The cuckoo bees of the genus Epeolus Latreille, 1802 (Hymenoptera, Apidae) from the Middle East and North Africa with descriptions of two new species.

Epeolus is one of the more species-rich genera of cuckoo bees globally. Seventeen species are known from Europe, and 23 species have been recorded from various countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Epeolus iranicus sp. nov. and E. priesneri sp. nov. are newly described in this study, and E. seraxensis Radoszkowski, 1893, stat. nov., previously a subspecies of E. transitorius Eversmann, 1852, is regarded as a valid species and a lectotype is designated. The first records of E. ibericus and E. intermedius from North Africa are given, and the distribution of E. fallax in North Africa is confirmed. This study compiles known distributional records of the species of this genus from the studied region and provides an overview of the known species richness in the studied countries. Based on available records, Turkey (14 species), Morocco (11) and Iran (9) host the highest numbers of species of Epeolus, whereas in four countries only a single species has been recorded, and the presence of this genus in seven countries has yet to be confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]