Notes on the genera Ammobatoides and Melitturga in Europe (Hymenoptera: Apoidea)

The bee genus Ammobatoides Radoszkowski (Apidae) is a species-poor Old World group that predominantly parasitises the pollen-collecting genus Melitturga Latreille (Andrenidae). Nine species of Ammobatoides are currently recognised, but due to the rarity of most species, four are only known from a single sex. Examination of material from Greece has yielded the previously unknown female of Ammobatoides okalii Kocourek, a species previously known only from its male holotype. The suspected host is Melitturga spinosa Morawitz. Revised identification keys for Ammobatoides and Melitturga in Europe are provided, along with a clarification of the statuses and distributions of Melitturga praestans Giraud and Melitturga syriaca Friese.

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