Scrapter nigerrimus, Kuhlmann, 2014

Kuhlmann, Michael, 2014, Revision of the euryglossiform species of the Afrotropical bee genus Scrapter Lepeletier & Serville, 1828 (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Colletidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 95, pp. 1-69 : 35-37

Scrapter nigerrimus sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:55572B21-F7E9-48A1-AFBF-36EE912E1D1F

Fig. 18

Diagnosis

The female of S. nigerrimus sp. nov. can be separated from other species of this group by the combination of the following characters: supraclypeal area and clypeus densely and distinctly punctate, mostly smooth and shiny ( Fig. 18 C–D), scutum densely and coarsely punctate ( Fig. 18 E–F), stigma brown, apical margins of metasomal terga black, terga finely and densely punctate ( Fig. 18B). The male is unknown.

Etymology

Named for the completely black body of the species.

Type material (1 specimen examined)

Holotype

SOUTH AFRICA: ♀, W. Cape, Woodlot , nearby, 193 m, 33°56' S, 18°24' E, 20 Sep. 2011, L. Packer ( RCMK).

Description

Female

BODY LENGTH. 5.5 mm.

HEAD. Head wider than long. Integument black, except part of mandibles dark reddish-brown. Face sparsely covered with long, greyish to blackish, erect hair ( Fig. 18C). Clypeus strongly convex with coarse and dense punctation (i = 1–2 d); surface between punctures smooth and shiny ( Fig. 18 C–D). Malar area medially narrow, almost linear. Antenna dorsally blackish-brown, ventrally yellowish-brown.

MESOSOMA. Integument black. Mesoscutal disc between punctures superficially reticulate but shiny; disc densely (i = 0.5–1.0 d) and finely punctate ( Fig. 18 E–F). Metanotum about as long as basal area of propodeum, apically with broad carinate depression ( Fig. 18F). Propodeum basally shallowly but broadly carinate ( Fig. 18F). Mesoscutum, scutellum, metanotum, mesepisternum and propodeum sparsely covered with short, greyish to blackish, erect hair ( Fig. 18A).

WINGS. Brownish; wing venation and stigma brown.

LEGS. Integument black. Vestiture greyish to blackish, scopa blackish-brown.

METASOMA. Integument black ( Fig. 18B). Discs of T1–T3 without hair, following terga with sparse and very short but increasingly more and longer hair; apical tergal hair bands missing on all terga ( Fig. 18B). Prepygidial and pygidial fimbriae missing (rubbed off?). Terga densely (i = 0.5–1 d) but finely punctate, between punctures polished and shiny; apical tergal margins hardly depressed and punctate-like discs ( Fig. 18B).

Male

Unknown.

Distribution

The species is known from the type locality on the Cape Peninsula near Cape Town.

Floral hosts

Unknown.

Seasonal activity

September.