Megachile (Pseudomegachile) riyadhensis Alqarni, Hannan, Gonzalez & Engel 2012

Chalicodoma (Pseudomegachile) riyadhense Alqarni, Hannan, Gonzalez & Engel 2012: 73, ♀ ♂, “ Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Al Amariah, Majra Al-Gasim ”. Holotype ♀, KSMA, paratypes ♀ ♂, KSMA and SEMC.

Distribution: Saudi Arabia, Israel.

Note: M. riyadhensis is likely conspecific with M. rhodoleucura Cockerell 1937, described from Zimbabwe (Praz 2017). The female holotype of M. rhodoleucura is sculpturally identical with Megachile riyadhensis (Alqarni, Hannan, Gonzalez and Engel, 2012) and differs from that species only in the coloration of the metasomal vestiture (it is fulvous in M. rhodoleucura and snow white in M. riyadhensis). We follow Praz (2017) in refraining from putting M. riyadhensis in synonymy with M. rhodoleucura until the male of the latter is known.

Pollen hosts: Specimens were collected on Blepharis ( Acanthaceae) in Saudi Arabia (Alqarni et al. 2012) and on Vitex (Verbenaceae) in Israel (A. Dorchin, pers. obs).

Nesting biology: unknown.

Material examined: ISRAEL AND PALESTINE: 1km S Almog 31°46’47’’N / 35°27’32’’E, - 280m, 0 4.05.2012, A. Dorchin leg.