Morocco is considered to be one of the main diversity hotspots of bees in the Mediterranean basin. However, this fauna remains largely understudied in both urban and natural eco-systems. Bee monitoring primarily conducted during 2023 in an urban area (i.e. Safi) has unveiled three new bee species for Morocco: Lithurgus tibialis, Tetralonia aff. lanzarotensis and Coelioxys ruficauda as well as records of 28 new bee species for the region Marrakech Safi. This work provides descriptions of the spatial distribution, the diagnostic characters, and host plants of these three species. We also take the opportunity to highlight the quality of urban areas as habitats for bees and the importance of implementating bee-friendly management practices to preserve bee species.

Bee conservation, cemetery, city, management practices, Mediterranean, new species

Morocco has a unique geographical position, situated at a crossroads of two biogeographical regions (i.e. the Afrotropic and the Palaearctic). This country is characterized by a wide topographic gradient, from the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts to the summit of the Atlas Mountains, and different climate types, from Mediterranean in the north to arid desert in the south, leading to a wide range of habitats (e.g. sclerophyllous forest, alpine meadows, coastal cliffs, shrubs, semideserts). From this habitat diversity derives the diverse Moroccan flora (Rankou et al. 2013), which in turn provides key ecosystem services.

The economic value of insect pollination in Morocco is up to $1.23 billion, representing 8.5% of the total value of agricultural gross domestic product (Sabbahi 2022) and 25% of the total value of agricultural production in North Africa (Gallai et al. 2009). The main non-bee pollinators recorded in the country are butterflies with 136 species (Verovnik et al. 2018) and hoverflies with 150 species (Sahib et al. 2020). In comparison, the Moroccan bee fauna impressively includes 962 bee species, which are classified in six bee families and 68 genera (Lhomme et al. 2020). This figure is comparable to that of other Mediterranean countries, such as Greece (1186), Spain (1166), and Italy (1051) (Reverté et al. 2023), collectively demonstrating the vast Mediterranean bee fauna (Orr et al. 2021).

Many bee species have already been recorded since the first check list of Lhomme et al. (2020), and other have been newly described (Wood et al. 2020, 2021; Wood 2023a, Wood 2023b) or await future description, and these will be ultimately added to the national list of Moroccan bees. The monitoring of Moroccan bees is spatially uneven, with a focus on agro-ecosystems (El Abdouni et al. 2022) and touristic areas (e.g. Michez et al. 2007). Further inventory studies are required to document the species diversity of Moroccan bees, especially in natural and urban areas.

As a first step to fill this gap, this work reports three species newly recorded for Morocco, which were discovered during faunal surveys in a coastal urban area in the middle of the country (city of Safi) and a botanical garden (Meknes). For each species, we provide information on spatial distribution, diagnosis, records of host plants and illustrations. Finaly, we highlight the importance of urban areas as a refuge for bees in a Mediterranean country.

Despite the considerable works conducted over the last years in Morocco (Lhomme et al. 2020; Wood et al. 2020; Wood 2023a, Wood 2023b), significant knowledge gaps on bee diversity and ecology still persist. Opportunistic monitoring in a small urban area and a botanical garden, revealed three new species for Morocco, 28 new bee species for the region Marrakech Safi and a new species for science (Anthophora ahlamae, Rasmont and Wood (2024)). The three new records were expected, considering their occurrence in neighboring countries. This highlights the potential faunistic influence from Europe, Northern Africa, and regional endemism (Patiny and Michez 2007).

Our results highlight the extent to which the Moroccan bee fauna remains poorly documented. Research initiatives and national monitoring programs on bee diversity, distribution, behavior and ecology are lacking. The status and trends of Moroccan bee populations are entirely unknown. Further investigations and substantial taxonomic changes are needed for their taxonomy and classification. Without a consistent taxonomic framework and clearer insight into national bee diversity and distribution, advanced research on the Moroccan bee fauna (e.g. population trends, national red list, factors of decline) may be hindered and future conservation actions may fail to support bees. Despite the high economic value of crop pollination and the crucial role bees play in ecosystem functioning (Klein et al. 2007; Ollerton et al. 2011; Sabbahi 2022), which have led to numerous inventories and research on bee conservation in agricultural and natural landscapes (Christmann et al. 2017, 2021; Hamroud et al. 2021; Sentil et al. 2021; Sentil et al. 2022a, Sentil et al. 2022b; Bencharki et al. 2022; El Abdouni et al. 2022), the bee fauna in urban areas remains largely unexplored.

