Melitta (Cilissa) singular Michez

Michez, Denis, Kuhlmann, Michael, Ivanov, Sergey P. & Radchenko, Vladimir G., 2012, Description of four new species in the bee genus Melitta Kirby, 1802 (Hymenoptera: Melittidae), Zootaxa 3337, pp. 57-67 : 64-65

Melitta (Cilissa) singular Michez sp. nov.

Type material. Holotype male, Natural History Museum (London, UK, NHM): Turkey, Murcur, 1000m, 25.vi.1988, leg. K. Guichard.

Etymology. Derived from the Latin singular , referring to the uniqueness and originality of the species.

Diagnosis. M. singular shows diagnostic features of the subgenus Cilissa : scutum smooth between punctures, male S7 with apicolateral structure blade-shaped and male gonostylus shorter than gonocoxite. This species seems to be closely related to M. hispanica , M. kastiliensis , M. japonica and M. udmurtica as they share terga with apical hair bands, S6 with apicomedian bushy hairs, column of S8 with carinae, volsella apically rounded and gonostylus apically straight and pointed. However, the galea of M. singular is shiny and the distitarsus three times as long as wide unlike in M. japonica ; its face does not have black lateral fringes unlike in M. kastiliensis , the apical area of S8 is circular unlike in M. udmurtica . The genitalia of M. singular are unique due to the “hook”-shaped gonostylus ( Fig. 7 d).

Description 3 ( Fig. 7 ). Body length: 11.4 mm. Head. L = 3 mm. W = 3.3 mm. Cuticle black, shiny, densely punctate (d>i) except labrum and apical margin smooth. Ventral side of antenna with two light carinae. A3 shorter than A4. Galea smooth, shiny and sparsely punctate. Glossa as long as maxillary palpus. Malar area shorter than A2. Pilosity whitish. Face laterally without fringe of black hairs. Mesosoma. L = 3.9 mm. W (between tegulae) = 2.7 mm. Cuticle black, densely punctate (d>i), smooth between punctures. Propodeal triangle mat and sculptured, with median vertical median carina. Mesosoma ventrally with whitish hairs, dorsally with white yellowish hairs. Legs. Cuticle black except distitarsi 1–3 reddish. Distitarsi 1–3 three times as long as wide. Hairs on the ventral side of F3 longer than the width of F2. Wings. Hyaline. Tegula brown. Metasoma. L = 6.3 mm. W = 3.6 mm. Cuticle black, shiny and densely punctate (d>i). T2–4 with white apical hair bands. Disc of T1–3 with yellowish erected hairs. Disc of T4–6 with black erected hairs. S2–5 with apical hair band. S6 with dense brown apical hairs. S7 with apicolateral blade and apicolateral fringes of long simple hairs. Column of S8 with carinae, nearly hairless ( Fig. 7 b). Apical area of S8 circular. Volsella apically rounded. Gonostylus apically straight and hook-shaped ( Fig.7 d). Gonostylus with dense brown hairs ( Fig.7 d).

Ƥ. Unknown.

Distribution. Only known from the type locality in Turkey.

Comment. The species morphologically most closely related to Melitta singular , namely M. hispanica , M. japonica and M. udmurtica , have relictual distributions. This group of species is distributed throughout the Palaearctic region but with disjunct ranges (Michez & Eardley 2007). As far as known they are oligolectic on Fabaceae ( Yasumatsu & Hirashima 1956; Celary 2000; Michez et al. 2008).

Figures

FIGURE 7. Melitta singular sp. nov. male; a. Habitus in dorsal view (scale = 2 mm); b. Sterna 6 – 7 in ventral view (scale = 0.5 mm); c. Habitus in lateral view (scale = 2 mm); d. Genitalia in dorsal view (scale = 0.5 mm).