Sphecodes majalis ( Perez , 1903)

Herrera Mesias, Fernanda & Weigand, Alexander M., 2021, Updates to the checklist of the wild bee fauna of Luxembourg as inferred from revised natural history collection data and fieldwork, Biodiversity Data Journal 9, pp. 64027-64027 : 64027

Sphecodes majalis ( Perez, 1903)

Sphecodes majalis Common names: Sphécode de mai (French), Kortsnuitbloedbij (Dutch), Mai-Blutbiene (German).

Materials

Type status: Other material. Occurrence : catalogNumber: MNHNL100057 ; sex: male; lifeStage: adult; associatedSequences: BOLD: MNHNL163-21; Taxon : scientificName: Sphecodes majalis ( Pérez, 1903); order: Hymenoptera ; family: Halictidae ; genus: Sphecodes ; specificEpithet: majalis; taxonRank: species; scientificNameAuthorship: ( Pérez, 1903); vernacularName: Sphécode de mai (French), Kortsnuitbloedbij (Dutch), Mai-Blutbiene (German); Location : country: Luxembourg; locality: Manternach ; decimalLatitude: 49.710039; decimalLongitude: 6.430916; Identification : identifiedBy: Fernanda Herrera-Mesías; Event: samplingProtocol: pan trap (passive sampling); eventDate: 28-04-2019; Record Level: institutionCode: MNHNL; basisOfRecord: Preserved Specimen

Diagnosis

Male: A medium sized Sphecodes species (6-8 mm) (Fig. 5 a and b). Flagellar segments of the antenna longer than broad, without pubescence in the front side (Fig. 5 c). The hind tibia present red spines on its upper side amongst a covering of pale hairs (Fig. 5 d). The punctures on tergites 4 and 5 are subtle and very sparsely distributed, presenting fine sculpture amongst them (Fig. 5 e). The gonocoxites lack any impression and the gonostyli have a rounded edge (Fig. 5 f).

Voucher specimen (MNHNL100057; BOLD identifier MNHNL163-21): Adult male. Body length of 7.19 mm.

Molecular identification

The taxonomic annotation is supported by DNA barcoding data. A perfect match of genetic sequence similarity was achieved with a specimen of Sphecodes majalis from France (100%; BOLD identifier POLLE1165-19), collected in Loir et Cher.

Ecology

A rare cuckoo bee that inhabits steppes and sunny sites, flying only during a short time span in spring from late March until mid-May, matching the flight season of Lasioglossum pallens ( Brullé, 1832), its only known host in Europe ( Amiet et al. 2007, Bogusch and Straka 2012).

Conservation

Sphecodes majalis is classified as "Near Threatened (NT)" ( Nieto et al. 2014). Records of this bee and its host are scarce and the populations of both are described as locally decreasing ( Bogusch and Straka 2014).

Figures

Figure 5. Sphecodes majalis (Perez, 1903) (Manternach, specimen MNHNL 100057; BOLD identifier MNHNL 163 - 21, one middle leg was used for DNA extraction). a. Dorsal view; b. Lateral view; c. Antenna, showing flagellar segments; d. Left hind tibia, showing spines in pale pubescence; e. Tergites 4 and 5; f. Genitalia. Photos: MNHNL. Background edited using GIMP 2.8.22 (The GIMP Development Team 2020).