Hoplitis (Hoplitis) weibeli, Müller, 2022

Müller, Andreas, 2022, New Moroccan bee species of the tribe Osmiini (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Megachilidae), Zootaxa 5188 (3), pp. 233-263 : 252-254

Hoplitis (Hoplitis) weibeli spec. nov.

Holotype. MOROCCO: Souss-Massa : 20 km N Tafraoute, 29°53ʹ25ʹʹN/9°00ʹ25ʹʹW, 1220 m, 14.4.2017, ♂ (leg. A. Müller). Deposited in the Entomological Collection of ETH Zurich.

Paratypes. MOROCCO: Souss-Massa : 10 km SE Ait Baha , 30°02ʹN/9°05ʹW, 18.4.1996, 1♂ (leg. M. Schwarz) ; 10 km N Agadir, Tamzergoute , 30.553N / 9.564W, 8.4.2015, 1♂ (leg. C. Schmid-Egger) ; 10 km SEE Ait Baha , 30.034N / 9.056W, 14.4.2015, 1♀ (leg. C. Schmid-Egger) ; 80 km NE Agadir, Talmakant , 30.834N / 8.956W, 16.4.2015, 1♀, 2♂ (leg. C. Schmid-Egger) ; 20 km N Tafraoute , 29°53ʹ25ʹʹN/9°00ʹ25ʹʹW, 1220 m, 14.4.2017, 4♀, 17♂ (leg. A. Müller) ; 10 km S Tafraoute, Wadi SSW Dousdem, 29°37.718ʹN/8°58.909ʹW, 1150 m, 19.4.2019, 1♀ (leg. A. Müller) ; 4 km SW Tafraoute, Valée Tafraoute , 29°41.802ʹN/9°00.542ʹW, 1030 m, 20.4.2019, 1♀ (leg. A. Müller). Deposited in the Entomological Collection of ETH Zurich and the private collections of C. Schmid-Egger (Berlin) and M. Schwarz (Ansfelden) .

Diagnosis. Among the North African representatives of the Hoplitis adunca species group, the 6.5–8 mm long female of H. weibeli belongs to one of two species, whose tegulae are densely and more or less evenly punctured over their entire surface ( Fig. 47 ) and whose sternum 6 is lateroapically strongly carinate and medioapically prolonged into a narrow spine. The second species with this combination of characters is H. gregaria (Warncke) , which is distinctly larger (body length 8–10 mm) and whose third antennal segment is considerably longer (more than twice versus less than twice as long as apically wide, Fig. 46 ). Diagnostic character of the 6.5–7.5 mm long male of H. weibeli is the shape of the membraneous appendage of sternum 6, which is similar to that of H. gregaria but lacks the mediobasal area of coarse punctation and is medioapically emarginate rather than straight ( Fig. 48 ).

Description. FEMALE ( Fig. 44 ): Body length 6.5–8 mm. Head: Head about 0.9x as long as wide. Distance between lateral ocellus and preoccipital margin 1.4–1.5x as long as ocellar diameter. Maximum width of genal area 0.7–75x as long as maximum width of compound eye. Mandible three-toothed and of black colour except sometimes for dark reddish-brown apical teeth. Clypeus medially bulged, very densely punctured with usually only linear interspaces and lacking impunctate longitudinal line; apical margin of clypeus with about 9–11 rather short and rounded teeth. Punctation of supraclypeal area similarly dense but slightly finer than that of clypeus. Pilosity of frons, supraclypeal area, paraocular area and gena whitish, rather long, moderately dense and erect to suberect, of clypeus distinctly sparser and shorter except for apical margin, which is beset with long yellowish-white hairs distinctly surpassing clypeal margin. Proboscis of medium length; second segment of labial palpus about 0.9x as long as compound eye and 1.7–1.8x as long as first segment. Antenna predominantly black, segments (5)6- 11(12) partly reddish-brown on anterior side; antennal segment 3 about 1.5x as long as wide and 1.6–1.7x as long as segment 4, segments 4–11 shorter than wide and segment 12 1.4–1.5x as long as wide ( Fig. 46 ). Mesosoma: Parapsidal line linear. Punctation of scutum, scutellum and mesepisternum very dense with interspaces usually not exceeding diameter of half a puncture except for median part of scutellum, where interspaces may reach diameter of one puncture. Basal area of propodeum shagreened. Pilosity of mesosoma laterally whitish and dorsally yellowishwhite. Tegula completely dark or partly brown to yellowish on posterior half and densely punctured over entire surface except sometimes for centralmost part, where punctation is slightly sparser ( Fig. 47 ). Stigma and veins of fore wing dark brown to black. Tibial spur of fore leg apically extended into rather long tip, which is 1–1.5x as long as basally wide. Tibial spurs of hind leg yellowish and almost straight; inner spur about 0.5x as long as maximum inner length of tibia of hind leg. Pilosity of inner surface of basitarsus of hind leg yellowish-white. Metasoma: Punctation of terga 1–4 basally and laterally rather dense with interspaces rarely exceeding diameter of one puncture and medially more scattered with interspaces reaching diameter of up to two or three punctures. Punctation of terga 5–6 very dense with usually only narrow interspaces. Marginal zones of terga 1–4(5) with short white hair bands, which are medially interrupted in older specimens. Longest hairs on median half of tergum 1 slightly less than half as long as maximal length of lateral hair tuft. Terga 5–6 covered with appressed, short and moderately dense whitish pilosity. Sternum 6 medioapically prolonged into a spine; its apical margin with well-developed submarginal carina, which is medially widely interrupted. Scopa whitish.

