2026/07/21 by Alejandro Núñez, Alejandro Núñez Carbajal, Piluca Álvarez Fidalgo +10
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Plant and animal studies #Fossil Insects in Amber #Diptera species taxonomy and behavior
paper · doi:10.70186/baeenrag6995
Galicia (northwestern Spain) has historically received limited survey effort for wild bees, resulting in a significant gap in faunistic knowledge compared with other Iberian regions. Within the framework of the national project Polinizadores: mejora de conocimiento, standardized surveys were conducted in eight 1 × 1 km plots distributed across the four Galician provinces during two consecutive campaigns (2023 and 2024). In 2023, bees were sampled using pan traps, whereas in 2024 specimens were collected by active netting along standardized transects. All collected material was identified by the authors and deposited as reference specimens in the entomological collection of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCME). The records presented here include 39 species newly recorded from Galicia, together with 87 new provincial records involving a total of 76 species across the four Galician provinces. Noteworthy findings include the first known male specimen of Andrena allosa ever recorded in Spain. These results highlight the substantial knowledge gaps that still exist for wild bee faunas in parts of the Iberian Peninsula and emphasize the importance of systematic surveys combined with expert taxonomic validation.