Scrapter oxyaspis Davies, 2005

Davies, G. B. P., Eardley, C. D. & Brothers, D. J., 2005, Eight new species of Scrapter (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Colletidae), with descriptions of S. albifumus and S. amplispinatus females and a major range extension of the genus, African Invertebrates 46, pp. 141-141 : 168-171

Scrapter oxyaspis Davies , sp. n.

Figs 31–35

Etymology: Gr. oxy (sharp or pointed); Gr. aspis (shield). In reference to the distinctive, sharp point on the posterior margin of S7 ( Fig. 33 ).

Holotype ơ: SOUTH AFRICA: Northern Cape: Nieuwoudtville, Farm Glen Lyon (31°24'03"S: 19°08'34"E), 7.ix.2003, M. Kuhlmann. ( SANC). Known from holotype only.

Description:

Male.

Measurements (n = 1): head length 1.9 mm, head width 2.5 mm, lower interocular distance 1.3 mm, upper interocular distance 1.7 mm, interantennal distance 0.4 mm, antennocular distance distance 0.4 mm, length of clypeus 0.6 mm, length of eye 1.5 mm, length of facial fovea 0.5 mm, maximum width of facial fovea 0.08 mm, width of eye (lateral view) 0.6 mm, width of gena (lateral view) 0.5 mm, mesoscutum length 1.6 mm, mesosoma length 2.4 mm, forewing length 7 mm, length of pterostigma 1.1 mm, maximum width of pterostigma 0.3 mm, length of marginal cell beyond pterostigma 1.6 mm, length of marginal cell 1.9 mm, length of free part of marginal cell 1.1 mm.

Vestiture: Almost entirely white. Head very hairy and underlying integument difficult to discern. Clypeus entirely covered by thick, long, starkly white, weakly plumose, decumbent hairs. Paraocular area, supraclypeal area and frons with erect, greyish, plumose hairs. Scape hairs long, sparse, white and plumose. Vertex with sparse, long, grey, erect, plumose hairs. Gena with shortish, white hairs. Mesosoma appears very woolly. Mesoscutum covered with thick, flowing, long, white, plumose hairs but underlying integument easily visible. Scutellum and metanotum resembling mesoscutum but proximal third of hairs dark. Mesepisternum sparsely covered in long, grey, plumose hairs but becoming much denser and whiter ventrally. Metepisternum and propodeum with sparse, long, grey hairs. All terga lack posterior hair bands, each disc on T1–T5 with long, erect, white, plumose hairs (but underlying integument clearly visible), marginal zones of terga with weak, sub-erect, white hairs, T6 with much shorter hairs on disc and longer, black (not white) hairs on marginal zone. S2 and S3 with posterior third covered in long, appressed, white hairs, other sterna less hairy, S5 and S6 almost hairless.

Integumental colour: All black (including mandibles), no trace of yellow or red-brown colouration except claws proximally yellow and flagellomeres ventrally dark brown.

Head: Clypeus with dense punctation (interspace <0.5 × puncture diameter), no clypeal sulcus. Supraclypeal area raised, anterior face of supraclypeal area shiny and punctureless with finely reticulate pattern. Frontal line barely carinate. Inner eye orbits diverging slightly dorsally, proportion of lower to upper interocular distance 0.8:1. Paraocular area and frons densely punctate (interspace <0.5 × puncture diameter). Frons and vertex heavily carinulate. Facial fovea irregular ellipsoid, weakly differentiated from surrounding integument. Gena heavily punctate (interspace 0.5–1 × puncture diameter), and slightly narrower than eye width (0.8:1). Vertex rounded in anterior profile. F1 not elongated. Antenna long reaching scutellum.

Mesosoma: Mesoscutum with moderate punctation (interspace 1–1.5 × puncture diameter) and shiny, finely reticulate interspaces, median line and notaulus weakly impressed. Scutellum sculpture and punctation similar to mesoscutum. Mes- and metepisternum with finely reticulate sculpture, episternal groove arced forward, pitted except near top of groove. Propodeum weakly declivitous, propodeal triangle dull with uniform, reticulate pattern, anterior carinae on basal area very weak, margins of triangle indistinctly pitted.

Metasoma: Tergal discs with finely reticulated integument and moderate punctation (interspace 1–1.5 × puncture diameter); T1 anterior, mediolongitudinal groove present; T2 fovea elliptical.

Terminalia: Gonobase large, gonoforceps posteriorly hairy (>20 golden plumose hairs), ventrally membraneous, penis valves narrow ( Fig. 31 ). S6 posteriorly concave, tuft of hairs on rear margin of posterior lobes, anteriorly strongly concave ( Fig. 32 ). S7 posteriorly terminating in fine, sharp point, rear margin of sternum also hairy (hairs erect, yellow and plumose) ( Fig. 33 ). S8 posteriorly blunt-tipped and very hairy (hairs erect, yellow and plumose), S8 glued to card and anterior portion not discernable ( Fig. 34 ).

Legs: Metabasitibial plate entire. Claws deeply cleft.

Female. Unknown.

Diagnosis: S. oxypaspis is a medium-sized, all black, very hairy bee ( Fig. 35 ). It is characterised by its lack of any yellow integument, leathery mesoscutum, structure of the genitalia and S7, shiny, punctureless anterior face of supraclypeal area, weakly developed facial fovea, no clypeal sulcus, entire metabasitibial plate, very hairy mesosoma and uniformly patterned propodeal triangle. In Eardley’s (1996) key, S. oxyaspis exits at S. striatus , but differs from that species in the shape of the terminalia (see illustrations), facial fovea (distinct in S. striatus ), propodeal triangle sculpture ( S. striatus has conspicuous carinae), shiny unpunctured supraclypeal area and lack of yellow on the legs. Superficially, S. oxyaspis recalls S. tomentum , but differs strongly from this species in lacking the distinctive flagellomere colour pattern and flat supraclypeal area of S. tomentum . Furthermore the terminalia are quite different (e.g. S. tomentum S7 is concave posteriorly). S. oxyaspis also resembles S. capensis , but the S7 of S. oxyaspis is distinct and the holotype lacks the brownish vestiture of the mesoscutum and scutellum that is characteristic of S. capensis .

Distribution: Only known from the Nieuwoudtville area, Northern Cape (Succulent Karoo biome).

Biology: The holotype was collected in early September, suggesting S. oxyaspis is an early spring bee. The holotype was collected in Renosterveld on an Oxalis species (Oxalidaceae).

Figures

Figs 31–34. Scrapter oxyaspis sp. n., terminalia: (31) genitalia (dorsal and ventral views), (32–34) S6–S8. Scale bar = 0.4 mm.

Fig. 35. Scrapter oxyaspis sp. n., lateral view of holotype.