Sphecodopsis nana, 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 : 88-90

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2025.980.2805
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:E57E9F17-9C55-4745-BFB5-36840CA8848C
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03F8216B-FFA1-FFD8-FD81-FDC6FEA6FCDA
treatment provided by	Plazi (2025-03-06 13:03:35, last updated 2025-03-06 13:20:37)
scientific name	Sphecodopsis nana
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Sphecodopsis nana sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:ED2DA301-FD9B-4949-AF00-7CDC9BFF4DF3

Figs 67–68 View Fig View Fig

Diagnosis

The female of S. nana sp. nov. is unknown. The male can be separated from that of all other species of the genus by the combination of the following characters: T1 apically, T2 basally and T3 to a variable extent dark reddish-brown ( Fig. 67B View Fig ); fore legs usually black ( Fig. 67A View Fig ); head and mesosoma with golden or white hair ( Fig. 67C–D View Fig ); propodeum very sparsely covered with short white hair ( Fig. 67E View Fig ); gonostylus inclined inward, penis valves narrower, slightly shorter than gonostylus ( Fig. 68C–D View Fig ); S8 narrow and almost truncate apically ( Fig. 68B View Fig ).

Etymology

The species is named for its small size.

Type material (6 specimens)

Holotype

SOUTH AFRICA • ♂; N Cape, Nieuwoudtville, Flower Reserve East; 31°21′56′′ S, 19°08′52′′ E; 735 m a.s.l.; 19 Aug. 2004; MK leg.; SAMC. GoogleMaps

Paratypes

SOUTH AFRICA • 2 ♂♂; N Cape, Nieuwoudtville, Flower Reserve East; 31°21′56′′ S, 19°08′52′′ E; 735 m a.s.l.; 13 Aug. 2004; MK leg.; RCMK GoogleMaps • 3 ♂♂; same collection data as for preceding; 19 Aug. 2004; RCMK GoogleMaps .

Description

Female

Unknown.

Male

BODY LENGTH. 3.7–4.3 mm.

HEAD. Head wider than long. Vertex slightly rounded, ocelli highest point. Integument black, except part of mandibles red. Face covered with short, gold and white hair. Face with dense (i=0.5–1 d) and fine but deep punctation ( Fig. 67C View Fig ). Surface between punctures slightly shiny. Antenna brown.

MESOSOMA. Integument black, tegula reddish-brown. Mesoscutum slightly shiny. Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum densely (i =0.25–1 d) and finely but deeply punctate ( Fig. 67D View Fig ). Propodeum with dense (i =0.5–1 d), fine and shallow punctation, metapostnotum matt ( Fig. 67E View Fig ). Mesoscutum and metanotum covered with short, gold hair. Mesoscutellum covered with slightly long, golden hair. Propodeum with few short, white hairs, metapostnotum glabrous ( Fig. 67E View Fig ). Mesepisternum sparsely covered with slightly long, white hair.

WINGS. Yellowish; wing venation red and stigma red ( Fig. 67A View Fig ).

LEGS. Integument black. Coxa, trochanter, femur, tibia and tarsi sparsely covered with short, white hair ( Fig. 67A View Fig ).

METASOMA. Integument of T1 and T2 dark reddish-brown, except base of T1 black. T3 to a variable extent red, from completely black to completely red. T1 and T2 with few short, white and golden hair, from T3 increasingly more and longer hair ( Fig. 67B View Fig ). T6 disc covered with long white hair, marginal zone with short white hairs. T7 covered with short white hair ( Fig. 67F View Fig ).

TERMINALIA. Genitalia ( Fig. 68C–D View Fig ), S7 ( Fig. 68A View Fig ) and terminal plate of S8 ( Fig. 68B View Fig ) as illustrated.

Distribution

Only known from the Nieuwoudtville area.

Host bees

Unknown.

Seasonal activity

August.

Figures

Fig. 67. Sphecodopsis nana sp. nov., paratype, ♂ (Nieuwoudtville Flower Reserve, RCMK). A. Habitus (lateral view). B. Metasoma (dorsal view). C. Head. D. Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum (dorsal view). E. Propodeum. F. T4–T7 (dorsal view).

Fig. 68. Sphecodopsis nana sp. nov., paratype, ♂ (Nieuwoudtville Flower Reserve, RCMK). A. S7 (dorsal view). B. S8 (dorsal view). C. Genital (dorsal view). D. Genital (lateral view).