Colletes issykkuli Kuhlmann 2003

Kuhlmann, Michael & Proshchalykin, Maxim Yu., 2015, New and remarkable Asian and North African species of Colletes Latreille (Hymenoptera: Colletidae), Zootaxa 4028 (1), pp. 81-101 : 86

Colletes issykkuli Kuhlmann 2003

Colletes issykkuli Kuhlmann 2003: 727 –728, ♂ (holotype: ♂, Kara-Koo, near Issyk-Kul Lake, Kyrgyzstan, 1700 m, leg. Kornmilch [OÖLM]).

Material examined. Kyrgyzstan. 2 ♀, 21 ♂, 30 km ESE Rybachii, Issyk-Kul´Lake [76°10'E 42°28'N], 15.VII.1979, YAP [ ZISP / RCMK].

Remarks. Colletes issykkuli was described from males only ( Kuhlmann 2003). Recently, material became available where males and females were found together now allowing for the description of the hitherto unknown female.

Diagnosis. The female of C. issykkuli is very similar to and difficult to distinguish from C. kozlovi Friese so female reference specimens are required for a reliable identification while males are readily identifyable. However, C. issykkuli seems to be endemic to the western part of the basin of Lake Issyk-Kul where C. kozlovi is apparently absent so the locality information can be used as a criterion for identification. As C. kozlovi is well characterized ( Noskiewicz 1936) the diagnosis is limited to the differences between both species. In C. issykkuli the apical metasomal hair bands ( Fig. 4 b) are very slightly broader and the hairless disc of T2 is narrower than the apical metasomal hair band while in C. kozlovi the latter is about as wide ( Fig. 4 d).

Description. Female. Bl = 9 mm. Head wider than long. Integument black, mandible partly dark reddishbrown. Face, except clypeus, densely covered with long, white, erect hairs ( Fig. 4 a). Clypeus convex, with an almost invisibly shallow longitudinal median depression, supraclypeal area triangular and convex in profile. Clypeus very finely and very densely punctate (i <0.5d), apically only slightly coarser and sparser; surface between punctures smooth and shiny, small pair of apical clypeal depressions ( Fig. 4 a). Malar area medially very narrow, about 1/5 as long as width of mandible base, finely striate. Antenna black. Mesosoma. Integument black. Mesoscutal disc sparsely and finely punctate (i = 3–5d), smooth and shiny between punctures. Mesoscutellum anteriomedially impunctate, smooth and shiny; apically densely and finely punctate ( Fig. 4 b). Mesoscutum, mesepisternum and propodeum densely covered with long white, erect, hairs. Wings. Very slightly yellowish; wing venation brown. Legs. Integument black. Vestiture whitish, scopa white. Metasoma. Integument black, depressed apical tergal margins reddish to yellowish translucent ( Fig. 4 c). T1 on basal half densely covered with short appressed, yellowish-white hairs, apical half of disc glabrous, apical tergal hair band narrow, medially slightly extended; T2 with broad basal hair band, glabrous disc about 2/3 as broad as the broad apical tergal hair band; T3– T5 with broad basal and apical tergal hair bands; terga apically slightly depressed ( Fig. 4 c). Terga very densely and very finely punctate (i <0.5d), smooth and shiny between punctures ( Fig. 4 c). Sterna with apical hair bands broad. Distribution. Kyrgyzstan.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Colletes issykkuli Kuhlmann 2003, female: a. head; b. mesoscutum and mesoscutellum; c. metasomal terga 1 and 2. C. kozlovi Friese 1913, female: d. metasomal terga 1 and 2. Scale bar: 1 mm.