Rediviva ( Rediviva ) parvoides KUHLMANN, 2025

Kuhlmann, Michael & A, South, 2025, Rediviva (Rediviva) parvoides nov. sp. (Hymenoptera: Melittidae), a new oil-collecting bee species from western South Africa, Linzer biologische Beiträge 56 (2), pp. 527-539 : 528-531

Rediviva ( Rediviva) parvoides KUHLMANN nov.sp. ( Figs 1-2 , 5-6, 11-13, 17-18, 23-24 , 27-28)

Diagnosis: The species belongs to the subgenus Rediviva as it displays the defining characters described by KUHLMANN et al. (2020): Females show a combination of a broadened hind tibia and basitarsus with the scopa consisting of densely plumose pubescence, bidentate mandible, inconspicuous apical tergal hair bands, absence of a scale-like projection on the distal-dorsal angle of the hind basitarsus. On S 7 males have large strigate translucent lateral lobes, median lobes long and narrow lanceolate to spatulate with pilosity mostly restricted to the apical third, longest hairs about half as long as length of median lobe.

In the key of WHITEHEAD & STEINER (2001) both, females and males, run to R. parva . Females of R. parvoides and R. parva are very similar and can be difficult to distinguish without reference specimens. Especially R. parva can be variable ( WHITEHEAD & STEINER 2001) (for variation of diagnostic characters see Figs 3-4 , 7-10, 14-16, 19-22) and colour features sometimes overlap with R. parvoides . Particularly in females they can be difficult to interpret without reference specimens, so a combination of characters should be used. To facilitate identification specimens of both species from neighbouring populations on the Bokkeveld plateau are imaged in same scale ( R. parva : Farm Papkuilsfontein. R. parvoides : Farms Zoetfontein (♂♂) and Avontuur ( ♀♀)) and displayed in parallel for direct comparison.

Diagnostic characters and their variation in both sexes are summarized in Tab. 1.

Description

Female: Body-length: 11.0-11.5 mm (Habitus: Fig. 1 ). Head: Head wider than long. Integument black except tips of mandible partly dark reddish-brown. Face sparsely covered with long, whitish-grey to yellowish-brown, erect hairs, along inner eye margins, on vertex and antennal scape black hairs intermixed. Clypeus convex in profile, medially with a shallow longitudinal depression, apically impunctate; medially covered with small punctures that become gradually larger and more dispersed apically; surface between punctures shiny. Malar area medially narrow, almost linear. Antenna black, ventrally yellowish-brown. Mesosoma: Integument black. Scutal disc between punctures smooth and shiny; scattered (i = 2-3d) and finely punctate. Scutum, scutellum, metanotum, mesepisternum and propodeum covered with long yellowish to greyish-white erect hairs, on scutum and scutellum intermixed with black hairs. Wings: Membrane yellowish-brown; venation dark brown. Legs: Foreleg short, 6.3-6.8 mm (femur to claw). Integument black. Vestiture orange, on femora yellowish-white, scopa orange. Metasoma: Integument black. Apical half of T1 covered with long erect yellowish-white hairs, discs of T2-T3 with very short whitish hairs and T4 with very short black hairs; apical tergal hair bands on T2-T4 whitish and well developed ( Figs 5-6 ). Prepygidial fimbria dominantly dark blackish-brown; anterior (covering) blackish-brown hairs dense and long, usually almost reaching the end of the fimbria, but sometimes only about 2/3 of its length ( Figs 11-12 ). T1-T4 almost impunctate or with minute and scattered punctation, polished and with an intense oily-bluish shine ( Fig. 6 ). Pygidial plate broad, superficially and indistinctly punctate ( Fig. 13 ).

