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Osmia taurus Smith, 1873
Life   Insecta   Hymenoptera   Apoidea   Megachilidae   Osmia
Subgenus: Osmia

Some refer to Osmia cornifrons as the hornfaced mason bee, but this is imprecise since the name could also refer to O. taurus in the eastern U.S. Since O. cornifrons was intentionally introduced into Pennsylvania orchards in 1978 and the Japanese have been utilizing colonies of O. cornifrons for apple pollination for almost 100 years, Biddinger believes that the common name of that species should be the Japanese Orchard Bee and has been publishing under that name. O. taurus, especially males are difficult to tell from O. cornifrons and it is almost certain that the two have been confused in various studies. No common name has been proposed for O. taurus yet.

Osmia taurus
© Copyright Hadel Go 2014-2015 · 9
Osmia taurus

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Osmia taurus, Mid-Atlantic Phenology
© Copyright source/photographer · 9
Osmia taurus, Mid-Atlantic Phenology
Osmia taurus
© Copyright Hadel Go 2014-2015 · 8
Osmia taurus

Osmia taurus
© Copyright Hadel Go 2014-2015 · 8
Osmia taurus
Osmia taurus
© Copyright Hadel Go 2014-2015 · 8
Osmia taurus

Osmia taurus
© Copyright Hadel Go 2014-2015 · 8
Osmia taurus
Osmia taurus m on Vaccinium --
Michael Veit · 6
Osmia taurus m on Vaccinium --

Osmia taurus, m on Taraxicum --
Michael Veit · 6
Osmia taurus, m on Taraxicum --
Osmia taurus, m on Taraxicum --
Michael Veit · 6
Osmia taurus, m on Taraxicum --

Osmia taurus, m on Vaccinium --
Michael Veit · 6
Osmia taurus, m on Vaccinium --
Osmia taurus, m on Vaccinium --
Michael Veit · 6
Osmia taurus, m on Vaccinium --

Osmia taurus, M, Back, MD, Wicomico County
© Copyright source/photographer · 5
Osmia taurus, M, Back, MD, Wicomico County
Osmia taurus, female, April 2016, crabappple-Paula-Sharp-47A0126-CROP
Copyright Paula Sharp 2014-2024 · 2
Osmia taurus, female, April 2016, crabappple-Paula-Sharp-47A0126-CROP

Osmia taurus, female, April 2016, Paula-Sharp-47A0189
Copyright Paula Sharp 2014-2024 · 2
Osmia taurus, female, April 2016, Paula-Sharp-47A0189
Osmia taurus, female, April 2016, Paula-Sharp-47A0189-CROP
Copyright Paula Sharp 2014-2024 · 2
Osmia taurus, female, April 2016, Paula-Sharp-47A0189-CROP

Osmia taurus, female, April 2016, Paula-Sharp-47A0197
Copyright Paula Sharp 2014-2024 · 2
Osmia taurus, female, April 2016, Paula-Sharp-47A0197
Osmia taurus, female, April 2016, Paula-Sharp-crabapple-47A0197
Copyright Paula Sharp 2014-2024 · 2
Osmia taurus, female, April 2016, Paula-Sharp-crabapple-47A0197

Osmia taurus
Ted Kropiewnicki · 1
Osmia taurus
Osmia taurus, Barcode of LifeData Systems
Barcode of Life Data Systems · 1
Osmia taurus, Barcode of LifeData Systems

Osmia taurus, female, front
© Stephanie Kolski and Natalie Allen · 1
Osmia taurus, female, front

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Overview
While O. cornifrons was introduced from Japan into Pennsylvania for tree fruit pollination in 1978, evidence now supports that O. taurus was introduced accidentally about 20 years later. Also native to the East-Asian region, it looks very similar to O. cornifrons and can pollinate fruit trees in a similar manner, much less is known about its biology.

