a checklist of nomiinae (hymenoptera, halictidae) from kerala, india: new distributional and floral association records

This study reports nine species of nomiinae bees (hymenoptera: halictidae) for the first time from kerala, india: austronomia capitata (smith, 1875), a. goniognatha (cockerell, 1919), a. ustula (cockerell, 1911), gnathonomia argenteobalteata (cameron, 1902), hoplonomia incerta (gribodo, 1894), lipotriches torrida (smith, 1879), l. exagens (walker, 1860), lipotriches minutula (friese, 1909), and l. pulchriventris (cameron, 1897). lipotriches torrida, a rarely collected species, is documented outside its type locality for the first time. another uncommon species, g. argenteobalteata, last recorded in 1902 from an unspecified location in india, has been rediscovered in the present study. a comprehensive checklist of 42 nomiinae species from kerala is provided, incorporating new distributional records and floral associations based on original records and literature review. brief diagnoses for all collected species are also presented.