Hoplitis (Stenosmia) minima (Schulthess, 1924) Osmia minima Schulthess, 1924: 314. Type material: Lectotype ♂, by designation of Zanden (1986), “ Kairouan ” (Tunisia), Entomological Collection of ETH Zurich. Osmia (Stenosmia) minutissima Warncke, 1991: 404. Nomen novum with same type specimen for preoccupied Osmia minima Schulthess (not Apis florisomnis minima Christ, 1791). New records. ISRAEL AND PALESTINE: Arava valley, Iddan, 28.4.2010, 6.– 17.3.2011. MOROCCO: Tagounite, 60km S Zagora, 23.4.1995. OMAN: Al Masna’ah, 28.2.2008; Birkat al Mauwz, 1.3.2008. TUNISIA: Nefta, 22.3.2001, 28.3.2006, 25.4.2012; 15km W Nefta, 22.3.2001; Tozeur, 23.3.2001; Kebili, 8.4.2001; Medenine, 10km S Zarzis, 22.4.2012. UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: N Ajman, 11.3.2008; Liwa Oasis, 10km S Arada, 10.1.2011; Liwa Desert, 8km S Arada, 4.– 13.1.2011; Jebel Hafit, 3.3.2011. Distribution. From northern Africa (Morocco, Tunisia) to Israel and Palestine and to the Arabian Peninsula (Oman, United Arab Emirates). Pollen hosts. Oligolectic on Zygophyllaceae: 38 of 39 pollen loads (11 localities, 5 countries) consisted of Zygophyllaceae pollen, and large numbers of males and females of H. minima have been observed on the flowers of Zygophyllum album in southern Tunisia (Figs. 1, 2). One pollen load consisted of pollen of Brassicaceae, indicating that flowers of this plant family might occasionally be exploited as well. Nesting biology. Unknown.

Published as part of Müller, Andreas, 2014, Palaearctic Hoplitis bees of the subgenus Stenosmia (Megachilidae, Osmiini): biology, taxonomy and key to species, pp. 301-316 in Zootaxa 3765 (4) on page 307, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3765.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/229653