Sphecodes iridipennis Smith, 1879

Astafurova, Yulia & Proshchalykin, Maxim, 2020, New and little-known bees of the genus Sphecodes Latreille, 1804 (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Halictidae) from the Himalayas, European Journal of Taxonomy 729, pp. 74-120 : 95-97

Sphecodes iridipennis Smith, 1879

Fig. 11 A–E

Sphecodes iridipennis Smith, 1879: 27–28 , ♀.

Sphecodes iridipennis – Gupta 2013: 60.

Diagnosis

This species is close to the S. simlaensis owing to a similar structure, sculpture of the body and the fact that the females morphologically are difficult to distinguish, but S. iridipennis has a slightly less transverse head (1.1 times as wide as long vs 1.2) and entirely red legs (at least femora black or brownish in S. simlaensis ).

Material examined

Holotype INDIA • 1 ♀; “Type // N Ind [Northern India] // B.M.TYPE HYM.17a550”; NHMUK 013380317 .

Descriptive notes

Wings with weak yellowish or brownish darkening; hind wing with basal vein strongly curved with the angle between basal (M) and cubital (Cu) veins ca 90°, costal margin with five hamuli. Preoccipital carina absent.

Female

Total body length 4.5 mm ( Fig. 11A ). Head weakly transverse, at most 1.1 times as wide as long ( Fig. 11B ); vertex not elevated as seen in frontal view; F1 and F2 transverse, 0.5–0.6 times as long as wide, F3 0.8 times as long as wide; clypeus with punctures separated by 1–3 puncture diameters; ocello-ocular area with fine punctures separated by 1–3 puncture diameters; face and gena with sparse pubescence. Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum with punctures (15–20 μm) separated by 1–4 puncture diameters ( Fig. 11D ); hypoepimeral area coarsely reticulate; metafemur weakly enlarged in proximal half, maximum width 0.35 times its length; legs red. Propodeal triangle (metapostnotum) with coarse longitudinal wrinkles and shiny interspaces. Metasomal terga scarcely punctate, T1 impunctate, remaining terga basally with sparse fine setal pores ( Fig. 11E ); marginal zones impunctate; terga red to red-brownish apically, pygidial plate 0.7 times as wide as metabasitarsus.

Male

Unknown.

Distribution

Himalayas: Uttarakhand, Northern India. The record of the species from Himachal Pradesh ( India) by Saini & Rathor (2012: 162) is doubtful.

Remarks

Since we could not clearly differentiate between females of S. iridipennis and S. simlaensis , except by their relative head length and coloration, more specimens should be studied (including the male finding) to make a decision on their synonymy.

The specimens recorded as S. iridipennis from Chapra ( India) by Rajkumar & Dey (2016: 1847, pl. 3) belong to another species. Unlike the holotype this specimen, re-described as S. iridipennis , has more transverse head (1.3 times as wide as long) and possibly belongs to the undescribed female of S. chaprensis Blüthgen, 1927 .

Figures

Fig. 11. Sphecodes iridipennis Smith, 1879. Holotype, ♀ (NHMUK 013380317). A. Habitus in lateral view. B. Head in frontal view. C. Labels. D. Mesosoma in dorsal view. E. Metasoma in dorsal view. Scale bars: A, D–E = 1 mm; B = 0.5 mm.