Megachile ianthoptera Smith.

Eardley, Connal, 2012, A taxonomic revision of the southern African species of the subgenus Creightonella Cockerell (Apoidea: Megachilidae: Megachile Latreille), Zootaxa 3159, pp. 1-35 : 9-11

Megachile ianthoptera Smith.

Figs 4–5

Megachile ianthoptera Smith, 1853: 164 , male and female syntypes (NHML) South Africa.

Megachile janthoptera [!] Smith: Schletterer 1891: 6.

Creightoniella [!] ianthoptera (Smith) : Pasteels 1965: 20, 42–44.

Creightoiella [!] janthoptera [!] (Smith): Pasteels 1965: 55.

Creightoniella [!] ianthoptera ianthoptera (Smith) : Pasteels 1965: 17.

Megachile consanguinea Smith, 1879: 63 , female holotype (NHML) South Africa; Cockerell 1937: 135, 158, 166, 167, syn.; Cockerell 1939: 239.

Megachile (Creightoniella) [!] ianthoptera consanguinea Smith: Cockerell 1937: 186.

Megachile (Creightonella) consanguinea zamelaena Cockerell, 1937: 127 , 158, female holotype (NHML) South Africa. Syn. nov.

Discussion. Smith (1853) described this species from the Cape of Good Hope, which could be almost any part of South Africa. A female syntype has been studied. Smith (1879) described consanguinea , from KwaZulu-Natal, which was later synonymized with ianthoptera by Cockerell (1937). The type material has been studied and they are conspecific. Further, zamelaena was described as a variety of consanguinea by Cockerell (1937), and is here synonymized with ianthoptera , following the examination of the type.

Diagnosis. Female. Vestiture on face, gena, mesosomal pleuron and venter, basal segments of legs, propodeum and lateral region of metasomal dorsum white, vertex and scutum with black and white hairs intermixed, tibiae and tarsi black, mediolongitudinal region of metasoma black ( Fig. 4a–b ); scopa black laterally, orange medially ( South Africa) or completely black ( Zimbabwe). Lengths: face 3.2–4.0 mm, scutum 2.5–3.0 mm, forewing 10.1–12.8 mm, body 11.5–14.5 mm. Structure. Clypeus more than twice as wide as long, strongly convex, densely punctuate, ventral edge straight ( Fig. 4a ); clypeocellus: clypeus 1:0.6; scopal hairs blunt, thickened distally.

Male. Vestiture mostly white, face sometimes pale yellow ( Fig. 4c ), vertex and scutum with black and white hairs intermixed, tarsi mostly orange, T2–T5 with centre of discs black (white laterally) ( Fig. 4c–e ). Lengths: face 3.5–3.6 mm, scutum 2.2–2.7 mm, forewing 10.2–11.0 mm, body 12.8–13.8 mm. Structure: Clypeus convex above, flat below, ventral edge straight; mandible with four teeth, middle two small, ventral edge with small tooth; foretarsus unmodified; T6 shield–like, with mediolongitudinal carina, distinctly concave posteromedially, toothed distal edge, truncate posteriorly ( Fig. 4e ); S4-S5 unmodified; S6, S8 and gonocoxite as in M. cognata (cf. Fig. 2d–f ).

Distribution ( Fig. 5 ). Megachile ianthoptera occurs mainly through the southern and eastern parts of southern Africa, and its distribution extends further north beyond southern Africa.

Biology. Flowers of Acacia cf. mellifera , Aspalathus spicata , Asteraceae , Centaurea sp., Crotalaria sp., Cyperaceae , Delonix regia , Helianthus cf. fagonia, Justicia sp., Leucaena sp., Mimosa pigra , Ocimum sp., Psophocarpus sp., Psoralea pinnata , Tephrosia sp., Vicia sp. and Vigna sp. are visited by M. ianthoptera .

Material examined. Type material. Female syntype of Megachile ianthoptera : ‘ Type B.M. TYPE HYM 17a 2085, Megachile ianthoptera Type Sm., type F. Sm. Coll.79–22, Cape’, in NHML. Female holotype of Megachile consanguinea ‘ Type B.M. TYPE HYM 17a 2082, Megachile consanguinea (Type) Sm., Megachile consanguinea Smith , 53 33, Natal’, in NHML. Female holotype of Megachile consanguinea zamelaena : ‘ Type B.M. TYPE HYM 17a 2083, Megachile consanguinea zamelaena Ckll TYPE, S.AFRICA R.E.Turner Brit. Mus. 1933–646, Cape Province Swellendam Nov. 1933 ’, [34.02S 20.26E] in NHML.

