Colletes tuberculatus Morawitz, 1893

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 : 36

Colletes tuberculatus Morawitz, 1893

( Figs 19D, 22A–F, 38D, 39A, 44D, 45B)

Colletes tuberculatus Morawitz, 1893: 80 (lectotype ♂ designated by Proshchalykin & Kuhlmann 2015a: 550: Tajikistan, Yagnob River, Varsaut [ZISP]).

Colletes tuberculatus ; Kuhlmann 2000: 175; Ascher & Pickering 2021.

Colletes tuberculatus anatolicus Noskiewicz, 1959 1959: 513 (holotype ♀: Turkey, Niðde [possibly at ZMTAU]).

Colletes tuberculatus siculus Noskiewicz, 1959: 511 (holotype ♀: Italy, Sicilia, Mount Etna [possibly at ZMTAU]).

Colletes daviesanus tuberculatus ; Warncke 1978: 349.

Diagnosis. Females of C. tuberculatus can be diagnosed through the following set of characters: bees relatively small (HW 2.5–2.8 mm), malar area only 0.4× as long as basal width of mandible and hind basitarsus with pale setae. Males of C. tuberculatus have the shortest hind basitarsus in relative terms (2.8× as long as broad) among the Tibetan Colletes , which makes them readily recognizable (hind basitarsus is at least 3.5× as long as broad in males of all other species). Colletes tuberculatus most closely resembles C. xuechengensis , but the former is considerably smaller (8.0–9.0 mm (♀), 6.0–7.0 mm (♂ )) than the latter (9.0–10.0 mm (♀), 7.0–8.0 mm (♂ )) and has the wings with subhyaline membranes (wing membrane yellowish in both sexes of C. xuechengensis ).

Material examined. Published records — CHINA, Qinghai: Yushu, Batang , 32.85 97.03, 3900 m, 25.vii.1964, SY Wang, 3 ♂ .

New records — CHINA, Qinghai: Geermu, Wuji Dragon Palace , 35.8883 94.3685, 3707 m, 19.vii.2017, D Zhang & QT Wu, 1 ♂ . Xizang: Ali, Ritu, Duoma , 33.6661 80.4331, 4490 m, 23.vii.2020, QT Wu & D Zhang, 1 ♀ . Gar County, Road G 219 km 1053, 4557 m, 27.vii.2018, QT Wu, 1 ♂ . Zhada, Xiangzi Town, Chongdui , 31.7704 79.5117, 4023 m, 15.viii.2019, D Zhang & QT Wu, 18 ♀ 12 ♂ .

Distribution. Widespread in the Palaearctic region, ranging from as far west as Sicily ( Italy) east to western China (Qinghai).

DNA barcode. Available (2 ♀ and 3 ♂). See also Fig. 1 and Table 1.

Floral hosts. Unknown.

Remarks. Colletes tuberculatus is herein recorded from Xizang for the first time.