Scrapter flavitarsis Cockerell, 1936

Figs 21–23

Scrapter flavitarsis Cockerell, 1936: 481, lectotype ♂ [designated by Eardley 1996] (type locality: Cape Town, South Africa) (NHML), examined.

Diagnosis

The female of S. flavitarsis can be separated from that of all other species of this group by the following character combination: no T3 anterior of premarginal line no row of points (Fig. 21E); punctation of scutum dense (i = 0.5–1 d) (Fig. 21C); propodeum partly with carinae, matt (Fig. 21D). The male of the species S. flavitarsis can be separated from that of all other species of this group by the combination of the following characters: basal punctation of discs of T1–T4 dense (i = 1 d), apically shallower, finer, and sparse (i = 1–2 d) (Fig. 22D); tarsi yellow (Fig. 22A) and form of S7 (Fig. 23C).

Material examined (4 specimens)

SOUTH AFRICA • 1 ♂; E Cape, Riet River; 33°34′ S, 27°01′ E; 5 m a.s.l.; 19 Apr. 1983; UR leg.; SANC • 1 ♂; Cape Town; 33°57′ S, 18°27′ E; 5 m a.s.l.; 1914; GP leg.; RCMK • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; Cape Town; Zeekoe Vlei; 34°03′ S, 18°31′ E; 25 m a.s.l.; 9 Jun. 1934; JO leg.; NHML .

Description

Female

BODY LENGTH. 8 mm.

HEAD. Missing.

MESOSOMA. Integument brownish-black to black, pronotal lobe yellowish-white. Scutum irregularly punctate, laterally denser (i = 0.5 d) than medially (i = 1–2 d), surface between punctures smooth and shiny (Fig. 21C). Metanotum less than half as long as scutellum. Propodeum basally broadly, finely carinate, surface with fine punctation, causing shimmering (Fig. 21D). Scutum, scutellum, metanotum, mesepisternum and propodeum sparsely covered with long, brownish to greyish, erect hair.

WINGS. Yellowish-brown, stigma and wing venation brownish (Fig. 21A).

LEGS. Integument brownish, tarsi yellowish-brown. Vestiture and scopa greyish-white (Fig. 21A).

METASOMA. Integument brownish, marginal zones yellowish-brown.Anterolaterally on T2–T3 hair field; T4 nearly completely sparsely haired with short, greyish-yellow, erect hair.T3 anterior of premarginal line with row of hairs across whole width of tergum (Fig. 21E). Prepygidial and pygidial fimbriae yellowish-grey. Discs of T1–T3 finely puncticulate (Fig. 21F); surface between punctures matt (Fig. 21E).

Male

BODY LENGTH. 6.5 mm.

HEAD. Slightly wider than long. Integument black, mandibles dark brownish. Face densely covered with long, white, erect hair. Malar area medially narrow, slightly curved. Antennal flagella ventrally yellow, dorsally black.

MESOSOMA. Integument black. Scutum densely (i = 1–2 d) punctate, surface between punctures matt (Fig. 22B). Propodeum basally coarsely carinate, posterior third with finer carinae (Fig. 22C). Scutum, scutellum, metanotum, mesepisternum and propodeum densely covered with long, greyish, erect hair.

WINGS. Yellowish-brown, stigma and wing venation light brownish (Fig. 22A).

LEGS. Integument black, fore and mid tibia with yellow spot. Vestiture greyish-white. Tarsi yellow (Fig. 22A).

METASOMA. Integument black, marginal zone light brownish. Disc of T1 with single greyish-white, erect middle-long hairs (Fig. 23A), T2–T4 basally greyish, dense, middle-long, erect hair band, covering three quarters of terga (Fig. 22D). T3 anterior of premarginal line with row of erect, greyish hair which gets shorter the farther posterior it is. Punctation on disc of T1 fine, sparse (i = 3–4 d) and shallow (Fig. 23A). Discs of T2–T4 basally more densely (i = 1 d) and finer punctate than apically (i = 2–3 d); medially more densely than laterally (Fig. 22D). T1–T4 anterior of premarginal line with row of points (Fig. 22D).

TERMINALIA. Genitalia (Fig. 23B), S7 (Fig. 23C) and terminal plate of S8 (Fig. 23D) as illustrated.

Distribution

There are only four specimens that at present can be clearly assigned to this species. They have been recorded from the south coast of South Africa between Cape Town and Riet River east of Port Alfred.

Floral hosts

Unknown.

Seasonal activity

April–June.

Remarks

Eardley (1996) synonymized this species with S. opacus .

The only female specimen of S. flavitarsis available to us is damaged. In addition, a large series of females was examined by us that morphologically correspond to S. flavitarsis but were collected in November instead of April/June. It seems unusual and unlikely to us that a single species is active in very different seasons so we preliminarily refrain from assigning these bees to S. flavitarsis and instead label them as S. sp. flavitarsis until the situation can be clarified. Material examined of this taxon is recorded below:

SOUTH AFRICA • 71 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; 6 Nov. 1999; MS/MH leg.; OÖLM • 9 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; RCMK • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; SANC .