Scrapter albitarsis ( Friese, 1909 )

Kuhlmann, Michael, 2014, Revision of the euryglossiform species of the Afrotropical bee genus Scrapter Lepeletier & Serville, 1828 (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Colletidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 95, pp. 1-69 : 8-12

Scrapter albitarsis ( Friese, 1909)

Figs 3– 5

Polyglossa albitarsis Friese, 1909: 87 , 124, holotype ♂ (type locality: Steinkopf, South Africa) ( ZMBH).

Diagnosis

The female of S. albitarsis can be separated from other species of this group by the combination of the following characters: facial fovea short ( Fig. 4A ), scutum sparsely punctate, looking almost impunctate and shiny ( Figs 3 C–D, 4C–D), mesepisternum strongly reticulate, stigma brown, apical margins of metasomal terga either black or just very slightly translucent ( Fig. 3 E–F). The male is characterized by an unmodified antenna, simple and black hind tibia, hind basitarsus yellowish ( Fig. 5A ), S7 with apicolateral lobes and apical emargination broad and shallow ( Fig. 5D ).

Material examined (370 specimens)

SOUTH AFRICA: 2 ♂♂, N. Cape, 2 km NW of Nieuwoudtville, route to Grasberg , 742 m, 31°21'17" S, 19°05'49" E, 26 Aug. 2006, KT ( RCMK) ; 1 ♀, Nieuwoudtville, Flower Reserve East , 735 m, 31°21'55" S, 19°08'52" E, 18 Sep. 2007, MK ( NHML) ; 1 ♀, 1 ♂, idem, 5 Sep. 2002, MK ( NHML) ; 2 ♂♂, idem, 11 Sep. 2002, MK ( NHML) ; 1 ♀, 2 ♂♂, idem, 12 Sep. 2004, MK ( NHML) ; 1 ♂, idem, 13 Aug. 2004, MK ( NHML) ; 10 ♂♂, idem, 19 Aug. 2004, MK ( NHML) ; 1 ♂, idem, 21 Aug. 2004, MK ( NHML) ; 1 ♀, 7♂♂, N. Cape, Nieuwoudtville, Flower Reserve , 770 m, 31°22'10" S, 19°08'50" E, 27 Aug. 2006, KT ( RCMK) ; 1 ♂, idem, 1 Sep. 2006, KT ( NHML) ; 3 ♀♀, 3 ♂♂, idem, 2 Sep. 2006, KT ( RCMK) ; 1 ♀, 1 ♂, idem, 10 Sep. 2006, KT ( RCMK) ; 1 ♂, idem, 18 Sep. 2006, KT ( RCMK) ; 1 ♀, idem, 8 Sep. 2007, KT ( NHML) ; 3 ♂♂, idem, 17 Sep. 2007, KT ( NHML) ; 1 ♂, Nieuwoudtville, Pad Glenlyon to R27, 740 m, 31°23'24" S, 19°09'06" E, 3 Sep. 2007, on Ruschia sp., KT ( NHML) ; 4 ♀♀, Knersvlakte, along Gemsbokrivier-Pad , 120–195 m, 31°23'57" S, 18°54'11" E, 14 Sep. 2007, MK ( NHML) ; 1 ♂, N. Cape, Nieuwoudtville, Glen Lyon , Renosterveld , 700 m, 31°24'42" S, 19°09'00" E, 25 Aug. 2006, KT ( RCMK) ; 2 ♀♀, 1 ♂, Gemsbokrivier-Pad, 4.5 km NE of Grootdrif , road side, 170 m, 31°25'54" S, 18°55'16" E, 17 Aug. 2010, MK ( NHML) ; 4 ♀♀, 3 ♂♂, idem, 19 Aug. 2010, MK ( NHML) ; 10 ♀♀, 2 ♂♂, idem, 20 Aug. 2010, MK ( NHML) ; 4 ♀♀, idem, 10 Sep. 2010, MK ( NHML) ; 2 ♀♀, 6 ♂♂, idem, 15 Aug. 2011, MK ( NHML) ; 6 ♀♀, 9 ♂♂, idem, 20 Aug. 2011, MK ( NHML) ; 66 ♀♀, 98 ♂♂, idem, 9 Aug. 2012, MK ( SANC: 10 ♀♀, 10 ♂♂, NHML: 43 ♀♀, 88 ♂♂, RCMK: 13 ♀♀) ; 5 ♀♀, 27 ♂♂, idem, 17 Aug. 2012, MK ( NHML) ; 8 ♀♀, 19 ♂♂, idem, 22 Aug. 2012, MK ( NHML) ; 1 ♀, idem, 4 Sep. 2012, MK ( RCMK) ; 4 ♀♀, Knersvlakte, path along Gemsbokrivier , 195 m, 31°26'40" S, 18°56'23" E, 14 Sep. 2007, KT ( NHML) ; 9 ♀♀, idem, 21 Sep. 2007, KT, MK ( NHML) ; 2 ♀♀, idem, 24 Aug. 2008, MK ( NHML) ; 1 ♂, 15 km SE of Nieuwoudtville, Farm Grootfontein , dolerite hill, 790 m, 31°30'06" S, 19°13'27" E, 11 Sep. 2009, MK ( NHML) ; 1 ♀, 1 ♂, 20 km S of Nieuwoudtville, Farm Papkuilsfontein , Fynbos , 680 m, 31°33'16" S, 19°08'31" E, 7 Sep. 2007, MK ( NHML) ; 4 ♀♀, 17 ♂♂, Farm Kanolfontein, 20 km W of Sutherland , road side, 1385 m, 32°24'43" S, 20°27'28" E, 7 Sep. 2012, MK ( RCMK) ; 3 ♀♀, 5 ♂♂, Farm De Kom, 40 km SSE of Sutherland , 1300 m, 32°44'34" S, 20°43'06" E, 8 Sep. 2012, MK ( RCMK).

