Dasypoda (Dasypoda) tibialis Morawitz, 1880

Radchenko, Vladimir G., Ghisbain, Guillaume & Michez, Denis, 2019, Redescription of three rare species of Dasypoda bees with first description of D. iberica and D. tibialis females (Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Melittidae), Zootaxa 4700 (3), pp. 326-344 : 332-338

Dasypoda (Dasypoda) tibialis Morawitz, 1880

Dasypoda tibialis was briefly described from two males collected by N. M. Przhevalsky and M. A. Pyl’tsov from Inner Mongolia ( Morawitz 1880: 358; type material stored in ZISP). The females remained unknown prior to the present study. Both type specimens are very bedraggled and partly damaged. However, this species is characterized by very clear and unique features for the genus Dasypoda . First, the structure of the apical part of the male hind tibia is unique ( Fig. 46 ). A similar structure was found on the hind tibia of another species of this genus, D. (Dasypoda) riftensis Michez & Pauly, 2012 , but the shape is very different. The S7 of D. tibialis male has two long latero-apical processes ( Fig. 49 , 57–58 ), as most of the other species of subgenus Dasypoda s.str. ( Michez et al. 2004b; Radchenko 2016). The genitalia have three-lobed gonostylus ( Fig. 51–53 , 60–65 ) like D. (Dasypoda) tubera Warncke, 1973 and D. (Dasypoda) pyriformis Radoszkowski, 1887 , but the pilosity differs. While the gonostyli of the two latter species are hairless on their external lobe, D. tibialis has pubescence and the medial lobe showing longer hairs on the apical part.

In the OOL collection, we found 79 males and four females of D. tibialis collected by J. Halada in Mongolia (Gobi Desert). Based on this large quantity of material, we provide a detailed redescription of this species and, for the first time, to describe the female. These females were collected simultaneously with the D. tibialis males and superficially look similar to them. Both sexes have a similar size and equivalent punctures on the different parts of the body surface, as well as a comparable color of pubescence. In addition, the tibiae and the tarsi of all legs in both sexes have the same yellow-red color. Females and males of this species are also similar in a number of other features that are described below and in the discussion.

Description. Male ( Fig. 38, 39 ). Body black, L = 9–12 mm. Head wide ( Fig. 40 ), W = 2.8–3.3 mm, L = 2.5–2.9 mm. Frons, supraclypeal and paraocular areas characterized by cuticle very densely punctured by points that almost merge, and by pubescent with dense, long erect light-yellow hair that mixed on apical part of frons with shorter brown ones. Lateral parts of vertex, between ocellus and compound eye, smoothed and not punctured, with very short sparse brown setae (trichia); posterior part of vertex and areas between ocelli densely punctured and covered with long erect light-yellow hair. Clypeus smoothed, shining, with scattered punctuation, which poorly visible through dense adjacent pubescence of long light-yellow hair. Genae (behind compound eyes) smoothed, polished and shiny, with fine sparse punctuation, in short semi-adjacent light-yellow pubescence that turns into longer, dense erect hair in its posterior part. Malar area very short ( Fig. 41 ), L = 0.04–0.05 mm, ten times shorter than mandible base width (W = 0.4–0.5 mm). Mandibles on apical half part hairless, enlightened and red; basal part with long lightyellow hair on external and ventral sides, these hairs becoming shorter and semi-adjacent on basal part of mandibles. Galea completely covered with small tubercles ( Fig. 42 ). Glossa short and narrow ( Fig. 43 ). Front of scape with semi-erect long light-yellow hair, shorter near apex. Pedicel and flagellum black or lighter, maroon ( Fig. 44 ). Flagellomeres semi-cylindrical from above, densely covered with very short gray-yellow setae, and convexly curved from below, not pubescent, smooth with slightly noticeable fine punctures. 1 st flagellomere one quarter shorter than next two combined together.

Mesosoma. W (between tegulae) = 2.1–2.8 mm. Scutum (except its central part), pronotum and mesepisternum densely punctured, distance between points equal to their diameter, completely covered with long erect white-yellow hair. Center of mesonotum smoothed, shining, with sparser punctuation (distance between points equal to 2–3 times their diameter), with short, very sparse yellow-brown hair ( Fig. 45 ). Scutellum smooth, not punctured on narrow anterior part; rest of scutellum and metanotum roughly coarsely punctured with long erect white-yellow hair. Basal area of propodeum not punctured but shagreened, with longitudinal furrow-like depression in middle; shagreening with shape of thin long dashes on side. Lateral parts of propodeum with sparse punctuation and long erect white-yellow hair. Tegulae light-yellow, almost transparent. Wings slightly darkened light-brown. Tibiae and tarsi of all legs and apical part of hind femur rust-yellow and covered with semi-adjacent long light-yellow hairs, with basal black point scattered on surface (distance between points equal 2–5 their diameters). Inner surface of hind tibia covered with dense cilia of short thin yellow hairs. Apical part of hind tibia with deep notch on inner side ( Figs 46 , 55 ).

