Osmia (Hemiosmia) chrysolepta Haeseler, 2005

Osmia (Hemiosmia) chrysolepta Haeseler, 2005: 479 . Type material: Holotype ♂, “ Tel-Aviv ” (Israel), private collection of M. Schwarz ( Ansfelden).

Literature records. EGYPT: Hunka Mare (Haeseler 2005). ISRAEL AND PALESTINE: Central District (Netanya), Haifa District (Ma’agan Michael, Zikhron Yá Aqov), Northern District (Nahariya), Tel Aviv District (Bat Yam, Tel Aviv) (Haeseler 2005). JORDAN: Aqaba (Aqaba) (Haeseler 2005).

New records. ISRAEL AND PALESTINE: Central District: Yaqum, 32°25ʹN / 34°85ʹE, 10.3.2010, 1♀, 1♂ (leg. S. Watts) ; Haifa District: Northern Coastal Plain, Ma’agan Mikhael beach, 32º33ʹ21ʺN / 34º54ʹ25ʺE, 6.4.2011, 4f, 3m (leg. A. Dorchin) ; Southern District: 2 km N Kemehin, 30°55ʹ45ʺN / 34°24ʹ40ʺE, 210 m, 27.4.2010, 1♀ (leg. C. Praz, C. Sedivy) ; Tel Aviv District: Bat Jam, 15.4.1946, 1♀, 1♂ (leg. H. Bytinski-Salz) . JORDAN: Aqaba: 80 km NE Aqaba, 8.4.1989, 1♀, 1♂ (leg. J. Gusenleitner) . LIBYA: Al-Wahat: Marsa el Brega, 30°25ʹ27ʺN / 19°38ʹ25ʺE, 28.2.– 20.3.2013, 2♀, 1♂ (leg. A. Haris) .

Distribution. From eastern Libya over Egypt to the Levant (Israel and Palestine, Jordan). To the present knowledge, the range of O. chrysolepta does not overlap with that of the more westernly distributed O. anceps .

Pollen hosts. Oligolectic on Fabaceae (Tab. 1) with strong preference for Loteae (e.g. Lotus); additional pollen hosts are species of Genisteae and other Fabaceae tribes. Four out of 18 scopal loads analysed contained small amounts of pollen of Echium (Boraginaceae) and Zygophyllaceae, suggesting that flowers of these two plant taxa might very rarely also be exploited.

Nesting biology. Unknown.