidae). Lasioglossum mandibulare (Morawitz, 1866) został odnotowany w Egipcie po raz pierwszy. Następujące gatunki występowały w regionie Kanału Sueskiego najczęściej i najliczniej: Andrena ovatula ssp. ovatula (Kirby, 1802), Ceratina tarsata Morawitz, 1872 i Colletes lacunatus Dours, 1872. Niektóre gatunki, np. Andrena, Anthophora i Lasioglossum, rejestrowane były w ich naturalnych siedliskach. Inne, jak Colletes, zebrano z okolicy roślin, którymi się żywią. Nie były jednak notowane w okolicy swoich gniazd. Skład gatunkowy pszczół z regionu Kanału Sueskiego zbliżony jest do składu gatunkowego pszczół w Jordanie, Palestynie i Izraelu. Ekosystemy wszystkich tych państw leżą w strefie klimatu śródziemnomorskiego. Niniejsze badania oceniające skład apifauny zapylającej są pierwszymi realizowanymi w regionie Kanału Sueskiego i mogą być kontynuowane w innych regionach Egiptu. Badania terenowe tego typu mogą zainicjować powstawanie większej liczby projektów badawczych dotyczących zapylania i interakcji między pszczołami a roślinami.

Distribution and variability of deformed wing virus of honeybees (Apis mellifera) in the Middle East and North Africa.

Three hundred and eleven honeybee samples from 12 countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) (Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Yemen, Palestine, and Sudan) were analyzed for the presence of deformed wing virus (DWV). The prevalence of DWV throughout the MENA region was pervasive, but variable. The highest prevalence was found in Lebanon and Syria, with prevalence dropping in Palestine, Jordan, and Egypt before increasing slightly moving westwards to Algeria and Morocco Phylogenetic analysis of a 194 nucleotide section of the DWV Lp gene did not identify any significant phylogenetic resolution among the samples, although the sequences did show consistent regional clustering, including an interesting geographic gradient from Morocco through North Africa to Jordan and Syria. The sequences revealed several clear variability hotspots in the deduced amino acid sequence, which furthermore showed some patterns of regional identity. Furthermore, the sequence variants from the Middle East and North Africa appear more numerous and diverse than those from Europe.

Bee diversity (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) visiting Broad Bean (Vicia faba L.) flowers in Egypt

Different bee flower visitors were observed during the flowering seasons of Broad Bean in Ismailia, eastern Egypt, the Nile Delta and Alexandria, western Egypt. Eight major bee visitors were observed: Andrena ovatula (Kirby, 1802), Andrena sp. (Andrenidae), Chalicodoma siculum (Rossi, 1792) (Megachilidae), Colletes lacunatus Dours, 1872 (Colletidae), Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758, Anthophora hispanica (Fabricius, 1787), A. aegyptiaca (Dalla Torre and Friese, 1895) and Xylocopa pubescens (Spinola, 1838) (Apidae). Anthophora hispanica and A. aegyptiaca as well as Chalicodoma siculum had their peak flying period in the middle of the flowering season of the Broad Bean, while Xylocopa pubescens and Andrena sp. had their peak period in the second half of the flowering period.

Nesting biology of two species of the large carpenter bees Xylocopa pubescens and Xylocopa fenestrata (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in north-western Pakistan

Abstract The large carpenter bees are very promising pollinators for many agriculture crops. The nesting biology and some foraging activities of these large carpenter bees are documented from the north-western Pakistan, most extent of its natural distribution, as these species are potentially important pollinators of cucurbit crops and some agriculture crops in the region. Nests of the large carpenter bees, Xylocopa pubescens Spinola, 1838 and Xylocopa fenestrata Fabricius, 1798, around the Ismaila village, Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan, were observed and sampled from June to August 2012 and 2013. Nest details were recorded and foraging times on various floral species were documented, with bees preferentially nesting in dead wooden stems of Poplar (Populus deltoides) and Sesbania (Sesbania bispinosa). The dissection of nests was carried out and both nest architecture and nesting biology of the species were described. The importance of such studies on wild bees in Pakistan is important for the melittologists, as it will help in conservation of wild bees. The study is also useful in using large carpenter bees for pollination purpose.

