Melitta (Cilissa) magnifica Michez

Michez, Denis, Kuhlmann, Michael, Ivanov, Sergey P. & Radchenko, Vladimir G., 2012, Description of four new species in the bee genus Melitta Kirby, 1802 (Hymenoptera: Melittidae), Zootaxa 3337, pp. 57-67 : 62-64

Melitta (Cilissa) magnifica Michez sp. nov.

Type material. Holotype male, Schwarz collection (SC, Ansfelden, Austria), one paratype female (CS), one paratype female ( OOLL): Mongolia C, Mongol Els res., dunes, 47°34’N 103°39’E, 1320m, 31. vii.2005, leg. Halada & Kadlecová.

Additional material. One female, AMNH: Mongolia, Omnogov Naran Bulag, 1407m, 43°27’N 100°27’E, 1407m, 17–20.vii.1994, leg. J.M. Carpenter et al.

Etymology. Derived from the Latin magnifica , referring to the beauty and the large size of the species.

Diagnosis. M. magnifica shows diagnostic features of the subgenus Cilissa : scutum smooth between punctures, male S7 with apicolateral structure pointed and male gonostylus shorter than gonocoxite. Apicolateral structure of S7 is pointed like in M. budashkini , M. ezoana and M. sibirica and gonostylus is curved like in M. ezoana and M. sibirica . Two morphological features of M. magnifica are unique within the genus Melitta : reddish legs and the large size (> 14mm).

Description Ƥ ( Fig. 6 ). Body length: 13.2 mm. Head. L = 3.3 mm. W = 4.2 mm. Cuticle black and shiny except mandible, labrum and ventral face of antenna that are reddish-brown. Galea brown, sculptured and mat. Glossa twice as long as paraglossa. Clypeus apically smooth and shiny, sparsely punctate on the anterior part. Face and vertex densely punctate (d>i). Pilosity whitish. Mesosoma. L = 5.1 mm. W (between tegulae) = 3.6 mm. Cuticle black, densely punctate (d>i), smooth between punctures. Propodeal triangle mat, sculptured and carinated. Pilosity dense and whitish. Legs. Cuticle reddish except coxa 1–3, trochanter 1–3 and F1. Pilosity of F1–3 whitish, other parts of the legs reddish or yellowish ( Fig. 6 e). Scopa reddish to whitish. Wings. Hyaline. Tegulae yellow. Metasoma. L = 6.6 mm. W = 5.1 mm. Cuticle black and shiny, densely punctate (d=i), except apical part of sterna reddish. Pygidial plate flat. Disc of T2–3 with erected black hairs anteriorly and reddish apical hairs. Disc of T4 with reddish hairs. T1–4 with wide apical white hair band, half as wide as tergum width. Prepygidial and pygidial fimbriae reddish. Disc of sterna with reddish and whitish hairs.

3 ( Fig. 6 ). Body length: 12 mm. Head. L = 3 mm. W = 3.3 mm. Cuticle and pilosity like female. Mesosoma. L = 4.5mm. W (between tegulae) = 3 mm. Cuticle and pilosity like female. Legs. Cuticle and pilosity like female, except Tb 2–3 brownish ( Fig. 6 f). Wings. Like female. Metasoma. L = 6.6 mm. W = 3.9 mm. Disc of terga with whitish hairs. Terga with continous apical hair bands. Prepygidial fimbria yellowish to reddish. S6 with dense reddish apical pilosity. S7 with apicolateral plate and apicolateral fringes of long simple hairs ( Fig. 6 d). S8 with nearly hairless disc, apical plate triangular shaped. Genitalia with gonostylus shorter than gonobase ( Fig. 6 c).

Distribution. Only known from Mongolia.

Comment. Melitta magnifica seems to be closely related to M. ezoana and M. sibirica but M. magnifica shows reddish cuticule like some other melittid bees [e.g. Dasypoda visnaga and D. riftensis ; Michez et al. 2004, Michez & Pauly 2012] and non-melittid bees [e.g. species of the Colletes squamosus species-group (Kuhlmann unpublished data)] living in xeric environments. This presumed adaptation to xeric environments distinguishes M. magnifica from M. ezoana and M. sibirica which occur in temperate ecosystem ( Yasumatsu & Hirashima 1956; Michez & De Meulemeester unpublished data).

Figures

FIGURE 6. Melitta magnifica sp. nov. a. Female in dorsal view (scale = 1.6 mm); b. Male in dorsal view (scale = 1.5 mm); c. Genitalia male in dorsal view (scale = 0.3 mm); d. Sterna 7 – 8 in ventral view (scale = 0.4 mm); e. Female in lateral view (scale = 1.6 mm); f. Male in lateral view (scale = 1.5 mm).