Pseudoanthidium deserticolum, Kasparek, 2021

Kasparek, Max, 2021, The bee genus Pseudoanthidium: revision of the subgenus Exanthidium with the description of a new species (Apoidea: Megachilidae), Fragmenta entomologica 53 (2), pp. 333-346 : 334-336

Pseudoanthidium deserticolum sp. n.

Material. Holotype. Male , Saudi Arabia, Riyad area, 16- 20 Apr 1980, K.M. Guichard leg., Exanthidium wahrmanicum Mav., J. Pasteels det. 1981 (ms3840, CMK).

Diagnosis. External structures are most similar to P. wahrmanicum from which it can easily be distinguished by a more extensive and brighter yellow colouration (character traits of P. wahrmanicum given in the following in brackets). Colour of all light parts of the integument bright yellow (pale whitish-yellow in P. wahrmanicum ); yellow occipital band reaching mandibular base and covering the entire gena (only a longitudinal stripe in upper gena); scutum with broad anterolateral yellow band (scutum black or black with pale yellow stripe on each side of the middle); fore and mid femora orange above and yellow beneath (yellowish red above and pale yellow beneath); fore and mid tibiae entirely yellow (pale yellow above and with a black stripe beneath); T2-T3 with broad yellow bands attenuated in the middle (lateral creamy yellow bands conspicuously separated from each other); apical margin of S 2 with median protrusion bearing a tuft of hairs (apical margin of S 2 truncated).

Derivatio nominis. Derived from Latin desertum (“desert”) + colo (“to inhabit”), i.e. “desert-dwelling” (adjective).

Male ( Fig. 1 ). Head. Mandible yellow, sparsely punctate, with three strong, dark brown teeth; subantennal suture distinctly arcuate outward; clypeus yellow, apical margin smooth, shallowly emarginate; supraclypeal area and paraocular area (extended to upper third of the eye) yellow; yellow preoccipital band, including entire gena up to base of mandible; entire face with dense white hair; scape of antenna black with a small yellow spot near apex; pedicel and flagellum 1 dark brown, flagellum 2-3 light reddish-brown, subsequent flagella dark reddish-brown.

Mesosoma . Scutellum black with dense punctation; broad anterolateral yellow band; outer side of scutellum yellow, inner part black; axilla yellow; pronotal lobe with high lamella; small yellow maculation on mesepisternum.

Metasoma. T1-T6 with broad yellow bands, broken on T1 and contiguous on T2; bands on T2-T4 attenuated anteriorly; punctation of terga shallow, punctures scattered especially on proximal terga with punctures up to several puncture diameters apart; denser on distal terga; apical margin light brown, semi-transparent; broader in the middle than laterally (T1-T3); T6 laterally bulging; visible part of T7 almost twice as long as visible part of T6; bilobed with deep median incision; inner part of incision U-shaped, but widened apically; T7 with transparent margin; small tooth on ventral side of T7; apical margin of S 1 truncate to shallowly emarginate, S 2 with median protrusion bearing a tuft of hairs ( Fig. 2 ), S 3 strongly convex, bearing a comb of long specialised hairs: hairs with curved apex at the base, followed by hairs with hooked apex, and hairs with waved apex in the middle; S 4 and S 5 mostly covered by S 3 and hardly visible; apical margin of S 4 truncate, hairy; apical margin of S 5 smooth and shallowly emarginate; S 6 widely rounded as seen from ventrad; S 7 bilobed, S 8 with triangular apex and rounded tip.

Genitalia: As in Fig. 3 . Some structural and colour differences between P. deserticolum and P. wahrmanicum were not regarded as significant enough to allow distinguishing these two species. Also P. eximium has very similar genitalia ( Fig. 3 ).

Legs: Yellow, inner side of femora light reddish-brown; fore metatarsus slightly curved, with long (1-2 tarsus widths) hairs on inner side; mid-metatarsus straight, hairs on inner and outer face as long as tarsus width; hind femur at base with a tooth-like protrusion.

Distribution. Only known from the type locality, Riyad in Saudi Arabia ( Fig. 15 ).

Figures

Fig. 1 – Pseudoanthidium deserticolum sp. n., male holotype. A, Habitus dorsal; B, Face; C, Scutum and scutellum; D-E, Apical terga.

Fig. 2 – Comparison of sterna 1-3 of Pseudoanthidium wahrmanicum (A) and P. deserticolum sp. n. (B). The light grey areas show the hyaline apical marginal zones. The apical margin of S3 is covered with dense, long, specialised hairs and mostly not clearly visible.

Fig. 3 – Male genitalia of P. deserticolum sp. n. (upper row, A-C), P. wahrmanicum (middle row, D-F), and P. eximium (lower row, G-I). A/D/G: dorsal view, B/E/H: ventral view, C/F/I: lateral view.

Fig. 15 – Distribution of Pseudoanthidium deserticolum sp.n., P. enslini, P. pictipes, and P. wahrmanicum.