The wild bees (Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Anthophila) of the urban nature reserves of Rome (Italy, Latium): a preliminary survey

This work focused on the diversity of wild bees in nature reserves belonging to the RomaNatura network within the urban area of Rome, Italy. A total of 208 wild bee species belonging to 36 genera and six families were identified. Amongst the species surveyed, one species was classified as Endangered (EN) and seven species were classified as Near Threatened (NT) by the European Red List of wild bees. Twenty-four species are new reports for the urban area of Rome. Sampling took place from April to September 2022. The most represented family in terms of abundance was Halictidae, accounting for 36% of all bees collected, followed by Apidae (24% of samples), Andrenidae (17% of samples), Megachilidae (15% of samples), Colletidae (7% of samples) and Melittidae (1% of samples). The Megachilidae family was the richest in terms of the number of species, accounting for 25% of the total species sampled. This research aimed to provide a set of standardised and georeferenced wild bee occurrences that constitute the baseline for any faunistic, ecological and conservation activity of Rome's nature reserves. In addition, the research aims to demonstrate the importance of large urban green areas in one of the largest European cities as biodiversity reservoirs for wild bees.