Siponto Ophrys (Ophrys sipontensis) ( syn. O. sphegodes ssp. sipontensis )is a rare endemic orchid species restricted to a limited area near Manfredonia and Monte St Angelo in the Gargano peninsula.

The species is morhologically similar to Ophrys spruneri from Greece but the two are not genetically related…they have the same hymenopteran pollinator Xyloscopa iris. Its visual requirements, however exaggerated, for a ‘mate’ have facilitated natural selection with consequent parallel evolution. It has been located in small numbers in Murgia, parts of Puglia. Image obtained nr Monte St Angelo, Gargano, Puglia, Italy April 2019