Discovery of the Bee Tribe Tarsaliini in Arabia (Hymenoptera: Apidae), with the Description of a New Species

ABSTRACT The uncommonly encountered bee tribe Tarsaliini (Apinae) is recorded from the Arabian Peninsula for the first time, and based on a new species of the genus Tarsalia Morawitz. The tribes Ancylaini and Tarsaliini are diagnosed and their differences highlighted. Tarsalia kindahensis Engel, new species, is described and figured from the eastern portion of the Najd of central-eastern Saudi Arabia (Qassim and Riyadh regions). The new species is most similar to T. mimetes (Cockerell), known only from Egypt and Sudan, as well as the larger T. persica (Warncke) from Iran. These three species are morphologically and largely geographically distinct from the remainder of the genus, and are segregated into a new subgenus, Astibomelissa Engel. An updated and corrected checklist of the genera and subgenera of bees recorded from Saudi Arabia is appended.

First record of the bee genus Melitta from the Arabian Peninsula (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Melittidae)

The oligolectic bee genus Melitta Kirby, 1802 (Melittidae: Melittinae) is recorded from the Arabian Peninsula for the first time, and from Saudi Arabia in particular. A series of females of Melitta schmiedeknechti Friese, 1898 were captured near Jabal al Mashār, Ha’il, Saudi Arabia, representing the first occurrence of this species, previously known across northern Africa and the southern Levant. Brief remarks and a key are provided for the two subspecific forms of M. schmiedeknechti.

Presence and infestation rate of Senotainia tricuspis (Meigen) (Diptera, Sarcophagidae) on honey bees in the Mediterranean Region

Presence and infestation rate of Senotainia tricuspis (Meigen) (Diptera, Sarcophagidae) on honey bees in the Mediterranean Region Nizar Haddad*, Noureddine Adjlane, Wahida Loucif-Ayad, Mohamed A. Shebl, Muna Saba, Imad Albaba, Dany El-Obeid, Montasir Sabah, Matteo Giusti and Antonio Felicioli Bee Research Department, National Center for Agriculture Research and Extension, Baq’a, Jordan; Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, M’hamed Bougara University of Boumerdes, ENS Kouba, Algeries, Algeria; Laboratory of Applied Animal Biology, Faculty of Science, University Badji-Mokhtar, Annaba, Algeria; Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Plant Protection, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt; HalhulHebron District, West Bank, State of Palestine; Lebanese University Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences, Beirut, Lebanon; Najaf Beekeepers Association, Najaf, Pisa, Iraq; Dipartimento di Scienze Veterinarie. Università di Pisa, Pisa, Italy

The floral hosts of Japanese polylectic sweat bees of subgenus Lasioglossum (Lasioglossum) (Hymenoptera: Halictidae)

Summary Bee distributions and their life-sustaining relationships with flowering plants occupy keystone positions in both natural and agricultural ecosystems. In Japan, the biology of Lasioglossum has scarcely been investigated. The objective of this study was to record Lasioglossum floral associations based on reference collection specimens. About 1188 specimens were identified and their floral plant species were reported. The polylectic Japanese Lasioglossum (Lasioglossum) species visit a wide range of plants; 244 species belonging to 120 genera in 53 families, and include the genera Brassica, Taraxacum, Erigeron, Ixeris, Deutzia, Leucanthemum, Fagopyrum, Phedimus, Persicaria, Hydrangea, Rudbeckia, Weigela, Salix, Crepidiastrum, Aster, and Rosa. The results revealed that Japanese Lasioglossum (Lasioglossum) species are very promising pollinators for a wide range of plants belonging to the Brassicaceae and Asteraceae families.

A new species of the carpenter bee genus Xylocopa from the Sarawat Mountains in southwestern Saudi Arabia (Hymenoptera, Apidae)

Abstract A new species of the carpenter bee genus Xylocopa Latreille (Xylocopinae: Xylocopini) is described and figured from two localities in southern Saudi Arabia. Xylocopa (Koptortosoma) sarawatica Engel, sp. n. is a relatively small species similar to the widespread X. pubescens Spinola, but differs in the extent of maculation in males, setal coloration of both sexes, and male terminalia. A revised key to the species of Xylocopa in Saudi Arabia is provided.