Sphecodopsis vicfalls, Pöllein & Kuhlmann, 2025

Pöllein, Daniela & Kuhlmann, Michael, 2025, Taxonomic revision of the southern African bee genus Sphecodopsis Bischoff, 1923 (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Nomadinae), European Journal of Taxonomy 980, pp. 1-157 : 146-148

Sphecodopsis vicfalls sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:1D21ECB3-6A01-462F-9C54-797D000C98E6

Figs 113–114

Diagnosis

The female of S. vicfalls sp. nov. can be separated from that of all other species of the genus by the combination of the following characters: S6 bifid posteriorly, apical notch about twice as long as its apical width ( Fig. 114C ); metasoma partially red ( Fig. 113B ); fore tibia and tarsi completely or largely red ( Fig. 113A ); head wider than long, vertex flat ( Fig. 113C ); T5 apically with short fringe of hair of ± even length ( Fig. 114B ); head and mesoscutum with short white or golden hair ( Fig. 113C–D ); propodeum densely covered with bright white hair ( Fig. 114A ). The male is unknown.

Etymology

The name is the abbreviation for Victoria Falls, the place where the species was first collected. Noun in apposition.

Type material (11 specimens)

Holotype

ZIMBABWE • ♀; Victoria Falls ; [17°56′ S, 25°50′ E]; 3 Jan. 1920; SANC.

Paratypes

NAMIBIA • 1 ♀; Caprivi Zipfel , Katima Mulilo ; [17°30′ S, 24°15′ E]; 15–24 Jan. 1995; MSn leg.; RCMS • 1 ♀; Rundu ; [17°55′ S, 19°45′ E]; 17 Jan. 1993; JG leg.; RCMS • 3 ♀♀; 30 km E of Rundu; [17°55′ S, 20°00′ E]; 23 Jan. 1993; JG leg.; RCMS • 3 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; RCMK • 1 ♀; 30 km E of Rundu; [17°55′ S, 20°00′ E]; 23 Jan. 1993; MS leg.; RCMS • 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; RCMK .

Description

Female

BODY LENGTH. 5.0 mm.

HEAD. Head wider than long. Vertex rounded, ocelli highest point. Integument black, except part of mandibles red and reddish-brown. Face covered with short, bright white hair. Face with dense (i=0.25– 0.5 d) and fine but deep punctation, supraclypeal area with more dispersed (i=0.5–1 d) punctation ( Fig. 113C ). Surface between punctures slightly shiny. Antenna reddish-brown to brown.

MESOSOMA. Integument black, some reddish-brown, to orange, tegula yellow. Mesoscutum slightly shiny. Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum sparsely (i =1–2.5 d), coarsely and shallowly punctate ( Fig. 113D ). Propodeum with dense (i=0.5–1 d), fine and shallow punctation, metapostnotum shiny ( Fig. 114A ). Mesoscutum, mesoscutellum, metanotum covered with yellowish-white hair. Mesepisternum and propodeum densely covered with short, bright white hair, metapostnotum glabrous ( Figs 113D , 114A ).

WINGS. Yellowish; wing venation brown and stigma brown ( Fig. 113A ).

LEGS. Integument of coxa, trochanter, femur, tibia and tarsi of variable color light red over red to reddish-brown. Coxa, trochanter and femur sparsely covered with short, white hair. Tibia and tarsus covered with short, white hair ( Fig. 113A ).

METASOMA. Integument of T1–T5 red, T6 to a variable extent red, from almost completely red (just apical margin dark) to completely black. T1 and T2 with few short, white hair, from T3 increasingly more and longer hair ( Fig. 113B ). T5 marginal zone with dense short, white hair. T6 broad and almost straight apically, covered with short, white hair ( Fig. 114B ). Shape of S6 ( Fig. 114C ) as illustrated.

Male

Unknown.

Distribution

Found in northern Namibia and western Zimbabwe.

Host bees

Unknown.

Seasonal activity

January.

Comment

The holotype specimen from Victoria Falls was misidentified as S. minutissima by Eardley & Brothers (1997).

Nomen dubium

Figures

Fig. 113. Sphecodopsis vicfalls sp. nov., paratype, ♀ (Rundu, RCMK). A. Habitus (lateral view). B. Metasoma (dorsal view). C. Head. D. Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum (dorsal view).

Fig. 114. Sphecodopsis vicfalls sp. nov., paratype, ♀ (Rundu, RCMK). A. Propodeum. B. T5 and T6. C. S6.