MALE ( Fig. 45 ): Body length 6.5–7.5 mm. Head: Head about 0.85x as long as wide. Distance between lateral ocellus and preoccipital margin about 1.4x as long as ocellar diameter. Maximum width of genal area about 0.7x as long as maximum width of compound eye. Mandible two-toothed and of black colour except sometimes for dark reddish-brown apical teeth. Apical margin of clypeus denticulate. Face and gena including ventral side covered with long, dense and erect to suberect whitish pilosity, which surpasses clypeal margin. Proboscis of medium length; second segment of labial palpus about 0.8x as long as compound eye and 1.6–1.7x as long as first segment.Antennal segments 4–11(12) more or less orange coloured; antennal segment 3 1.05–1.15x long as wide and 1.3–1.4x as long as segment 4, segments 4–12 shorter than wide and segment 13 1.4–1.5x as long as wide. Mesosoma: Parapsidal line linear. Punctation of scutum, scutellum and mesepisternum very dense with interspaces usually not exceeding diameter of half a puncture except for median part of scutellum, where interspaces may reach diameter of one to two punctures. Basal area of propodeum shagreened. Pilosity of mesosoma laterally whitish and dorsally yellowishwhite. Tegula black except for its brown to yellowish posterior half and/or outer margin and densely punctured over entire surface except sometimes for centralmost part, where punctation is slightly sparser. Stigma and veins of fore wing dark brown to black. Tibial spur of fore leg apically extended into long tip, which is 1.5–2.5x as long as basally wide. Tibial spurs of hind leg yellowish and almost straight; inner spur about 0.4x as long as maximum inner length of tibia of hind leg. Metasoma: Punctation of terga 1–4 basally and laterally rather dense with interspaces rarely exceeding diameter of one to one and a half punctures and medially more scattered with interspaces reaching diameter of up to two or three punctures. Punctation of terga 5–6 dense with interspaces rarely exceeding diameter of one puncture. Marginal zones of terga 1–4(5) with short white hair bands, which are medially interrupted in older specimens. Apical margin of tergum 6 irregularly crenulated and laterally with distinct tooth. Tergum 7 apically evenly rounded, its lateral margin ventromedially with small angular projection ( Fig. 48 ). Apical margins of sterna 1–4 almost straight und beset with long and sparse whitish pilosity. Sterna 2–4 with sparsely punctured transversal swellings, which are medially slightly impressed by shallow longitudinal groove. Sternum 5 sparsely punctured on disc with two preapical swellings separated by rather sharp longitudinal groove and distinctly more densely and finer punctured along its marginal zone; its apical margin medially very shallowly emarginate. Sternum 6 at base with pair of large translucent flaps. Membraneous appendage of sternum 6 medioapically with shallow emargination of triangular shape ( Fig. 48 ); its lateral lobes roundish, medially slightly concave, about as long as wide and separated from each other by longitudinal groove, which is more or less hidden under rather dense and inwardly directed pilosity of adjacent lobal parts. Gonoforceps very narrow, its outer margin evenly rounded except for apicalmost part, which is almost straight and densely beset with short white hairs. Penis valve dorsoventrally flattened and much wider than gonoforceps, its rounded outer margin with long whitish bristles and ending in sharp apex, which does not reach apex of gonoforceps.

Distribution. Western Souss-Massa region in southern Morocco.

Pollen hosts. Three pollen samples from three different localities exclusively contained pollen of Echium (Boraginaceae) ( Tab. 1 ), suggesting a distinct or possibly even exclusive preference for this plant genus.

Nesting biology. The species builds free-standing nests from mud in depressions of rocks as revealed by the discovery of a nest near Tafraoute in spring 2017 ( Fig. 55 ).

Etymology. The species is dedicated to the Swiss environmental scientist Urs Weibel, who shares the authorʹs fascination for insects.

Figures

FIGURES 44–54. Hoplitis (Hoplitis) weibeli: 44: Female, 45: Male, 46: Antenna of female, 47: Tegula of female, 48: Sternum 6 of male. Hoplitis (Tkalcua) sidiifnii: 49: Female, 50: Male, 51: Clypeus and mandibles of female, 52: Terga 4–6 and genitalia of male, 53: Head of male, 54: Inner tibial spur of hind leg of male.

FIGURES 55–56. Hoplitis (Hoplitis) weibeli: 55: free-standing nest in depression of rock. Hoplitis (Tkalcua) sidiifnii: 56: female on Lotus spec. (photo R. Prosi).