Description

Female

BODY LENGTH. 4.5–4.8 mm.

HEAD. Head slightly wider than long. Integument black, except part of mandibles dark reddishbrown. Face sparsely covered with long, greyish, erect hair ( Fig. 3B ). Clypeus almost flat with sparse, shallow and inconspicuous punctation (i = 2–3 d); surface between punctures apically smooth or only

superficially sculptured, shiny, basally more heavily sculptured and matt ( Figs 3B , 4 A–B). Malar area medially narrow, almost linear. Antenna dorsally blackish-brown, ventrally yellowish-brown.

MESOSOMA. Integument black. Mesoscutal disc between punctures with variable sculpture, from superficially reticulate and shiny to strongly reticulate and matt; disc very sparsely (i = 3–5 d), finely and shallowly punctate ( Figs 3 C–D, 4C–D). Metanotum half as long as basal area of propodeum, apically with indistinct narrow carinate depression ( Fig. 4 C–D). Propodeum basally without or with very weak carination ( Fig. 4 C–D). Mesoscutum, scutellum, metanotum, mesepisternum and propodeum sparsely covered with short greyish, erect hair ( Fig. 3A ).

WINGS. Yellowish-brown; wing venation and stigma brown.

LEGS. Integument black to dark reddish-brown; fore tibia anteriorly in the basal half with a yellowishbrown spot. Vestiture greyish-white, scopa greyish-white, often dorsally blackish-brown.

METASOMA. Integument black, apical margins of terga sometimes narrowly translucent dark reddishbrown ( Fig. 3 E–F). Discs of T1 and T2 without hair; following terga with increasingly more and longer hair; apical tergal hair bands missing on all terga ( Fig. 3 E–F). Prepygidial and pygidial fimbriae sparse, greyish-brown. T1 impunctate, ± densely sculptured and matt; following terga usually with stronger sculpture, sometimes with very fine, dispersed and superficial punctation; T2–T4 with matt, relatively broad apical tergal depression ( Fig. 3 E–F).

Male

BODY LENGTH. 3.8–4.7 mm.

HEAD. Head slightly wider than long. Integument black, except mandible partly dark reddish-brown. Face densely covered with long, greyish-white, erect hair. Malar area medially narrow, almost linear.,ntenna dorsally dark brown, ventrally yellowish-brown except last three flagellar segments completely brown ( Fig. 5A ).

MESOSOMA. Integument black. Mesoscutal disc almost impunctate, strongly reticulate and matt. Mesoscutum, scutellum, metanotum, mesepisternum and propodeum sparsely covered with long, greyish, erect hair ( Fig. 5A ).

WINGS. Yellowish-brown; wing venation and stigma brown.

LEGS. Integument black, tarsi, fore tibia anteriorly, mid tibia basally and apically and hind tibia apically, sometimes basally yellow to yellowish-brown ( Fig. 5A ). Hind tibia unmodified. Vestiture greyish-white.

METASOMA. Integument black, apical margins of terga partly translucent dark reddish-brown ( Fig. 5C ). Disc of T1 without hair; T2–T4 basally with a broad and dense band of very fine, short, erect, silverish hair covering about half of the terga; apical tergal hair bands missing on all terga ( Fig. 5C ). Terga impunctate, heavily sculptured and matt; terga with broad and sculptured apical tergal depression ( Fig. 5C ). S3–S5 with sparse apical hair fringes.

TERMINALIA. Genitalia ( Fig. 5B ), S7 ( Fig. 5D ) and terminal plate of S8 ( Fig. 5 E–F) as illustrated.

Distribution

The species is apparently widespread in the South African winter rainfall region from low lying areas to the mountains.

Floral hosts

Aizoaceae : Galenia sarcophylla , Galenia sp., Ruschia sp.

Seasonal activity

August–September.

Figures

Fig. 3. Scrapter albitarsis (Friese, 1909), ♀. A. Lateral view. B. Head. C. Thorax (dorsal view). D. Thorax (dorsal view). E. Metasoma (dorsal view). F. Metasoma (dorsal view). Scale bars: 1 mm.

Fig. 4. Scrapter albitarsis (Friese, 1909), ♀, all SEM. A. Head. B. Head. C. Thorax (dorsal view). D. Thorax (dorsal view). Scale bars: 0.1 mm.

Fig. 5. Scrapter albitarsis (Friese, 1909), ♂. A. Lateral view. B. Genitalia (dorsal view, SEM). C. Metasoma (dorsal view). D. S7 (dorsal view, SEM). E. S8, apical end (SEM). F. S8, apical end (SEM). Scale bars: photos: 1 mm, SEM: 0.1 mm.