M a l e: Body-length: 10.5-11.0 mm (Habitus: Fig. 2 ). Head: Head slightly wider than long. Integument black except tip of mandible partly dark reddish-brown. Face densely covered with long, white, erect hairs intermixed with black hairs along the inner eye margins and on the vertex. Malar area medially narrow, almost linear. Antenna black. Mesosoma: Mesoscutal disc between punctures smooth and shiny; scattered (i = 2-3d) and finely punctate. Scutum, scutellum, metanotum, mesepisternum and propodeum covered with long yellowish-white to white erect hairs, on scutum and scutellum intermixed with black hairs. Wings: Membrane yellowish-brown; venation dark brown. Legs: Integument mostly black, hind tibia and tarsus yellowish-brown. Vestiture mostly whitish, hind tibia and hind basitarsus on apical half dorsally with dense dark, brown to blackish, hair ( Fig. 17 ). Metasoma: Integument black. Disc of T1 covered with very long, on T2-T3 with shorter erect white hairs and T3 medially with a spot of short black hairs; discs of T4-T6 with short erect black hairs, laterally with few white hairs. Apical tergal hair bands on T2- T5 white and well developed ( Fig. 2 ). Apical hair fringes on T6-T7 dark blackish brown ( Fig. 18 ). T1-T5 almost impunctate or with minute and scattered punctation, polished and with an intense oily-bluish shine. Terminalia: Genitalia ( Fig. 23 ) and S7 ( Figs 24 , 27-28) as illustrated.

Type material ( 11specimens):

Holotype: ³, South Africa: 12 km NW Nieuwoudtville, Farm Avontuur , Fynbos, 31°16´18´´S 19°02´55´´E, 770 m, 10.viii.2012, leg. M. Kuhlmann ( SAMC).

Paratypes: South Africa: 1♀, 12 km NW Nieuwoudtville, Farm Avontuur , Fynbos, 31°16´18´´S 19°02´55´´E, 770 m, 6.ix.2009, leg. M. Kuhlmann ( RCMK) ; 1♀, idem, 19.ix.2009 ( RCMK) ; 2♀♀, idem, 3.ix.2012 ( 1♀ RCMK, 1♀ SAMC) ; 2♀♀, idem, 3.ix.2016 ( RCMK) ; 1♀, idem, 18.ix.2016 ( RCMK) ; 1♀, idem, 21.ix.2022 ( RCMK) ; 2 ³³, 15 km NW Nieuwoudtville, Farm Zoetfontein E, Fynbos, 31°14´05´´S 19°02´50´´E, 775 m, 11.viii.2023, leg. M. Kuhlmann ( RCMK) .

E t y m o l o g y: Named for its similarity with the closely related R. parva .

G e n e r a l d i s t r i b u t i o n: Only known from a small area of the Bokkeveld plateau north of Nieuwoudtville that is characterized by Fynbos vegetation on sandy soils.

H o s t p l a n t s: Females apparently only visit Hemimeris racemosa (HOUTT.) MERR. ( Scrophulariaceae ) for collecting floral oil.

Figures

Figs 1-2: Rediviva (Rediviva) parvoides KUHLMANN nov.sp.; (1) ♀, lateral view; (2) ♂, lateral view. Figs 3-4: Rediviva (Rediviva) parva WHITEHEAD & STEINER, 2001; (3) ♀, lateral view; (4) ♂, lateral view.

Figs 23-24: Rediviva (Rediviva) parvoides KUHLMANN nov.sp., ♂; (23) gonostylus; (24) S7 in dorsal view with apical lobes. Figs 25-26: Rediviva (Rediviva) parva WHITEHEAD & STEINER, 2001, ♂; (25) gonostylus; (26) S7 in dorsal view with apical lobes.

Figs 5-6: Rediviva (Rediviva) parvoides KUHLMANN nov.sp., ♀; (5) metasomal apical tergal hair bands whitish; (6) metasomal terga 3-4 with intense oily-bluish shine on discs. Figs 7-10: Rediviva (Rediviva)parva WHITEHEAD &STEINER, 2001, ♀; (7)metasomal apical tergal hair bands with slight yellowish tinge; (8) metasomal terga 3-4 with slight oily-bluish shine on discs; (9) metasomal apical tergal hair bands light brown; (10) metasomal terga 3-4 without oily-bluish shine on discs.

