Sphecodopsis bifida, Pöllein & Kuhlmann, 2025

Pöllein, Daniela & Kuhlmann, Michael, 2025, Taxonomic revision of the southern African bee genus Sphecodopsis Bischoff, 1923 (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Nomadinae), European Journal of Taxonomy 980, pp. 1-157 : 125-128

publication ID

https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2025.980.2805

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E57E9F17-9C55-4745-BFB5-36840CA8848C

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03F8216B-FF8A-FFFE-FD86-FA32FEFDFDEF

treatment provided by

Plazi (2025-03-06 13:03:35, last updated 2025-03-06 13:20:37)

scientific name

Sphecodopsis bifida
status

sp. nov.

Sphecodopsis bifida sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:BB54F0E7-CD7E-4A10-BB06-28B82E89D119

Figs 97–98 View Fig View Fig

Diagnosis

The female of S. bifida sp. nov. can be separated from that of all other species of the genus by the combination of the following characters: S6 bifid posteriorly, apical notch without a small tip distally; shape as shown in Fig. 98C View Fig ; body length> 6 mm; metasoma partially red ( Fig. 97B View Fig ); fore tibia and tarsi usually black, sometimes with small reddish spots ( Fig. 97A View Fig ); head and mesoscutum with black hair, mixed with shorter white hair ( Fig. 97C–D View Fig ); T6 rounded apically, covered with black and shorter white hair ( Fig. 98B View Fig ). The male is unknown.

Etymology

The name refers to the apically bifid S6 on the female specimens.

Type material (5 specimens)

Holotype

SOUTH AFRICA • ♀; 6 km NNW of Farm Kanariesfontein, 30 km W of Sutherland , roadside; 32°22′17″ S, 20°22′50″ E; 1310 m a.s.l.; 16 Sep. 2017; MK leg.; SAMC. GoogleMaps

Paratypes

SOUTH AFRICA • 1 ♀; 8 km WNW of Leliefontein, Fynbos , roadside; 30°15′58″ S, 18°03′17″ E; 1190 m a.s.l.; 14 Sep. 2017; MK leg.; RCMK GoogleMaps 3 ♀♀; 6 km NNW of Farm Kanariesfontein, 30 km W of Sutherland , roadside; 32°22′17″ S, 20°22′50″ E; 1310 m a.s.l.; 16 Sep. 2017; MK leg.; RCMK GoogleMaps .

Description

Female

BODY LENGTH. 5.4–5.8 mm.

HEAD. Head wider than long. Vertex slightly rounded, ocelli highest point. Integument black, except part of mandibles red or reddish-brown. Face covered with long, black hair mixed with short, white hair. Face with dense (i=0.25–0.5 d), coarse and deep punctation, clypeus and supraclypeal area with more dispersed (i=0.5–1 d) punctation ( Fig. 97C View Fig ). Surface between punctures slightly shiny. Antenna reddish-brown to dark brown.

MESOSOMA. Integument black, tegula orange. Mesoscutum slightly matt. Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum densely (i=0.5–1 d) and finely but deeply punctate ( Fig. 97D View Fig ). Propodeum with dense (i=0.5–1 d) and fine but shallow punctation, metapostnotum matt ( Fig. 98A View Fig ). Mesoscutum, mesoscutellum and mesepisternum sparsely covered with long, black hair mixed with shorter, white hair ( Fig. 97D View Fig ). Metanotum and propodeum very sparsely covered with short, white hair, metapostnotum glabrous ( Figs 97D View Fig , 98A View Fig ).

WINGS. Yellowish-brown; wing venation dark brown and stigma dark brown to black ( Fig. 97A View Fig ).

LEGS. Integument black. Coxa, trochanter and femur sparsely covered with long, black hair mixed with shorter white hair. Tibia and tarsi very sparsely covered with short, black hair mixed with short white hair ( Fig. 97A View Fig ).

METASOMA. Integument of T1–T3 red, T4 to a variable extent red, from basal half to completely red, T5 and T6 black. T1 and T2 with few short, white and black hair, from T3 increasingly more and longer, black hair ( Fig. 97B View Fig ). T5 marginal zone with few white, short hairs. T6 broad and rounded apically, covered with long, black hair and short, white hair underneath ( Fig. 98B View Fig ). Shape of S6 ( Fig. 98C View Fig ) as illustrated.

Male

Unknown.

Distribution

The species was only found in the Kamiesberg Mts and the southern Roggeveld Mts.

Host bees

Unknown.

Seasonal activity

September.

Gallery Image

Fig. 97. Sphecodopsis bifida sp. nov., paratype, ♀ (RCMK). A. Habitus (lateral view). B. Metasoma (dorsal view). C. Head. D. Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum (dorsal view).

Gallery Image

Fig. 98. Sphecodopsis bifida sp. nov., paratype, ♀ (RCMK). A. Propodeum. B. T5 and T6. C. S6.

SAMC

Iziko Museums of Cape Town

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Hymenoptera

Family

Apidae

Genus

Sphecodopsis