Megachile walkeri Dalla Torre 1896

Praz, Christophe, Al-Shahat, Ahmed M. & Gadallah, Neveen S., 2021, Taxonomic revision of the subgenus Eutricharaea Thomson in Egypt, with a key to the species and the description of two new species (Hymenoptera, Anthophila Megachilidae, genus Megachile Latreille), Zootaxa 5032 (3), pp. 301-330 : 307-309

Megachile walkeri Dalla Torre 1896

Figs 8 –10.

Megachile fulvescens Walker 1871: 47 , ♀ ♂, “ Harkeko ; Wâdy Gennèh ; Wâdy Ferran; Mount Sinai [Arkiko, Eritrea;?; Wadi

Feiran, Sinai, Egypt; Sinai, Egypt]”. Preoccupied, not M. fulvescens Smith 1853 . Megachile walkeri Dalla Torre 1896: 452 . Replacement name for M. fulvescens Walker 1871 . Megachile argentata var. moricei Friese 1899: 334 , ♀ ♂, “Elephantinen; Philae; Ober-Aegypten-Assuan [ Egypt, Elephantine and Philae Island; Aswan]. Megachile blanda Rebmann 1968: 44 , ♂, “ Luxor [ Egypt]”. Holotype ♂, SMFD. Preoccupied, not M. blanda Mitchell 1930 .

New synonymy.

Type material: The type material of M. fulvescens Walker was not investigated and it is unknown whether syntypes are preserved in BMNH. The identity of this species appears to be clear based the original description (“abdomen tawny at the base”).

The holotype male of M. blanda was examined ( SMFD).

Additional material: EGYPT: 3 ♂ 4 ♀, Nasr City (Cairo), 30.viii.2015, leg. A. Al-Shahat (sweep net) ( EFC) ; 4 ♂, Al-Azhar University (Cairo), 30.viii.2015, sweep net, leg. A. Al-Shahat ( EFC) ; 2 ♀, Wadi Elaqa (South Sinai), 20.iv.1934, leg. Sh. M. ( EFC) ; 5 ♂, Wadi Elaqa (South Sinai), 12.viii.1943, leg. Efflatoun & Sh. M. ( EFC) ; 2 ♀ 3 ♂, Sinai, Wadi Tubug , 23.6.1998 leg. Freiberg & Kaplan ( SMNH) ; 2 ♀, Sinai, Oasis Feiran , 28‘42N 33‘39E, 17.iv.2000, leg. C. Schmid-Egger ( CPCN, CSE) ; 1 ♀ 1 ♂, Luxor, Westbank of Nile River , 25.694N, 32.628E, 1.iv.2018, leg. C. Schmid-Egger ( CES) ; 6 ♂, Sinai, 10 km W Nuweiba, Wadi Watir , 29‘03N 34‘33E, 21.4.2000, leg. C. Schmid-Egger ( CES) ; OMAN: 2 ♀ 1 ♂, Nizwa , 17.5.2004, leg. W. Schlaefle ( ETHZ) ; 2 ♂, Al Amrat , 23,54001 / 58.51391 30.3.2013, leg. C. Monnerat ( MHNN) ; 1 ♂, Wadi al jizi, 24.32679N / 56.48969E 29.3.2013, leg. C. Monnerat ( MHNN) ; UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: 1 ♂, Jebel Hafit / S Al Ain, 24,07N 55,75E, 4– 13.1.2011, leg. C. Schmid-Egger ( CSE) ; 6 ♀ 8 ♂, Ain Al Waal, Al Ain, Jebel Hafeet W, 24.0677N, 55.75E, 30.iii–25.xi2015 [diverse dates in March, April, May, October and November)], leg. H. Roberts ( HRCA, CPCN, SDEI) ; YEMEN: Hawf NE Albhaydah , 200–730 m, N 16°40‘ E 53°05‘, 14.X.2005, leg. J. Halada ( CPCN) .

Distribution: Oman, UAE, Yemen, Israel and Palestine, Egypt (Sinai), Iran ( Falamarzi et al., 2017; identified by C. Praz).

Diagnosis: Female: Small Eutricharaea easily recognizable by the presence of thickened, shortened setae on the underside of the mesosoma and the hind femur (cf. Fig. 3 ; see also Engel 2008: fig. 5), and the orange integument of T1–T2 ( Fig. 8 ). The former feature is only shared with M. soikai , in which the integument of all tergites is dark brown ( Fig. 2 ). As in most members of the leachella- group, the apical clypeal margin has a narrow impunctate margin (Fig. 9).

Male: Easily recognizable by the following combination of characters: integument of T1 and T2 orange; gonostylus with short preapical process (Fig. 10). In contrast to M. leachella or M. leucostoma , there is no tooth or only a short, truncate, blunt tooth behind the base of the mandible. In contrast to M. pilidens Alfken 1924 , which also lacks this tooth, the median part of S4 is not elevated; it is covered by a dense patch of yellow hairs (with a small median tubercule covered by whitish-grey hairs in M. pilidens ). We could not confirm the presence of M. pilidens , mentioned by Alfken (1934) in Egypt, and suggest that this species is removed from the list of Egyptian species for now.

Figures

FIGURES 2–8. 2. Female of Megachile soikai, dorsal view. 3. Female of M. soikai, capitate hairs on underside of hind femur. 4. Male genitalia of M. soikai. 5. Male genitalia of M. leucostoma. 5. Head in front view of male of M. leucostoma, showing the distinct tooth behind the base of the mandible. 7. Clypeus of female of M. leucostoma. 8. Female of Megachile walkeri, dorsal view. 9. Clypeus and mandibles of female of M. walkeri. 10. Male genitalia of M. walkeri (left, dorsal view; right, lateral view).