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

Sphecodopsis nana sp. nov.

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

Figs 67–68

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); fore legs usually black ( Fig. 67A); head and mesosoma with golden or white hair ( Fig. 67C–D); propodeum very sparsely covered with short white hair ( Fig. 67E); gonostylus inclined inward, penis valves narrower, slightly shorter than gonostylus ( Fig. 68C–D); S8 narrow and almost truncate apically ( Fig. 68B).

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.

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 • 3 ♂♂; same collection data as for preceding; 19 Aug. 2004; RCMK .

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). 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). Propodeum with dense (i =0.5–1 d), fine and shallow punctation, metapostnotum matt ( Fig. 67E). 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). Mesepisternum sparsely covered with slightly long, white hair.

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

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

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). T6 disc covered with long white hair, marginal zone with short white hairs. T7 covered with short white hair ( Fig. 67F).

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

Distribution

Only known from the Nieuwoudtville area.

Host bees

Unknown.

Seasonal activity

August.