Additional material. Mozambique. Chimanmani Mountains [19.48S 32.52E], ii.1958 (1 male, SAMC). Zimbabwe: Vumba [19.52S 31.22E], 10– 15.xii.1937, G. van Son (7 males, TMSA); Chirinda Forest [19.14S 32.14E], xii.1935 (1 male, SAMC); Hope Fountain [20.16S 28.41E], 5.ii.1922 (1 female, SAMC); Harare [17.50S 31.03E], A. Watsham (2 females 1 male, SANC); Umtali [18.58S 32.40E], 15.i.1952, (1 female, SANC). Lesotho. Mamohau [20.47S 30.50E], 2040m, 25–30.iii. 191, H. Geertsema (1 female, SANC); Teyateyaneng [29.09S 27.44E], 20.xii.1964, C. F. Jacot Guillarmod (1 specimen, AMSA); Mamathes [29.08S 27.51E], 19.xii.1948, 9.i.1949, C.F. Jacot Guillarmod (4 specimens, AMSA). South Africa. Louis Trichardt [23.03S 29.54E], 1.ii.1928, R. Lawrence (1 male, SAMC); Marieps Mountain [24.32S 30.52E], vi.1932, G. van Son (7 females, TMSA); Kaapsehoop, 2513DA, 31.i.1988, V. Whitehead (1 male, SAMC); Johannesburg [26.11S 28.03E], xii.1915, iv.1916, G. Kobrow (4 females, TMSA); Port St. John [31.38S 29.32E], 1910, H. Swinny (1 female, TMSA); Magoebaskloof, 23.54S 30.00E, 5.iii.1986, C. Eardley (1 female, SANC); Gibraltar [23.09S 28.04E], 28.xi.1977, R. Watmough (1 female, SANC); Mogoto Nature Reserve, x.1979, C. Eardley (2 females, SANC); Bourkes Luck Nature Reserve, 24.40S 30.48E, 28.ii.1986, C. Eardley (3 females, SANC); Entabeni Forest Reserve 23.00S 30.16E, 18–19.i.1982, C. Eardley (5 female, SANC); idem. R. Oberprieler (1 female 1 male, SANC); Happy Rest, 22.56S 29.44E, 8.i.2004, C. Eardley (1 male, SANC); Lisbon Falls [24.56S 30.50E], near Graskop, 17.i.1963, A. Carpenter (1 female, SANC); Barberton [25.47S 31.30E], 17.xi.1927, J.S. Taylor (1 specimen, AMSA); Long Tom Pass, 25.07S 30.35E, i.1977, E. Whiteside (1 female, SANC); Wilds, Johannesburg [26.11S 28.03E], 17.iii.1962, H. Empey (1 female, SANC); Forest Hill, Johannesburg, 27.ii.1958, H. Empey (1 female, SANC); Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve, 26.31S 28.14E, 21.ii.1995, I. Millar (1 female, SANC); Fernkloof Nature Reserve, Hermanus, 34.24S 19.14E, 14.xi.1982, C. Eardley (1 female 1 male, SANC); Franschoek Pass, 33.56S 19.09E, 21.xi.1982, C. Eardley (2 females, SANC); Franschhoek Pass, 3319CC, 6.xii.1989, 9.xi.1990, K. Steiner (2 females, SAMC); Haarlem, 33.44S 23.17E, 17.xii.1986, M. Mansell (1 female, SANC); Cathedral Peak, Ndedema Gorge, 2929AB, 7.ii.1988, V. Whitehead (1 male, SAMC); Hogsback [32.35S 26.57E], 3.xii.1949, J. Darbyshire (1 specimen, AMSA); Coldsprings [33.10S 26.27E], SW Grahamstown, 2–9.ii.1975, C. Jacot Guillarmod (5 specimens, AMSA); Baviaanskloof [33.39S 24.23E], 17.x.1995, A. Weaving, C.F. Jacot Guillarmod (5 specimens, AMSA); Oakhurst [34.01S 23.55E], Tsitsikama Forest, 28.xii.1966, C.F. Jacot Guillarmod (2 specimens, AMSA); Tradouw Pass [33.57S 20.42E], xi.1925 (1 male, SAMC); Montague [33.52S 18.31E], xi.1919, R. Lightfoot (1 male, SAMC); Vogel Vlei, 29.ii.1946 (1 female, SAMC); Steenberg Mountain [34.05S 18.26E], 31.i.1957, C. Dukson (1 female, SAMC); Stellenbosch [33.56S 18.51E], xi.192, H. Brauns (2 females, TMSA); Wemmershoek, 30.50S 19.10E, 17.xii.1979, R. Watmough (1 male, SANC); Seven Weeks Poort [33.24S 21.24E], x.1954, G. van Son (1 female, TMSA).

Figures

FIGURE 5. Known distribution of Megachile ianthoptera.

FIGURE 4 a – e. Megachile ianthoptera. a. Female face. b. Female habitus. c. Male face. d. Male habitus. e. Male T 6.

FIGURE 2 a – f. Megachile cognata. a. Female mandible. b – f. Male. b. T 6. c. S 4. d. S 6. e. S 8. f. Genital capsule.