NOTE: Appendix: Parammobatodes rozeni, a New Bee Species from Israel, by Maximilian Schwarz³

We present here new information regarding the number of ovarioles and the number and size of mature oocytes of certain bee taxa collected on a field trip in Turkey in June and July 2001. This information is augmented with similar data concerning taxa related at the tribal level to those that we found in Turkey. The mature oocytes/eggs of all taxa listed below are described and most are illustrated by photographs, scanning electron micrographs, and/or line drawings, and comparisons are made with previously published descriptions.

These taxa, arranged by family, subfamily, and tribe, are as follows: MEGACHILIDAE: Megachilinae: Dioxyini: Dioxys cincta (Jurine), Dioxys pacificus Cockerell. APIDAE: Xylocopinae: Xylocopini: Xylocopa (Proxylocopa) olivieri Lepeletier; Nomadinae: Ammobatoidini: Holcopasites insoletus (Linsley), Holcopasites tegularis Hurd and Linsley; Nomadinae: Biastini: Biastes brevicornis (Panzer); Nomadinae: Ammobatini: Ammobates carinatus Morawitz, Parammobatodes rozeni Schwarz, Oreopasites (Oreopasites) favreauae Rozen, Oreopasites (Oreopasites) vanduzeei Cockerell, O. (Perditopasites) barbarae Rozen, O. (P.) linsleyi Rozen, “Parammobatodes” orientana (Warnke), Pasites maculatus Jurine, Sphecodopsis (Pseudodichroa) capensis (Friese), S. (P.) fumipennis (Bischoff); Apinae: Melectini: Melecta albifrons albovaria Erichson, Melecta species, Thyreomelecta kirghisia Rightmyer and Engel, Thyreus lieftincki Rozen, Xeromelecta californica (Cresson).

The mature oocyte of Xylocopa (Proxylocopa) olivieri, a ground-nesting species, is found to be large relative to the body size of the female but somewhat smaller than the “giant” eggs of wood-nesting Xylocopa, as classified by Iwata and Sakagami (1966. Gigantism and dwarfism in bee eggs in relation to the mode of life, with notes on the number of ovarioles. Japanese Journal of Ecology 16: 4–16). Egg deposition habits of some cleptoparasitic taxa are discussed. In addition to smaller size relative to body size, eggs of cleptoparasitic bees show great variation in micropylar structure, dimensions, and chorionic ornamentation, thickness, and patterning, compared with eggs of nonparasitic bees.

An appendix by Maximilian Schwarz describes and names Parammobatodes rozeni, new species, from Israel.