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