Colletes bischoffi Noskiewicz 1936

Ferrari, Rafael R., Niu, Ze-Qing, Kuhlmann, Michael, Zhang, Dan & Zhu, Chao- Dong, 2021, The cellophane bees of Colletes Latreille (Hymenoptera: Colletidae) from Xizang (Tibet), China, Zootaxa 5022 (1), pp. 1-72 : 50-52

Colletes bischoffi Noskiewicz 1936

( Figs 33A–F, 34A, 48B, 48C)

Colletes bischoffi Noskiewicz, 1936: 485 (holotype ♂: “Himalaya” [ZMB]).

Colletes bischoffi ; Kuhlmann 1999: 73, 2000: 183; Ascher & Pickering 2021. the other Tibetan Colletes , except C. collaris . However, they can be differentiated by the supraclypeal area broader than long in C. bischoffi (supraclypeal area longer than broad in C. collaris ) and the facial fovea broadly rounded above in C. bischoffi (facial fovea more narrowly rounded above in C. collaris ). Males of C. bischoffi are most similar to those of both C. bhutanicus and C. collaris in that in all three species the S6 has a pair of apicolateral circular depressions (whereas such depressions are absent in the males of all other Tibetan Colletes ), but the former are distinct in having the hind basitarsus 4.5× as long as broad (hind basitarsus at least 5.0× as long as broad in males of C. bhutanicus and C. collaris ). Males of C. bischoffi can be further differentiated from those of C. collaris by the mesoscutum with hairs about 1.5× as long as MOD (mesoscutal hairs about as long as MOD in males of C. collaris ) and from those of C. bhutanicus by the gonostylus with converging sides basally (gonostylus with subparallel sides basally in C. bhutanicus ).

Material examined. Published records —none.

New records — CHINA, Sichuan: Luding Xian, Moxi , 29.90 102.20, 1550 m, 25.vii.1982, XZ Zhang, 1 ♂ . Xizang: Changdu, Mangkang, Road G 318 km 3412, 29.7432 95.6753, 3565 m, 2.ix.2015, QT Wu, 1 ♀ 1 ♂ . Mainling Xian, Paiqu , 29.50 94.80, 3000 m, 20.vii.1983, YH Han, 1 ♂ . Ngamring Xian , 29.20 87.20, 4500 m, 19.viii.1975, XZ Zhang, 1 ♂ . Pulan County, Kangzi Village , 30.2059 81.2523, 3793 m, 22.vii.2018, QT Wu, 2 ♂ . Pulan County, Pulan Town, Kejia , 30.2013 81.2512, 3794 m, 12.viii.2019, D Zhang & QT Wu, 15 ♀ 6 ♂ .

Distribution. Known only from the southern edge of the QTP and the Himalaya regions of northern India and Nepal.

DNA barcode. Available (7 ♂). See also Fig. 1 and Table 1.

Floral hosts. Unknown.

Remarks. Kuhlmann (1999) initially casted doubt on the status of C. bischoffi as a valid species. The author considered that the morphological differences in relation to C. collaris noted by Noskiewicz (1936) were somewhat tenuous and concluded that examination of additional material was needed before a taxonomic decision could be made confidently. This was later performed by Dubitzky & Kuhlmann (2004), who clarified their status as two distinct species. Moreover, specimens identified as either C. bischoffi or C. collaris based on morphological differences formed separate, highly-supported clusters in our NJ tree ( Fig. 1). For these reasons, C. bischoffi is herein confirmed as a valid species and its occurrence in China is established for the first time.