Metasoma ( Fig. 47 ) W = 2.7–3.4 mm, L = 4.8–6.2 mm. Basal parts of terga slightly shagreened, oily shiny, in sparse punctuation, distance between points equal 1–3 point diameters; covered with sparse semi-erect long yellow hair, longer on T1. Marginal parts of T1–T6 enlightened, light yellow, translucent, pressed on sides. T2–T6 with bands of very short adjacent white hairs, on T1 such band weakly marked, in sparse hair, on T2 narrowed in center, and on T7 only in sparse long semi-erect thick yellow hair. Wide marginal parts of S1–S4 depressed and semi-circularly widened in center, strongly enlightened, light yellow, translucent, with slightly noticeable sparse punctures. Their basal parts smoothed and shiny, more clearly, but also sparsely punctured. Central apical part of S6 semi-cir- cularly emarginated, with short sparse yellow hair on sides, centered shiny not punctuated and hairless ( Figs 48 , 56 ). S7 with two long latero-apical processes ( Figs 49 , 57–58 ). S8 with one spine-like outgrowth at each side ( Figs 49 , 59 ), apical part of S8 broad and rounded, with two separated teeth on its dorsal side ( Fig. 50 ). Genitalia with threelobed gonostylus ( Figs 51–53 , 60–65 ), medial lobe showing long pubescence, longer on its apical part.

Female ( Figs 66, 67 ) first description. Body black, L = 12.8–13.4 mm. Head wide ( Fig. 68 ). W = 3.6 mm, L = 3.2 mm. Frons, supraclypeal and inner part of paraocular areas densely punctured (points almost merge) and with dense, long erect yellow hairs. Supraclypeal area in middle with an elevated longitudinal keel on top of which is situated a thin groove. External part of paraocular areas, along compound eyes, not punctured and shiny. Clypeus densely punctured, except in median longitudinal stripe and thin line at base and apical parts. Half basal part of clypeus with long semi-erect yellow hair; other parts hairless, although possible that studied specimens lost hairs. Vertex with sparse erect brown hairs, intermixed with yellow ones in middle part. Malar area short (L = 0.09 mm), eight times shorter than mandible base width (W = 0.7 mm) ( Fig. 71 ). Apical part of mandibles slightly enlightened, red-brown; external basal part with short semi-adjoined yellow hairs with long erected ones in middle. Galea yellow-brown, completely covered with small tubercles ( Fig. 69 ). Glossa like described for male, but lighter, yellow. Front part of scape with long semi-erect yellow hair mixed with very short ones. 1 st flagellomere black, 10 % longer than next two combined together ( Fig. 70 ). 2 nd– 10 th flagellomeres light-brown, only slightly curved below; punctuation similar to that of male, densely punctured, but punctures larger, and covered with very short gray-yellow setae from above and not pubescent, smooth with slightly noticeable fine punctures from below.

Mesosoma. W (between tegulae) = 2.9 mm. Scutum (except at its central part), pronotum and mesepisternum densely punctured by deep points; surface between punctures smoothed, shiny; distance between points equal to their diameter; each puncture with one long erect yellow plumose hair. Morphological structure of hairs varies in different parts of mesosoma. Pilosity on its ventral part with spherical extension on apex of hair branches (see Fig. 79 ), and hair branches on other parts of mesosoma pointed and thin on top (see Fig. 78 ). Central part of scutum smoothed and shining between small and sparse punctuation ( Fig. 72 ); distance between points equal 2–3 times their diameter; some of these points hold short yellow-brown hair (hairs probably lost in other points in examined specimen). Scutellum like described for male but narrow anterior part smoothed shiny, not punctured; rest of scutellum and metanotum roughly coarsely punctured, with long erect yellow hair. Basal area of propodeum not punctured, shagreened; and with shallow pits-like depression in middle. Tegulae light-yellow, transparent but with thin black basal part. Wings light-brown. Tibiae and tarsi of all legs rust-yellow, covered with semi-adjacent long golden-yellow dense hair, each of which situated in separate scattered black points. Scopa on hind tibia and hind basitarsus with similar plumose hairs than ventral part of mesosoma (i.e. spherical extension on apex of each branch of hair, Fig. 79 ), whereas hairs of front and middle tibiae and basitarsi with pointed tops ( Fig. 78 ).

