Apoidea of the collections of Lyon, Aix-en- Provence, Marseille and Toulon Museums of Natural History (France)

Background Many insect species have shown dramatic declines over the last decades, as a result of man-related environmental changes. Many species which were formerly widespread are now rare. To document this trend with evidence, old records of collected specimens are vital.New informationWe provide here the data on 9752 bee (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) specimens hosted in several museums of south-east France: Musee des Confluences in Lyon, Museum d'Histoire Naturelle de Marseille, Museum d'Aix-en-Provence and the Museum Departemental du Var in Toulon. Most of the specimens (9256) come from France and include data on 552 named species. For most of these specimens, the geographical location, including geographical coordinates, is based on the locality (town or village) where they were collected. The specimens were captured from the beginning of the nineteenth century to 2018. The identifications of 1377 specimens, mainly belonging to the genus Bombus, are considered reliable, as these were performed or been checked since 2009. All the other reported identifications are the original ones given by the original collectors.

Automated summary

This study provides data on 9752 bee specimens hosted in several museums in southeast France, most of which are from France. The specimens were captured from the beginning of the nineteenth century to 2018, and their geographical locations are based on the collection site. The identification of 1377 specimens, mainly belonging to the genus Bombus, is considered reliable.