From Corsica to Sardinia: distributional range extension of the recently described Hoplitis agnielae Le Divelec, 2024 (Hymenoptera: Anthophila: Megachilidae)

Wild bees are the main pollinators in temperate regions, essential for ecosystem biodiversity, agriculture, and human well-being (Ollerton et al., 2011), yet they are undergoing a severe decline (LeBuhn and Vargas Luna, 2021). Nevertheless, the Mediterranean basin remains a biodiversity hotspot, including for wild bee species (Orr et al., 2021). The genus Hoplitis Klug is the most diverse among the Osmiini (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae), comprising 391 species and exhibiting high diversity (Müller, 2025). Its distribution is primarily Palearctic, where it includes 14 subgenera and 313 species (Ivanov et al., 2023), but it has subsequently expanded into southern Africa, the Nearctic region (Sedivy et al., 2013), and as far east as India (Michener, 2007). Within the Palearctic, 65 species of the subgenus Alcidamea Cresson are currently recognised (Müller, 2025), of which 24 occur in Europe (Ghisbain et al., 2023). Two additional species have been recently described, including Hoplitis (Alcidamea) agnielae Le Divelec, 2024.