Identification
O. cornifrons and the invasive O. taurus accidentally introduced also from Asia are easily distinguished from native North American Osmia females by two large horns on the outside edges of the clypeus. Both species have a brassy black body with whitish-yellow, tawny hair on their bodies. Females are easy to tell apart with O. cornifrons having a knob-like, often pointed, medial projection on the clypeus, whereas O. taurus females have a clypeus that is markedly dented in the middle and smooth with no projection. The males of both species are harder to tell apart with O. cornifrons lower edge of the clypeus being completely smooth and shiny while the lower edge of the clypeus of O. taurus is smooth and shiny in the center, but pitted further out. The size of both species is highly variable and seems to be directly correlated with the nesting hole diameter. Characters in the male genitalia can also be used to separate the two species with those of those of O. cornifrons being slightly larger than O. taurus and the gonocoxite being narrowly expanded in O. cornifrons compared to the widely expanded structure in O. taurus. Both species exhibit distinct sexual dimorphism with females being typically larger than males and having the horns on the clypeus. O. taurus tends to be slightly larger than O. cornifrons with the body length being 10-12 mm in females, 8-10 mm in males vs. 8-11.5 mm in female O. cornifrons and 7.5-9 mm in males. The pollen nest provisions in O. taurus are dry, whereas O. cornifrons provisions are wet and formed into a ball. Eggs of O. taurus are placed in the center of the provision, but those of O. cornifrons on the surface of the wet ball. See Guttierez et al. 2023 for more information.

Names
Scientific source:
Geographic distribution
Extracted with permission from Gutierrez et al. 2023.

O. taurus’ ancestral geographic range comprises Japan, Korea,
China, and Eastern Russia (Maeta 1978, Wei and Wang 1992,
Proshchalykin 2004, Yong et al. 2014). In Japan, Maeta (1978) reported
that O. taurus has a widespread distribution and is found
across the main five Japanese islands (Fig. 5A). This distribution
contrasts with O. cornifrons, which was primarily found in the
northern and central parts of Japan. However, in South Korea, O.
taurus and O. cornifrons appear to have similar distributions. Little
data is available on their ranges in North Korea, Russia, and China
(Fig. 5A). In their non-native range of North America, O. taurus
and O. cornifrons appear to have been introduced around the same
area, despite their first records occurring decades apart (LeCroy et
al. 2020). At present, both species have spread to similar areas except for O. taurus reaching south to Georgia and Florida and O.
cornifrons establishing disjunct populations in western states, likely
through anthropogenic transport (Fig. 5B; Supp Table S1 [online
only]). Despite their similar distributions in North America, both O.
taurus and O. cornifrons appear to have some differences in habitat
use. In general, O. taurus is found in greater abundance in wooded
areas, while O. cornifrons has a closer association with agricultural
landscapes dominated by orchards (Batra 1982, Savoy-Burke 2017,
Makino and Okabe 2019, Fuminori 2020).

Natural history
Extracted from Guttierez et al. 2023 with permission:

Both within and outside of its native range, O. taurus emerges in the spring, typically between late March to early April, with males emerging 2–4 days before females (Maeta 1978, LeCroy et al. 2020). Adult O. taurus are active for about 2–6 weeks and females are active about 2 weeks longer than males (Maeta 1978). Complete development from egg to adult occurs between late May and late August and is temperature-dependent (Maeta 1978). From data collected in Japan, it appears that O. taurus has a significantly shorter developmental duration compared to O. cornifrons when raised at constant temperatures between 18 and 26°C (Maeta 1978).

In its native range, O. taurus has been classified as a polylectic
species with a preference for pollen from the Juglandaceae,
Rosaceae, and Fabaceae families, which is similar but broader than
the pollen preferences of O. cornifrons that prefers pollen from the
Rosaceae and Fabaceae families (Maeta 1978, Haider et al. 2014,
Vaudo et al. 2020). In North America, O. taurus has been observed
visiting Cercis canadensis, the eastern redbud (Fabales: Fabaceae),
and several species in the genus Prunus (Rosales: Rosaceae) (Potter
and Mach 2022). However, O. taurus seems to collect pollen primarily
from non-native shrubs species of the genera Aesculus
(Sapindales: Sapindaceae), Viburnum (Dipsacales: Adoxaceae), and
Ilex (Aquifoliales: Aquifoliaceae) (Potter and Mach 2022). This pattern of preference for non-native plants has also been reported for
O. cornifrons (Vaudo et al. 2020). Despite their overlap in pollen
preferences, the texture of the pollen provisions is markedly different between these two species. Pollen provisions in O. taurus are dry while pollen is wet in the provisions of O. cornifrons (Maeta 1978; Fig. 4).

