Megachile amputata Smith, 1857

Wood, T. J., Risch, S., Orr, M. C. & Hogan, J. E., 2025, An illustrated type catalogue of the bee species collected by Alfred Russel Wallace and described by Frederick Smith from Southeast Asia (Hymenoptera: Apoidea), European Journal of Taxonomy 1028, pp. 1-144 : 15-16

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2025.1028.3129
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:06182A07-5DB6-4916-86AF-673865690CE2
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/251C1E7D-FF8E-1659-FDFD-1754FCCB533E
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Megachile amputata Smith, 1857
status

Treatment

8. Megachile amputata Smith, 1857 View in CoL

Fig. 7

Megachile amputata Smith, 1857: 45–46 View in CoL , ♀.

Type material examined

Holotype

MALAYSIA • ♀; Sar. [ Sarawak]; [ 29 Oct. 1854 – 10 Feb. 1856]; OUMNH, ENT-HYME2769 .

Type locality

Borneo ( Sarawak).

Notes

Baker (1993: 194) wrote the following:

“A ♀ in the UMO type collection, labelled ‘SAR.’ [white disc] and ‘ Megachile amputata Smith’ [blue paper, Smith] is the HOLOTYPE of this species and it has now been labelled accordingly”.

Baker also suggested Megachile harrisoni Cockerell, 1906 (described from Sumatra) and Megachile sandacana Cockerell, 1919 (described from Sandakan) as possible junior synonyms, and synonymised

Megachile pahangiella Cockerell, 1927 directly, writing: “ Megachile pahangiella Cockerell, 1927: 543 ; ♀; Pahang. HOLOTYPE ♀ B.M. Type Hym. 17 a 2397 (examined). Syn. nov.”.

Three of the synonyms have been provisionally accepted ( Ascher & Pickering 2024), with the status of M. sandacana being considered uncertain ( Gonzalez & Engel 2012). The type specimen of M. pahangiella is similar (photographs available on NHMUK data portal), but we currently consider it premature to synonymise them. An in-depth revision of subgenus Lophanthedon Gonzalez & Engel, 2012 is required.

Current status

Megachile ( Lophanthedon) amputata Smith, 1857 ( Ascher & Pickering 2024).

Distribution

Still requiring clarification, but probably India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia (Peninsula, Borneo), Indonesia (? Sumatra) ( Ascher & Pickering 2024).