Stelis (Heterostelis) hispanica Dusmet y Alonso, 1921

Wood, Thomas James, Cross, Ian & Baldock, David W., 2020, Updates to the bee fauna of Portugal with the description of three new Iberian Andrena species (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila), Zootaxa 4790 (2), pp. 201-228 : 215

Stelis (Heterostelis) hispanica Dusmet y Alonso, 1921

Distribution: Known only from the holotype female collected from ‘Valadol 14.vi.[18]92’, presumably Valladolid in northwestern Spain ( Schwarz and Gusenleitner 2010; Kasparek 2015).

New data: PORTUGAL: Beira Atla , Sabugal, 20.vi.2019, 1♂, det. Wood, leg. A. Soares, R. Santos, R. Felix, R. Ramirez. Deposited in the OÖLM ( Figure 23 ) .

Notes: Stelis hispanica was resurrected from synonymy with Stelis annulata (Lepeletier, 1841) by Schwarz and Gusenleitner (2010) who citied multiple differences. However, as only the holotype was known it was difficult to judge potential variation within this species, and whether it might fall within the variation seen in S. annulata . Examination of newly caught male material approximately 250 km from the locus typicus shows that S. hispanica is clearly distinct from S. annulata , supporting the position of Schwarz and Gusenleitner. The male is described here for the first time.

Description: Male: Body length 11 mm ( Figure 23 ). Head: Head as broad as long, round in frontal view. Gena and vertex enlarged, gena near occiput 1.2 times wider than maximal width of compound eye. Vertex greatly enlarged, longer than ocellocular distance. Paraocular area with thin yellow mark that widens slightly near lateral margin of clypeus; greatest width less than half antennocular distance. Clypeus centrally with a transverse yellow marking that does not reach paraocular markings, the three yellow marks on the face therefore separated. Face, gena, and vertex with fine whitish to brownish pubescence, longest hairs equalling the length of scape. Facial integument clearly and consistently punctured, punctures almost touching, interspaces near lateral ocelli separated by 0.5 puncture diameters. Malar space linear. Mandibles black, bidentate. Mesosoma: Mesosoma entirely black ( Figure 25 ). Axillae rounded, slightly protruding, outer margin not smoothly contiguous with the scutellum. Mesosoma with moderately long brownish pubescence, shorter than that of face, individual hairs less than length of scape. Scutum, scutellum, axillae, episternum, and propodeum clearly and densely punctate, punctures almost touching, interspaces shiny, except propodeal declivity with central impunctate section. Femora black with apex orange, tibiae and tarsi orange with yellow highlights at base and apex of tibiae. Tarsal claws dark brown, apically bifid. Wings generally dark, infumate, with black venation. Metasoma: Terga black, T1–3 with pairs of yellow markings clearly interrupted medially ( Figure 23 ), T4 with markings touching, T5 with markings contiguous. T6 with a central yellow marking ( Figure 24 ). T7 weakly tripartite with two weak lateral lobes and a central projection with a longitudinal carina. All terga densely punctured, punctures on tergal margins almost touching, those on disc separated by 0.75–1 puncture diameters. Sterna black, S3 and S4 with long fringes of orange setae ( Figure 26 ), S4 medially and apically with black comb made up of short, thick hairs. Comb 3 times wider than long, occupying approximately a quarter of the sternal margin. S5 deeply emarginate, forming a V shape. Terga and sterna with general brownish pubescence, at most equalling length of hairs on the mesosoma .

Notes: Using the key of Kasparek (2015), the male of S. hispanica keys to couplet 21 due to its yellow tergal colouration, its lack of a claw-like inner spine on the fore tibia, its large size, and its deeply emarginate S5. Here it can be separated from S. annulata as the latter has the axillae and scutellum marked with yellow ( Figure 27 ) and the dark comb of S4 is narrow, longer than wide ( Figure 28 ). It can be separated from S. gigantea Friese, 1921 because the axillae are not produced into blunt teeth ( Figure 29 ) and whilst the dark comb of S4 is similarly wide, the hind margin of S2 is strongly emarginate in S. gigantea ( Figure 30 ) whereas the hind margin of S2 is only weakly emarginate in S. hispanica ( Figure 26 ). Nothing is known about its host, but given its similarity to S. annulata and S. gigantea , presumably a species of Trachusa (Megachilidae) is used.

Figures

FIGURES 23–30. Stelis hispanica Dusmet y Alonso, 1921, 23. male dorsal profile, 24. male tergita 4–6, 25. male mesosoma, 26. male sterna; Stelis annulata (Lepeletier, 1841), 27. male mesosoma, 28. male sterna; Stelis gigantea Friese, 1921, 29. male mesosoma, 30. male sterna.