In its non-native range, reports have shown that O. taurus nests

are parasitized by chalcid wasps (Monodontomerus spp.), as well

as infected with Ascosphaera fungi (LeCroy pers. obs., LeCroy et

al. 2020), and Wolbachia bacteria (Saeed and White 2015). Several

other parasites and pathogens are likely to be found in O. taurus

based on their detection in other closely related Osmia species. For

example, two parasitoids from their native range, Chaetodactylus

spp. and Melittobia acasta have been documented in O. cornifrons

and O. lignaria, respectively, but not in O. taurus in North America

(McKinney and Park 2013, Glasser and Farzan 2016). Other parasites

and pathogens such as Vairimorpha spp. (Dissociodihaplophasida:

Nosematidae; formerly known as Nosema) and Crithidia bombi

(Trypanosomatida: Trypanosomatidae), which are important

pathogens in some groups of bees, have been recorded in other species

of Osmia but with few reports of negative fitness effects (Müller

et al. 2019, Figueroa et al. 2021). Honey bee-associated viruses

such as Deformed Wing Virus (DWV), Lake Sinai Virus (LSV), Apis

mellifera filamentous virus (AmFV), Black Queen Cell Virus (BQCV),

Varroa destructor Macula-like Virus (VdMLV) have similarly been detected in other Osmia species but not directly in O. taurus (Ravoet

et al. 2014). Overall, little research has been done on the presence of these pathogens and the fitness effects these pathogens can have on

O. taurus and other mason bees.

References
Batra, S. 1982. The hornfaced bee for efficient pollination of small farm orchards. Research for Small Farms. 1422: 116–120.

Branstetter, M. G., A. Müller, T. L. Griswold, M. C. Orr, and C. -D. Zhu. 2021. Ultraconserved element phylogenomics and biogeography of the agriculturally important mason bee subgenus Osmia. Syst. Entomol. 46: 453–472.

Gutierrez, G., K. LeCroy, T. Roulston, D. Biddinger, and M. Lopez-Uribe. 2023. Osmia taurus (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae): A non-native bee species with invasiveness potential in North America. Environmental Entomology, 52(2):149-156. https:doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvad005

Haider, M., S. Dorn, C. Sedivy, and A. Müller. 2014. Phylogeny and floral hosts of a predominantly pollen generalist group of mason bees (Megachilidae: Osmiini). Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 111: 78–91.

LeCroy, K. A., G. Savoy-Burke, D. E. Carr, D. A. Delaney, and T. H. Roulston. 2020. Decline of six native mason bee species following the arrival of an exotic congener. Sci. Rep. 10: 18745.

LeCroy, K., E. Krichilsky, H. Grab, T. H. Roulston, and B. Danforth. 2022. Spillover of chalkbrood fungi to native solitary bee species from nonnative congeners. J. Appl. Ecol. in press.

Maeta, Y. 1978. Comparative studies on the biology of the bees of the genus Osmia of Japan, with special reference to their managements for pollinations of crops (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). Bull. Tohoku Natl. Agric. Exp. Station 57: 1–221.

Potter, D. A., and B. M. Mach. 2022. Non-native non-Apis bees are more abundant on non-native versus native flowering woody landscape plants. Insects 13: 238.

Ravoet, J., L. De Smet, I. Meeus, G. Smagghe, T. Wenseleers, and D. C. de Graaf. 2014. Widespread occurrence of honey bee pathogens in solitary bees. J. Invertebr. Pathol. 122: 55–58.

Savoy-Burke, G. 2017. Woodland bee diversity in the Mid-Atlantic. M.S. thesis, University of Delaware, Newark.

Vaudo, A. D., D. J. Biddinger, W. Sickel, A. Keller, and M. M. López-Uribe. 2020. Introduced bees (Osmia cornifrons) collect pollen from both coevolved and novel host-plant species within their family-level phylogenetic preferences. R. Soc. Open Sci. 7: 201375200225.

Hosts · map
FamilyScientific name @ source (records)
J. rykken  623 @ JRYB__SHEN (1)

667 @ JRYB__SHEN (2)

746 @ JRYB__SHEN (1)
Liliaceae  Erythronium @ AMNH_BEE (1)
_  apple @ NLA (7)

blueberry @ NLA (10)

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Updated: 2025-02-08 19:58:32 gmt
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