Sphecodopsis vespericena Eardley, 1997

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 : 63-68

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-FFC8-FFC2-FDDD-FB98FD75FC8A

treatment provided by

Plazi (2025-03-06 13:03:35, last updated 2025-03-06 13:20:37)

scientific name

Sphecodopsis vespericena Eardley, 1997
status

 

Sphecodopsis vespericena Eardley, 1997 View in CoL

Figs 47–50 View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig

Sphecodopsis vespericena Eardley View in CoL in Eardley & Brothers, 1997: 401–403, holotype ♀ (type locality: 11 km W of Clanwilliam, South Africa) (SANC) examined.

Diagnosis

The female of S. vespericena can be separated from that of all other species of the genus by the combination of the following characters: S6 bifid posteriorly, apical notch longer and broader, about one and a half times as long as its apical width ( Fig. 48C View Fig ); metasoma partially red ( Fig. 47B View Fig ); fore tibia and tarsi completely or largely red ( Fig. 47A View Fig ); head wider than long ( Fig. 47C View Fig ); T5 apically with conspicuously long fringe, hair laterally distinctly longer forming a small medial gap ( Fig. 48B View Fig ); T5 with brown fringe of slightly branched hair ( Fig. 48B View Fig ). The male is here described for the first time and can be separated from that of all other species of the genus by the combination of the following characters: metasoma at least partially red ( Fig. 49B View Fig ); fore tibia and tarsi completely red ( Fig. 49A View Fig ); metapostnotum with hair in upper corners and matt ( Fig. 49E View Fig ); mesoscutum densely punctate, matt ( Fig. 49D View Fig ).

Additional material examined (11 specimens)

SOUTH AFRICA • 1 ♀; Ouberg Pass, 27 km SE of Vanrhynsdorp, Fynbos ; 31°48′07″ S, 18°55′00″ E; 380 m a.s.l.; 9 Aug. 2011; MK leg.; RCMK GoogleMaps 1 ♀; same collection data as for preceding; 23 Aug. 2012; RCMK GoogleMaps 1 ♀; W Cape, S of Lamberts Bay ; [32°04′ S, 18°20′ E]; 7–9 Oct. 1999; MH leg.; RCMS GoogleMaps 2 ♀♀, 1 ♂; W Cape, Rietvlei ; 32°08′46″ S, 18°46′21″ E; 22 Sep. 2011; CE leg.; SANC GoogleMaps 4 ♀♀; C.P. 11 km W of Clanwilliam ; 32°10′ S, 18°47′ E; 1 Oct. 1990; CE leg.; RCMS GoogleMaps 1 ♀; W Cape Prov., near Redelinghuys ; 32°32′23″ S, 18°30′53″ E; 96 m a.s.l.; 18 Sep. 2005; CE leg.; SANC GoogleMaps .

Description

Female

BODY LENGTH. 7.3–8.0 mm.

HEAD. Head distinctly wider than long. Vertex almost straight and flat, except for the ocelli. Integument black, except part of mandibles red or reddish-brown. Face covered with long, black hair mixed with short, white hair. Face and clypeus with dense (i=0.25–0.5 d), coarse and deep punctation, supraclypeal area with more dispersed (i =0.5–1 d) punctation ( Fig. 47C View Fig ). Surface between punctures matt. Antenna black.

MESOSOMA. Integument black, tegula orange. Mesoscutum matt. Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum densely (i= 0.25–0.5 d) finely and deeply punctate ( Fig. 47D View Fig ). Propodeum with dense (i =0.25–1 d), coarse and deep punctation, metapostnotum matt ( Fig. 48A View Fig ). Mesoscutum, mesoscutellum, metanotum, mesepisternum and propodeum sparsely covered with long, black hair mixed with shorter, white hair, metapostnotum glabrous ( Figs 47D View Fig , 48A View Fig ).

WINGS. Fuscous; wing venation dark brown and stigma dark brown to black ( Fig. 47A View Fig ).

LEGS. Integument of coxa, trochanter and the basal quarter of femur black, rest of femur, tibia and tarsi red. Coxa and trochanter sparsely covered with long, black hair and shorter white hair. Femur with few long, black hair. Tibia and tarsi sparsely covered with short, black hair mixed with short, white hair ( Fig. 47A View Fig ).