Metasoma ( Figs 73, 74 ). W = 3.7 mm, L = 6.8 mm. Basal parts of terga very thinly shagreened. Marginal parts of terga wide, semitransparent, slightly depressed, especially on sides. T1 sparsely punctured with long semi-erect yellow hair on its vertical part and semi-adjacent hairs on its horizontal part. T2–T4 with almost invisible sparse punctures, and very short thin erect brown hair on their sides and semi-adjacent ones in their middle. Basal part of T5 densely punctured with long semi-erect dark brown hair that more lightened in their apical half. T2–T4 with apical bands of tightly adjacent short dense white hairs that covered from above by semi-adjacent long sparse whiteyellow hair ( Fig. 73 ). Band on T2 interrupted in middle. Marginal part of T5 thickly covered with long adjacent brown hair. Lateral ventral parts of terga enlightened, yellow. Pygidial plate thin, deeply forked at apex, red-yellow, and its basal part darker with dense mesh-ribbed structure ( Fig. 75 ). Sides of T6 near pygidial plate covered by long dense semi-erect brown hair ( Fig. 75 ). Basal part of S1 densely punctured with long semi-adjacent brown hair at sides, and in middle with yellow ones; marginal part of this tergum shagreened, semi-circularly widened backwards in middle and hairless. Narrow apical margin enlightened translucent, yellow on all sterna. Basal parts of S2–S4 shagreened and not punctured, with very short thin semi-adjacent brown hairs. Marginal parts of S2–S4 with entire wide bands of dense semi-erect long dark-brown branched hairs which curly at their apical half ( Fig. 76 ). S5 lightbrown, densely punctured, with same long erect hairs ( Fig. 77 ).

Lectotypus designavi here, male: 1 st label—a small circle of golden color; 2 nd label handwritten “76˙592.”; 3 rd label handwritten—“ю[го].в[осточнаЯ]. МонголиЯ, май и пеРваЯ половина июнЯ 1871, ПРЖевальск[ий]. и Пыльцов” [ SE Mongolia [ China, Inner Mongolia], May and the first half of June 1871, [leg.] [N.M.] Przhevalsk[y] et [M.A.] Pyl’tsov]”; 4 th label handwritten by F.Morawitz—“tibialis. Mor. Typ.”; 5 th printed label “ Lectotypus Dasypoda tibialis F. Mor. design. V. Radchenko, 2012” ( Fig. 54 ) .

Paralectotypus, male: 1 st label “76˙692.”; 2 nd label handwriting—“[ SE Mongolia [ China, Inner Mongolia ]] ridge Muni-Ula , 2 nd part of June 1871; [leg.] [N. M.] Przhevalsk[y] et [M.A.] Pyl’tsov”; 3 rd label handwriting by F.Morawitz—“tibialis. Mor. Typ.”; 4 th printed label “ Paralectotypus Dasypoda tibialis F. Mor. design. V. Radchenko, 2012” .

Flight period. May–June.

Distribution ( Fig. 110 ). China (Inner Mongolia), Mongolia (Ömnögovi Aimag). Additional material. 79 males, four females: “Mongolia-Gobi, Dalanzadgad env. [43.558, 104.375], 24–26.vi.2003, J. Halada leg.”.

Figures

FIGURE 110. Distribution map of Dasypoda iberica, D. tibialis and D. vulpecula: l—D. iberica; ▲—D. vulpecula;¾—D. tibialis.

FIGURE 38–47. Male of Dasypoda tibialis: 38—Male in dorsal view; 39—Male in lateral view; 40—Head in frontal view; 41—Malar area; 42—Galea; 43—Glossa; 44—Flagellum; 45—Scutum and scutellum; 46—Hind tibia; 47—Metasoma, ventral view.

FIGURE 48–54. Male of Dasypoda tibialis. 48–53—Sterna and genitalia: 48—Apex of sternum 6; 49—Sternum 7 on the base of sternum 8; 50—Apex of sternum 8 under the base of genitalia; 51–53—Genitalia in dorsal (51), lateral (52) and latero-ventral (54) view; 54—Lables of Dasypoda tibialis lectotype.

FIGURE 55–65. Structure of Dasypoda tibialis male body: 55—Hind tibia; 56—Sternum 6; 57–58—Sternum 7 in ventral (57) and lateral (58) view; 59—Sternum 8; 60–64—Genitalia in dorsal (60), dorso-ventral (61), ventral (62, 64) and lateral (63) view; 65—Gonostylus in ventral view.

FIGURE 66–75. Female of Dasypoda tibialis: 66—Female in dorsal view; 67—Female in lateral view; 68—Head in frontal view; 69—Galea; 70—Flagellum; 71—Malar area; 72—Scutum and scutellum; 73—Metasoma, dorsal view; 74—Metasoma, ventral view; 75—Pygidial plate.

FIGURE 76–79. Hairs of Dasypoda tibialis female: 76—Hair on sternum 4; 77—Hair on sternum 5; 78—Hair on middle tibia; 79—Hair of hind tibia scopa (78–79—diameter of the circles with enlarged parts of the hair = 0.05 mm).