Scrapter pygmaeus, Kuhlmann, 2014

Kuhlmann, Michael, 2014, Revision of the euryglossiform species of the Afrotropical bee genus Scrapter Lepeletier & Serville, 1828 (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Colletidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 95, pp. 1-69 : 48-50

Scrapter pygmaeus sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:9327C6C8-CEB2-4BEA-A958-2EE02563FFA8

Fig. 25

Diagnosis

The female of S. pygmaeus sp. nov. can be separated from other species of this group by the combination of the following characters: supraclypeal area and clypeus sparsely but distinctly punctate, mostly finely sculptured and slightly matt ( Fig. 25B ), scutum reticulate, sparsely and shallowly punctate, basal area of propodeum basally indistinctly carinate ( Fig. 25 C–D), stigma brown, apical margins of metasomal terga black, terga impunctate ( Fig. 25E ). The male is unknown.

Etymology

Named for the small body size of the species.

Type material (35 specimens examined)

Holotype

SOUTH AFRICA: ♀, Nieuwoudtville , pad to Farm Glen Lyon, slope, 737 m, 31°23'25" S, 19°08'28" E, 3 Sep. 2007, K. Timmermann ( SANC).

Paratypes

SOUTH AFRICA: 5 ♀♀, same data as holotype (RCMK); 6 ♀♀, idem, 2 Sep. 2007, KT (SANC 1 ♀, RCMK 5 ♀♀); 1 ♀, Nieuwoudtville, garden, 700 m, 31°22' S, 19°07' E, 18-19 Aug. 2007, KT (RCMK); 1 ♀, Nieuwoudtville, Pad Glen Lyon to R 27, 740 m, 31°23'24" S, 19°09'06" E, 7 Sep. 2007, KT, on Ruschia sp. (RCMK); 1 ♀, idem, 17 Sep. 2007, KT (SANC); 1 ♀, idem, 20 Sep. 2007, KT (RCMK); 1 ♀, N. Cape, Nieuwoudtville, Flower Reserve, 770 m, 31°22'10" S, 19°08'50" E, 27 Aug. 2006, KT (RCMK); 1 ♀, idem, 1 Sep. 2006, KT (SANC); 3 ♀♀, idem, 2 Sep. 2006, KT (NHML 1 ♀, RCMK 2 ♀♀); 2 ♀♀, idem, 10 Sep. 2006, KT (NHML, RCMK); 3 ♀♀, idem, 18 Sep. 2006, KT (NHML 1 ♀, RCMK 2 ♀♀); 4 ♀♀, idem, 16 Aug. 2007, KT (NHML 1 ♀, RCMK 3 ♀♀); 1 ♀, idem, 19 Aug. 2007, KT (SANC); 2 ♀♀, idem, 21 Aug. 2007, KT (RCMK); 2 ♀♀, idem, 6 Sep. 2007, KT (RCMK).

Description

Female

BODY LENGTH. 4.6–5.0 mm.

HEAD. Head slightly wider than long. Integument black, except part of mandibles dark reddish-brown. Face sparsely covered with long, greyish, erect hair ( Fig. 25A ). Clypeus almost flat, with dispersed large, shallow punctation (i = 1–2 d); surface between punctures apically smooth or only superficially sculptured, shiny, basally more heavily sculptured and matt ( Fig. 25B ). Malar area medially narrow, almost linear. Antenna dorsally blackish-brown, ventrally yellowish-brown.

MESOSOMA. Integument black. Mesoscutal disc between punctures strongly reticulate, matt; disc sparsely (i = 2–3 d), finely and shallowly punctate ( Fig. 25 C–D). Metanotum about half as long as basal area of propodeum, apically with indistinct narrow carinate depression ( Fig. 25D ). Propodeum with shallow carination covering about half of the basal area ( Fig. 25D ). Mesoscutum, scutellum, metanotum, mesepisternum and propodeum sparsely covered with short, greyish, erect hair ( Fig. 25A ).

WINGS. Yellowish-brown; wing venation and stigma brown.

LEGS. Integument black to dark reddish-brown; fore tibia basally with small yellow spot. Vestiture greyish-white, scopa greyish-white, dorsally blackish-brown.

METASOMA. Integument black, apical margins of terga sometimes narrowly translucent yellowish to dark reddish-brown ( Fig. 25E ). Disc of T1 without hair; following terga with sparse and short but increasingly more and longer hair; T2 and T3 basally with a medially very narrow, laterally much broader band of very fine, short and erect, silverish hair; apical tergal hair bands missing on all terga ( Fig. 25E ). Prepygidial and pygidial fimbriae yellowish-brown. Terga impunctate, superficially and ± densely sculptured, mostly shiny; T2–T4 with finely sculptured, broad apical tergal depression ( Fig. 25E ).

Male

Unknown.

Distribution

The species is only known from the vicinity of Nieuwoudtville.

Floral hosts

Aizoaceae : Ruschia sp.

Seasonal activity

August–September.

Figures

Fig. 25. Scrapter pygmaeus sp. nov., ♀. A. Lateral view. B. Head (SEM). C. Thorax (dorsal view). D. Thorax (dorsal view, SEM). E. Metasoma (dorsal view). Scale bars: photos: 1 mm, SEM: 0.1 mm.