METASOMA. Integument of T1–T3, T4 to a variable extension red, from T4 completely red, except marginal zone black to completely black; T5 and T6 black. T1and T2 sparsely covered with short white and black hair, from T3 increasingly more and longer hair ( Fig. 47B View Fig ). T5 with long, black hair mixed with very short, white hair and apical margin with two brown fringes of hair. T6 with dense short, white hair mixed with short, black hair, broad and almost straight apically ( Fig. 48B View Fig ). Shape of S6 ( Fig. 48C View Fig ) as illustrated.

Male

BODY LENGTH. 9.0 mm.

HEAD. Head distinctly wider than long. Vertex almost straight and flat, except for the ocelli. Integument black, except part of mandibles reddish-brown. Face covered with long, black hair mixed with short, white hair. Face and clypeus with dense (i=0.25–0.5 d), coarse and deep punctation, supraclypeal area with more dispersed (i=0.5–1 d) punctation ( Fig. 49C View Fig ). Surface between punctures matt. Antenna black.

MESOSOMA. Integument black, tegula orange. Mesoscutum matt. Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum densely (i= 0.25–0.5 d) finely and deeply punctate ( Fig. 49D View Fig ). Propodeum with dense (i =0.25–1 d), coarse and deep punctation, metapostnotum matt ( Fig. 49E View Fig ). Mesoscutum, mesoscutellum, metanotum, mesepisternum and propodeum sparsely covered with long, black hair mixed with shorter, white hair, metapostnotum glabrous ( Fig. 49D–E View Fig ).

WINGS. Fuscous; wing venation dark brown and stigma black ( Fig. 49A View Fig ). LEGS. Integument of coxa, trochanter and the basal quarter of femur black, rest of femur, tibia and tarsi red. Coxa and trochanter sparsely covered with long, black hair and shorter white hair. Femur with few long, black hair. Tibia and tarsi sparsely covered with short, black hair mixed with short, white hair ( Fig. 49A View Fig ).

METASOMA. Integument of T1–T4 red, T5–T7 black. T1and T2 sparsely covered with short white and black hair, from T3 increasingly more and longer hair ( Fig. 49B View Fig ). T7 covered with dense short, gold hair and few black hairs apically ( Fig. 50A View Fig ).

TERMINALIA. Genitalia ( Fig. 50D–E View Fig ), S7 ( Fig. 50B View Fig ) and terminal plate of S8 ( Fig. 50C View Fig ) as illustrated.

Distribution

Recorded from southern Namaqualand to Malmesbury ( Eardley & Brothers 1997).

Host bees

The host bee very likely is Scrapter bicolor Lepeletier & Serville, 1828 because both species were always found together in large numbers in the late afternoon, when no other potential host bee species were active ( Eardley & Brothers 1997).

Seasonal activity

August–October ( Eardley & Brothers 1997).

Eardley C. D. & Brothers D. J. 1997. Phylogeny of the Ammobatini and revision of the Afrotropical genera (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Nomadinae). Journal of Hymenoptera Research 6 (2): 353-418. Available from https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/4491805 [accessed 28 Jan. 2025].

Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau A. & Serville A. 1828. Dictionnaire des insectes. In: Encyclopedie methodique 10: 345-832.

Gallery Image

Fig. 47. Sphecodopsis vespericena Eardley, 1997, ♀ (Ouberg Pass, RCMK). A. Habitus (lateral view). B. Metasoma (dorsal view). C. Head. D. Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum (dorsal view).

Gallery Image

Fig. 48. Sphecodopsis vespericena Eardley, 1997, ♀ (Ouberg Pass, RCMK). A. Propodeum. B. T5 and T6. C. S6.

Gallery Image

Fig. 49. Sphecodopsis vespericena Eardley, 1997, ♂ (SANC). A. Habitus (lateral view). B. Metasoma (dorsal view). C. Head. D. Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum (dorsal view). E. Propodeum. F. T5 and T6 (dorsal view).

Gallery Image

Fig. 50. Sphecodopsis vespericena Eardley, 1997, ♂ (SANC). A. T7 (dorsal view). B. S7 (dorsal view). C. S8 (dorsal view). D. Genital (dorsal view). E. Genital (lateral view).

SANC

Agricultural Research Council-Plant Protection Research Institute

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Hymenoptera

Family

Apidae

Genus

Sphecodopsis