Osmia (Hemiosmia) argyropyga Pérez, 1879 Osmia argyropyga Pérez, 1879: 175. Type material: Lectotype ♀, by designation of Tkalců (1975), “Marseille” (France), Mu- séum National d’Histoire Naturelle Paris. Type species of Hemiosmia Tkalců. Osmia entoprocta Pérez, 1879: 179. Type material: Lectotype ♂, by designation of Tkalců (1975), “Marseille” (France), Mu- séum National d’Histoire Naturelle Paris. Synonymy in Tkalců (1975). Literature records. FRANCE: Bouches-du-Rhône, Var (Benoist 1931). ITALY: Piemonte (Colle delle Finestre), Emilia-Romagna (but see below) (Grandi 1962; Pagliano 1994). PORTUGAL: Guarda (Serra da Estrela) (Baldock et al. 2018). SPAIN: Barcelona (Barcelona), Cádiz (Gibraltar), Granada (Granada) (Tkalců 1975). New records. ALGERIA: Mila: Theleghma, 30.5.2008, 1♂ (leg. S. Aguib). FRANCE: Aude: 10 km S Carcassone, 85 km SW Toulouse, 18.5.2003, 2♀ (leg. M. Halada); Bouches-du-Rhône: Alpilles, Aureille, 250 m, 19.5.2004, 2♂ (leg. A. Müller); Drôme: Dieulefit, 25 km E Montélimar, 23.5.2000, 1♀ (leg. J. van der Smissen); Hautes-Alpes: St. Crépin, 7.6.1995, 1♀, 1♂ (leg. A. Müller); Hérault: Villeveyrac, 6.5.1994, 1♀ (leg. W. Arens); Pyrénées-Orientales: Eyne, La Font del Sastre, 42.29°N / 02.05°E, 1620 m, 12.7.2008, 4♀ (leg. R. Lee Blondiau); Var: Flassans-sur-Issoles, Lac Redon, 280 m, 17.5.2001, 1♀ (leg. V. Plumet); Vaucluse: Luberon, Lourmarin, 250 m, 21.5.2004, 1♀ (leg. A. Müller). MOROCCO: Drâa-Tafilalet: 10 km N Rich, 23.5.1995, 1♀ (leg. M. Halada); Fès-Meknès: 15 km SE Sefrou, 27.5.1995, 1♀ (leg. M. Halada); Oriental: Oujda, Jbel Mahseur, 34°30ʹ07ʺN / 1°54ʹ36ʺW, 930 m, 26.5.1996, 1♀ (leg. M. Terzo). PORTUGAL: Guarda: Manteigas, 1300 m, 19.6.1981, 1♀ (leg. H. Teunissen); Porto: Padronelo, 3 km SE Amarante, 29.4.1990, 1♂ (leg. F. Gusenleitner). SPAIN: Alicante: Alcoy, Benifallim, 750 m, 2.5.2000, 1♀ (leg. E. Scheuchl); Ávila: La Guija, 6 km E San Bartolomé de Pinares, 40°32.877ʹN / 04°28.166ʹW, 1210 m, 29.5.2010, 1♀ (leg. R. Prosi); Badajoz: Llerena, 730 m, 16.5.2010, 1♀ (leg. J. Ortiz-San- chez); Cuenca: Cuenca, Hoz de Huecar, 3.6.1989, 1♀ (leg. W. Klein); Granada: Alia de las Bojes, 9.5.1983, 1♂ (leg. W. Perraudin); Murcia: Sierra de Maria, 25 km W Lorca, 10.5.2003, 2♀, 2♂ (leg. M. Halada); Orense: Allariz, 700 m, 10.6.1981, 1♂ (leg. H. Teunissen); Salamanca: Mozarbez, 40º50ʹ21ʺN / 05º38ʹ27ʺW, 17.5.2018, 1♂ (leg. J. Smit); Soria: Soria, 3.7.1989, 1♀ (leg. W. Schläfle); Tarragona: Flix, Ebro, 60 km W Tarragona, 26.4.2001, 1♀ (leg. E. Scheuchl); Valencia: Muela de Cortes, 80 km SW Valencia, 14.5.2003, 1♀ (lg. M. Halada); Zaragoza: Nuévalos, Monasterio de Piedra, 15.5.1992, 1♂ (leg. T. Osten). TUNISIA: Kef: Sidi Mtir SW El Kef, 28.4.2012, 1♀ (leg. C. Praz, C. Sedivy, A. Müller). Distribution. From the Maghreb (central and northern Morocco, northern Algeria, northern Tunisia) northwards to southwestern Europe (Spain, Portugal, southern France, northwestern Italy). Osmia argyropyga is reported to occur also in Emilia-Romagna; this occurrence, however, is doubtful as it is based on Grandi (1962), who allegedly reared this species from brood cells of Megachile (Chalicodoma) near Bologna, which appears to be improbable (see below). Pollen hosts. Oligolectic on Fabaceae (Tab. 1) with strong preference for Loteae (e.g. Lotus, Hippocrepis, Anthyllis); additional pollen hosts are species of Psoraleeae (e.g. Psoralea), other Fabaceae tribes and, according to a label record, Fabeae (e.g. Lathyrus). Nesting biology. O. argyropyga was reported to nest in old brood cells of Megachile (Chalicodoma) pyrenaica Lepeletier (Grandi 1962). However, this observation is probably erroneous as such a behaviour strongly deviates from the nesting biology of the closely related and morphologically very similar species O. balearica and O. uncicornis (see below). In southern France, several females were observed to chew leaves of Helianthemum (Cistaceae) (A. Müller personal observation), indicating that leaf pulp serves as nest building material as in the other O. (Hemiosmia) species.

Published as part of Müller, Andreas, 2020, Palaearctic Osmia bees of the subgenera Hemiosmia, Tergosmia and Erythrosmia (Megachilidae, Osmiini): biology, taxonomy and key to species, pp. 201-236 in Zootaxa 4778 (2) on page 211, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4778.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3826170