The cuckoo bee genus Sphecodes Latreille, 1804 (Hymenoptera, Halictidae) in Iran

Abstract

An overview is provided of the Iranian fauna of cleptoparastic bee species in the genus Sphecodes Latreille (Halictinae: Halictini: Sphecodina). In total, 25 species are recorded from Iran, eight of which are newly recorded for the country: Sphecodes anatolicus Warncke, 1992, S. croaticus Meyer, 1922, S. haladai Warncke, 1992, S. pectoralis Morawitz, 1876, S. rubicundus Hagens, 1875, S. rufiventris (Panzer, 1798), S. saxicolus Warncke, 1992, and S. tadschicus Blüthgen, 1935. A new species S. ebmeri Astafurova & Proshchalykin, sp. n. (Mazandaran) is described and illustrated. For many species of Sphecodes the distribution data within Iran are enlarged.