First Record of Eucera colaris (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Italy: The Importance of Vegetated Ecotonal Margins for Bee Conservation

Introduction: Southern Italy hosts significant insect diversity. Eucera (Eucera) colaris Dours, 1873 (Hymenoptera: Apidae) is a solitary, ground-nesting bee previously known only from North Africa and Southwestern Europe. It was recently discovered in Calabria (southern Italy).

Materials and methods: Field sampling was conducted from April to June 2022–2025 in a rural area near Castrovillari (Cosenza, Calabria, Italy). Bees were sampled using coloured pan traps. Morphological identification was carried out using taxonomic keys and reference entomological collections. Temperature data were obtained from a local meteorological station near the sampling area.

Results: The first specimen of E. colaris in Italy was collected at 424 m a.s.l., in a blue pan trap from 15 to 28 April 2022 (mean temperature: 15.4°C; maximum: 18.1°C; minimum: 10.5°C; 3 rainy days, maximum precipitation: 1.2 mm). The specimen was collected in a grassland field margin characterized by abundant orchid species, particularly Anacamptis morio (L.), Anacamptis papilionacea (L.), and Orchis italica Poir., 1789 (Orchidaceae), together with Tordylium apulum L., 1753 (Apiaceae), Centaurea cyanus L., 1753, Crepis rubra L., 1753 (Asteraceae), Sinapis alba L., 1753 (Brassicaceae), Papaver sp. L., 1753 (Papaveraceae), Lysimachia foemina (Mill.) U.Manns & Anderb. (Primulaceae), and Anemone hortensis L., 1753 (Ranunculaceae). Among the 379 Apoidea specimens collected, E. colaris was represented by a single individual, suggesting that the species is locally rare.

Conclusions: The discovery of E. colaris is consistent with the role of southern Italy as an important refugium for Mediterranean and European bee taxa and highlights the need for further surveys in the region. While protected areas are well studied, this study highlights the ecological importance of vegetated ecotonal margins in rural and agricultural landscapes, which remain poorly investigated. Monitoring these rural ecotones is essential for pollinator conservation under increasing agricultural intensification.