Pseudoanthidium bytinskii ( Mavromoustakis, 1948 )

Kasparek, Max, 2024, New species, new synonyms, and resurrected taxa: A review of West and Central Palaearctic members of the genus Pseudoanthidium (Apoidea: Megachilidae), Zootaxa 5541 (1), pp. 1-50 : 5

Pseudoanthidium bytinskii ( Mavromoustakis, 1948)

( Figs 2 , 20–25 )

Anthidium bytinskii ( Mavromoustakis, 1948) .—Female, Israel.

Pseudoanthidium (Paraanthidiellum) bytinskii ( Mavromoustakis 1948)

Material examined. ISRAEL: 1♂, Ein Gedi , 31.45°N 35.38°E, 07.iv.1988, K. Guichard leg. ( CMK: ms2707) .— 1♂, 100km N Eilat, Menuha Junction , R90, 30.13°N 35.13°E, 20.iv.2018, M. Halada leg.; COI sequence: ABABX468- 22 ( OLL: oll836) .— 1♀, 10 km N Yahel , 30.16°N 35.15°E, 04.v.2019, M. Halada leg.; COI sequence: ABABX469- 22 ( OLL: oll837) .— OMAN: 1♂, Al Hajar Mts. nr. Wadi Al-Arabein, 23.30°N 57.10°E, 270 m, 28.iii.2016, J. Monks leg.; COI sequence: ABABX291-21 ( CMK: jm017) .

Material not examined. MoA (1989) reported two specimens in the Mavromoustakis collection, the type and the “ allotype ”. According to Mavromoustakis (1948), the type location is Ein Gedi, located at the border with Palestine .

Genetic barcode information: DNA sequences were derived from three specimens, with one from Oman (jm017) with only 314 bp ( ABABX291-21 ), but the other two (oll836, oll837) with>600 bp ( ABABX468-22 , ABABX469- 22). A BIN has not yet been assigned. The species is not closely associated with any other Pseudoanthidium species in the COI Species ID Tree ( Fig. 28) .

Diagnosis. The species can easily be distinguished from all other species of Pseudoanthidium by its axilla which forms a strong tooth pointed posteriorly. Additionally, the female is distinct from all other species of the genus by its medially swollen mandible.

Description. Female ( Fig. 2a ). 10 mm long.— Head: Head blocky (as typical for many Pseudoanthidium species); clypeus bell-shaped, finely punctate ( Fig. 20 ), with interstices somewhat longer at the base than towards the apex; apical ridge crenulate with a median tubercle larger than others; apical margin largely hidden by white pubescence; mandible yellow with black teeth, with to1 being the strongest, to2 and to3 equally strong, to4- to7 small; to8 the second strongest; mandible with a median bulge on outer face ( Fig. 2c–d ); upper and lower paraocular area, and supraclypeal area yellow; large yellow spot on the frons between the antennal sockets and the lower ocelli; yellow preoccipital band extending over lower end of gena.— Mesosoma : Scutum black with anterolateral yellow band; large yellow spot on mesepisternum; pronotal lobe yellow with high lamella; apical margin of scutellum widely rounded in dorsal view, lamellate laterally; yellow, interrupted by black maculation in the middle; axilla yellow with a strong tooth pointed posteriorly.— Legs: Yellow.— Metasoma: Yellow lateral bands covering most of T 1– T 5, contiguous or subcontiguous in the middle; T 6 entirely yellow; with an impunctate apical margin; outer margin of T 6 in dorsal view with a shoulder and a small bilobed extension centrally ( Fig. 22 ); scopal hairs yellow.

Male ( Fig. 2b ). 8.5 mm long. The three males examined noticeable smaller than the female.— Head: Colouration pattern as in the female; clypeus and paraocular area pale yellow ( Fig. 21 ), gena and preoccipital area dark yellow; mandible yellow with three strong, black teeth; mandible not bulging as in the female; antennal segment sg1 yellow ventrally, brown dorsally; sg2 brown; sg 3-sg4 yellow-brown, sg5 bicoloured yellow-brown and brown, sg6-sg13 brown.— Mesosoma : As in female.— Legs: Yellow.— Metasoma ( Fig. 2e ): Similar to female; T5–T6 entirely yellow; T7 yellow with broad apical emargination ( Figs 23 –24); S2 with apical fringe of plumose hairs; S3 with modified hairs (undulate hairs basally and long, hooked hairs protruding beyond these basal hairs); S5 with basal comb and projection with black apical comb (approximately 17 more or less equally long digits); S6 laterally with semicircular incisions.— Genitalia: Gonostylus approximately parallel-sided, with apex rounded and unnotched; penis valves slender with rounded apex, non-contiguous ( Fig. 25 ).

Variation. Mavromoustakis (1948) mentioned three apical and four smaller lower teeth. The female examined here has three large and five smaller lower teeth. Genae described by Mavromoustakis (1948) as broadly yellow, while they are entirely yellow in the examined specimen.

Distribution. Levant ( Israel) and Arabian Peninsula ( Oman) (new) ( Fig. 27a ).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Pseudoanthidium bytinskii (Mavromoustakis, 1948), form Israel. a. Habitus dorsal, female; b. Habitus dorsal, male; c. Head of the female, with bulging mandibles; d. Mandible of the male with depressed basal part; e. Sterna of the male with specialized undulated and apically hooked hairs on S3 and combs on S5.

FIGURE 20. Face of the female of Palaearctic species of Pseudoanthidium (continued on the following page).

FIGURE 21. Faces of the male of Palaearctic species of the genus Pseudoanthidium.

FIGURE 22. Apical terga of females of Palaearctic Pseudoanthidium species.

FIGURE 23. Apical terga of males of Palaearctic Pseudoanthidium species.

FIGURE 25. Male genitalia of selected Palaearctic species of Pseudoanthidium.

FIGURE 27. Distribution of selected species of Pseudoanthidium. a. Pseudoanthidium bytinskii, P. puncticolle, P. syriacum sp. nov., and P. variabile; b. Pseudoanthidium farsiense sp. nov., P. moricei, and P. rhombiferum.