Wild bee diversity in the village of Peyresq and the surrounding areas in the southern French Alps
Background Wild bees are essential pollinators, yet the populations of an increasing number of species are declining across Europe, with knowledge gaps particularly acute in mountain regions. The southern French Alps represent a biogeographically exceptional area, situated at the interface of Alpine and Mediterranean influences, but their bee fauna remains poorly documented. Here, we present a curated dataset of wild bee occurrence records from the village of Peyresq (France) and its surroundings, collected over four consecutive years during summer along an elevational gradient spanning montane, subalpine and alpine zones. New information The dataset comprises 4,502 wild bee specimens, of which 4,007 specimens were identified to species level, representing 241 species across six families. The dataset includes six threatened species according to the European Red List of Bees, five being Vulnerable and one Endangered, as well as several species characteristic of Alpine and Mediterranean mountain faunas. A sampling completeness analysis estimated observed richness at about 88% of the predicted local bee fauna detectable during our sampling period (early to mid-July). All specimen data have been digitised following the Darwin Core standard, deposited in the collection of the University of Mons (Belgium) and made openly accessible through GBIF. This dataset constitutes a valuable baseline for biogeographical research and conservation planning in mountain ecosystems facing ongoing environmental change.
Authors
- Simone Flaminio (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5823-1202)
- Guillaume Ghisbain (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2032-8081)
- Clément Tourbez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1783-5824)
- Denis Michez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8880-1838)
- Maxence Gérard (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2485-0662)
- Dimitri Evrard (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8673-4409)
- Jordan Benrezkallah (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-9385-7190)
- Luca Dorio (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-9910-4235)
- Thomas Brau (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-1182-5022)
- Frédéric Carion (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-4944-4353)
- Bastien De Tandt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8628-9229)
- Rémi Santerre (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-2128-6568)
- Anatole Maugendre (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-6332-1116)
- Shawn Lemaire (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-7695-0000)
- Thierry Duez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-6574-3413)
- Rémi Devorsine (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-1015-5254)
- Arthur Herinckx (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-1772-7826)
- Clara Leconte
- Pol Vannechel
- Alice Naveaux
- Blandine Rigaut (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8814-6111)
- Sara Reverte
- Jean Van den Abeele
Institutions
- University of Mons (BE)
- Université Libre de Bruxelles (BE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Biodiversity Data Journal
- Published
- 2026-10-27
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3897/bdj.14.e213911
- Primary Topic
- Plant and animal studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Fonds De La Recherche Scientifique - FNRS
- Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles
- Wallonie-Bruxelles International
- Horizon 2020 Framework Programme
- HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme
- Fonds pour la Formation à la Recherche dans l’Industrie et dans l’Agriculture