Hoplitis (Platosmia) aristotelis ( Warncke, 1990 )

Müller, Andreas, 2015, Palaearctic Hoplitis bees of the subgenus Platosmia (Megachilidae, Osmiini): biology, taxonomy and key to species, Zootaxa 3936 (1), pp. 71-81 : 76-77

Hoplitis (Platosmia) aristotelis ( Warncke, 1990)

Osmia (Platosmia) aristotelis Warncke, 1990: 485 . Type material: Holotype ♂, “ Agadir, 4.2.1988 ” ( Morocco), Oberösterreichisches Landesmuseum Linz.

Literature records. MOROCCO: Mt. Zerhoun near Meknes, 13.5.1984; 12 km E of Agadir, 25.3.1987; 18km N Agadir, 27.3.1987; Ait Baha, 60 km SE of Agadir, 1.4.1987; Agadir, 6.3.1988; Assafid, 40 km NE of Agadir, 16.4.1988 ( Warncke, 1990).

New records. MOROCCO: 10 km W of Tiznit, 6.5.1995; Tamri, 70 km N of Agadir, 8.5.1995; 15 km SE of Sefrou, 26.– 27.5.1995; El-Menzel, 30 km E of Sefrou, 29.5.1995; Ifrane, 1.– 2.6.1995, 17.5.2003; 80 km E of Taroudant, 9.4.1996; 10 km SE of Ait Baha, 18.– 20.4.1996; 20 km E of Agadir, 19.4.1996; 30–50 km SW of Asni, 22.4.1996; 13 km SE of Ait Baha, 4.3.2003; 31 km SE of Ait Baha, 4.3.2003; SW of Sefrou, 16.5.2003; Agadir, 31.3.2006; between Ijoukak and Tizi-n-Test, 22.4.2009; 700 m S of Tagounite, 17.4.2014.

Distribution. Southwestern to northwestern Morocco. Although still fragmentary, the available distribution data suggest that the distribution area of H. aristotelis does only marginally overlap with that of the closely related H. platalea : most records of H. aristotelis are located west of an imaginary line between Tizi n‘Tichka and Sefrou.

Pollen hosts. Probably mesolectic on Reseda (Resedaceae) and Fabaceae : five of the eight pollen loads (7 localities, 1 country) analysed so far were mixed and contained both Resedaceae and Fabaceae pollen, while two loads contained only Fabaceae pollen and one load only Reseda pollen. Among the Fabaceae , flowers of Lotus appear to be frequently exploited.

Nesting biology. Unknown.