Figs 11-13: Rediviva (Rediviva) parvoides KUHLMANN nov.sp., ♀; (11) prepygidial fimbria mainly blackish-brown (dominant colour morph); (12) prepygidial fimbria lighter, with less blackish-brown hair; (13) pygidial plate. Figs 14-16: Rediviva (Rediviva) parva WHITEHEAD & STEINER, 2001, ♀; (14) prepygidial fimbria; (15) pygidial plate superficially sculptured; (16) pygidial plate distinctly punctate.

Figs 17-18: Rediviva (Rediviva) parvoides KUHLMANN nov.sp., Ô; (17) hind tibia and hind basitarsus; (18) metasomal terga 6-7 with blackish-brown apical hair fringes. Figs 19-22: Rediviva (Rediviva) parva WHITEHEAD & STEINER, 2001, Ô; (19) hind tibia and hind basitarsus with exclusively light hair (dominant colour morph); (20) metasomal terga 6-7 with mainly light apical hair fringes (dominant colour morph); (21) hind tibia and hind basitarsus on apical half dorsally with few brown hairs; (22) metasomal terga 6-7 with blackish-brown apical hair fringes.

Figs 27-28: Rediviva (Rediviva) parvoides KUHLMANN nov.sp., ³; (27) S7 dissected, lateral view with membraneous lateral lobe; (28) S7 extracted at specimen, lateral view with membraneous lateral lobe. Figs 29-30: Rediviva (Rediviva) parva WHITEHEAD & STEINER, 2001, ³; (29) S7 dissected, lateral view with membraneous lateral lobe; (30) S7 extracted at specimen, lateral view with membraneous lateral lobe.

Tables

Tab. 1: Diagnostic characters of Rediviva parva and R. parvoides nov.sp. (bold: Most reliable and least variable characters).

R. parva	R. parvoides
♀♀	♀♀
T1-T4: Apical tergal hair bands light	T1-T4: Apical tergal hair bands whitish
yellowish-brown or at least with a slight	(Figs 1, 5-6)
yellowish tinge (Figs 3, 7-10)
T1-T4: oily-bluish shine on tergal discs	T1-T4: oily-bluish shine on tergal discs
lacking or less intense (Figs 7-10)	usually more intense ( Figs 5-6 )
T5: Prepygidial fimbria appears to be	T5: Prepygidial fimbria appears to be
dominantly lighter yellowish-brown;	dominantly darker blackish-brown;
anterior (covering) blackish-brown hairs	anterior (covering) blackish-brown hairs
sparser and shorter, usually reaching only	denser and longer, usually almost reaching
about half of the length of fimbria, but	the end of the fimbria, but sometimes only
sometimes about 2/3 of its length or more	about 2/3 of its length ( Figs 11-12 )
(Fig. 14)
T6: Pygidial plate narrower (Figs 15-16)	T6: Pygidial plate broader ( Fig. 13 )
T6: Pygidial plate variably sculptured:	T6: Pygidial plate superficially and
superficially to distinctly punctate (Figs 15-	indistinctly punctate ( Fig. 13 )
16)
♁♁	♁♁
Hind tibia & basitarsus: Usually only with	Hind tibia & basitarsus: On apical half
light whitish hair, sometimes on apical	dorsally with dense dark, brown to
half dorsally with few brown hairs but	blackish, hair ( Fig. 17 )
these cover less than 1/3 of its lengths
(Figs 19, 21)
T1-T5: Apical tergal hair bands light	T1-T5: Apical tergal hair bands whitish
yellowish-brown or at least with a slight yellowish tinge (Fig. 4, see ♀♀)	(Fig. 2, see ♀♀)
T6-T7: Apical hair fringes variable, orange-	T6-T7: Apical hair fringes dark blackish
brown to blackish brown (Figs 20,22)	brown ( Fig. 18 )
Gonostylus: Membrane overall smaller,	Gonostylus: Membrane overall larger,
basally slightly narrower, apically more	basally slightly broader, apically wider
narrowly rounded (Fig. 25)	rounded (Fig. 23)
S7: Lateral lobe smaller (Figs 29-30)	S7: Lateral lobe larger ( Figs 27-28 )
S7: Apical lobe strongly and irregularly	S7: Apical lobe weakly and regularly
arcuate (Fig. 26)	arcuate (Fig. 24)