Scrapter albifumus Eardley, 1996

Davies, G. B. P., Eardley, C. D. & Brothers, D. J., 2005, Eight new species of Scrapter (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Colletidae), with descriptions of S. albifumus and S. amplispinatus females and a major range extension of the genus, African Invertebrates 46, pp. 141-141 : 173-174

Scrapter albifumus Eardley, 1996

Scrapter albifumus: Eardley 1996: 74 , figs 70–72, 81. (Type locality: Cornell’s Kop, Richtersveld , Northern Cape)

Description:

Female.

Material examined: 4 ^ SOUTH AFRICA: Northern Cape: Richtersveld National Park (28°18'S: 16°58'E), 12–14.ix.2001, C. Eardley ( SANC) ; 8 ^ on road to Richtersveld National Park between Annis and Dabie River (28°20'S: 16°55'E), 19.ix.1997, F.W. and S.K. Gess ( AMGS) ; 7 ^ Richtersveld National Park, 1.5 km from Helskloof (28°18'S: 16°57'E), 19.ix.1997, F.W. and S.K. Gess ( AMGS) .

Measurements (n = 3): head length 1.4 mm, head width 1.7 mm, lower interocular distance 1.1 mm, upper interocular distance 1.1 mm, interantennal distance 0.3 mm, antennocular distance 0.3 mm, length of clypeus 0.4 mm, length of eye 1.1 mm, width of eye (lateral view) 0.5 mm, width of gena (lateral view) 0.3 mm, length of facial fovea 0.4 mm, maximum width of facial fovea 0.02 mm, mesoscutum length 1 mm, mesosoma length 2 mm, forewing length 4.1 mm, length of pterostigma 0.6 mm, width of pterostigma 0.2 mm, length of marginal cell beyond pterostigma 1 mm, length of marginal cell 1.1 mm, length of free part of marginal cell 0.7 mm.

Vestiture: Very hairy bee, hairs generally short, bristly and compact. Clypeus, supraclypeal area and lower paraocular area with sparse, white, decumbent, bristly hairs. Upper paraocular area and frons with fairly thick, erect, white hairs. Vertex similar to frons but hairs sparser. Scape with a few, very short, white hairs. Gena with thick, white, bristly hairs. Mesoscutum with short, yellowish, bristly, moderately dense hairs. Scutellum and metanotum similar to mesoscutum but with longer, denser, more orangish hairs. Mes- and metepsiterna with long, white, fairly dense, bristly hairs. Propodeum with thick, largely plumose, white hairs. T1–T4 with conspicuous, posterior, white, hair bands along marginal zones. T1 anteriorly with fairly dense, white vestiture (but integument easily visible). Sides of discs on T1–T4 with sub-erect, bristly, white hairs. T5 prepygidial fimbria composed of thick, white and bristly hairs. S1–S2 bearing palmate-haired scopa, remaining sterna weakly hairy. Anterior probasitarsal brush with simple hairs. Metatibial scopa composed of all white, plumose, hairs except posteriorly where long, white, simple keirotrichiae present.

Integumental colour: Mainly black. Undersides of F1–F8 and all of F9–F10 orange. Apical end of profemur, protibia and protarsus orange.

Head: Clypeus and supraclypeal area with finely reticulate sculpture and moderately dense punctation (interspace 1 × puncture diameter). Paraocular area and frons sculpture similar to clypeus but punctation denser. Facial fovea a sulcus. Frontal line extremely weak. Ocellar triangle very weakly raised in anterior profile. Gena narrower than eye (0.6:1), with dense punctation (interspace 0.5–1 × puncture diameter). Inner eye orbits straight, proportion of lower to upper interocular distance equal. Antenna shortish, reaching tegula.

Mesosoma: Mesoscutum with shiny, reticulate sculpture and dense punctation (interspace 0.5–1 × puncture diameter), median line and notaulus very weak. Scutellum and metanotum sculpture similar to mesoscutum but punctation reduced on anterior part of scutellum. Mesepisternum with coarsely reticulate sculpture and fairly dense punctation, episternal groove arced forward, pitted throughout. Propodeum strongly angulate, with coarse reticulation and fairly dense punctation, propodeal triangle with uniform, reticulate sculpture and no carinae.

Metasoma: Tergal discs with fine, reticulate sculpture and scattered punctation, punctures denser and larger on T5. T2 fovea ovoid.

Legs: Metabasitibial plate entire, rather round, extremely hairy. Claws toothed.

Remarks: These are the first females of S. albifumus found, and all were collected in the Richtersveld. Most of the male S. albifumus specimens Eardley (1996) listed were also collected in the Richtersveld. The distinctive features of this region are discussed under S. chrysomastes . Eardley (1996: 74) noted that the males ‘usually die with the metasoma curved under the body’. In the female specimens collected in September 2001, this is also the case, and gives the bees a characteristic posture on the pin ( Fig. 40 ). However, the samples collected by Drs F.W. and S.K. Gess appear to have come from pan traps (hairs matted down and distorted), and they are not curled up on their pins. The species has been recorded foraging on Zygophyllum prismatocarpum E. Mey. ex Sond. (Zygophyllaceae) by F.W. and S.K. Gess.

Figures

Fig. 40. Scrapter albifumus Eardley, lateral view of female showing characteristic curled-up posture on pin.