Urban areas can also drive bee decline (Oke et al. 2021). Urbanization refers to the growth and the expansion of cities, which lead to the removal of natural habitats or the fragmentation of continuous habitats (Gu et al. 2021). It is generally considered to be one of the most important factors driving pollinator decline (IPBES 2019a, 2019b) and one of the most inhospitable environments for bees (Oke et al. 2021). However, some factors, such as floral resource availability, green spaces and undisturbed sites can offer favorable microhabitats for bees (Hall et al. 2017), at least for some functional groups of bees (Fauviau et al. 2022). In Safi, the tolerance of wild flowering plants in vacant lots and field borders, along with the presence of semi-natural habitats (e.g., in cemeteries), has led to the observation of more than one-tenth of the Moroccan bee species fauna, despite the low sampling effort. The importance of urban areas as a refuge for wild bee communities has been demonstrated in many publications; for instance, one-third of the bee fauna of France has been recorded in Lyon (Fortel et al. 2014) and half of the German bee species in Berlin (Saure 1996). Cities should promote pollinators for two reasons: (1) biodiversity protection and (2) pollination service provision. The expansion of urban areas worldwide is leading to significant losses in natural habitats (Wenzel et al. 2020). Thus, supporting bees that are losing their native habitats requires the incorporation of bee conservation plans in urban planning and agendas (Nilon et al. 2017). Moreover, cities with favorable bee habitats (e.g., cemeteries, roadside verges, parks), could act as refuges and corridors for bees (Fig. 7), and thus improve bee diversity in nearby simplified landscapes through spillover effect (Goulson et al. 2010). Additionally, bees ensure the pollination of native and ornamental plants, which in turn provide habitats and resources for other organisms, including insects, birds, and mammals. Also, high levels of biodiversity are required to boost urban ecosystem resilience in the face of climate change (Engström et al. 2020). Therefore, it is necessary to establish and maintain bee-friendly habitats in urban areas to promote and sustain diverse bee communities.

Figure 7. 

photos of some wild bee species observed during insect survey on wild flowering plants A Amegilla quadrifaciata B Anthophora sp. C Eucera dentata D Anthidium strigatum E Seladonia sp. F Nomioides sp.

To date, no conservation strategies or initiatives have been developed to protect bees in Moroccan cities. The current knowledge of citizens about bees and the valuable services they provide is low and insufficient to catalyze the policy makers to implement conservation actions. These factors, combined with some management practices such as mowing, herbicide application and livestock grazing aggravate the pressures that bees are encountering in cities.

Nevertheless, bee conservation in Moroccan cities is still possible. A first step would be the transfer of knowledge on bees, and their ecological and economic importance to policy makers and urban planners. Second, adjust the urban management practices to promote bee-friendly environments, for instance: (i) delaying the mowing of roadside vegetation and/or reducing the mowing frequency (Chaudron et al. 2016; Wastian et al. 2016). Consider mowing the strip of vegetation immediately adjacent to roadsides, leaving the remainder of the row vegetation and the bee populations it supports intact. (ii) Prohibiting the use of herbicides in cities. For example, cemeteries provide suitable nesting sites and forage sources for bees (McCune et al. 2020; Macinnis et al. 2023). However, the urban cleaning service applies annually herbicides during spring to eliminate wild flowering plants. Alternatively, instead of eradicating all the wild plant fauna, we propose to at least preserve the existing wild flowering strips around cemeteries.

Despite the considerable efforts made to explore the Moroccan fauna, significant knowledge gaps persist regarding bee diversity and ecology. National monitoring programs and research initiatives on bee diversity, biogeography and ecology are imperatives for tailoring effective conservation actions. While urbanization poses threats to bees, it can still provide suitable habitats that promote bee communities. Transferring knowledge to city planners and preventing harmful practices can mitigate pressures on urban bee populations and ensure their preservation.

We warmly thank Jakub Straka, Andreas Müller, Romain Le Divelec, Thomas James Wood, Pierre Rasmont, Simone Flaminio, Max Kasparek and Christophe Praz for bee identification. We would like to thank Abderrahim El Karmy and Isaad Es-Sayeh for their help with fieldwork.

This research was supported by the Federation Wallonia – Brussels (FNRS) and the Institute for bioscience, Belgium.