Hoplitis (Formicapis) coreensis Müller, 2016

Müller, Andreas & Mauss, Volker, 2016, Palaearctic Hoplitis bees of the subgenera Formicapis and Tkalcua (Megachilidae, Osmiini): biology, taxonomy and key to species, Zootaxa 4127 (1), pp. 105-120 : 109-110

Hoplitis (Formicapis) coreensis Müller spec. nov.

Holotype. SOUTH KOREA: Gyongido, Gapyeong-gun Seo-myeon, Magok-li, 37º42.97N 127º35.45E, 4.5.– 6.6.2006, ♀ (leg. Tripotin). Deposited in the Entomological Collection of ETH Zurich.

Diagnosis. While the male of H. coreensis is still unknown, the female differs from all other H. ( Formicapis ) species by a sharp tooth projecting from between the posterior and anterior part of the hypostomal carina and by an unusually wide and laterally keeled impression at the base of tergum 1. More specifically, it differs from H. maritima and H. robusta by the lack of a clypeal projection or keel and from H. excisa by the shape and punctation of the clypeus ( Fig. 3 ): in contrast to H. excisa ( Fig. 6 ), the clypeus is only shallowly emarginate, the lobes adjacent to the clypeal emargination are not as distinctly projecting upwards and the median unpunctured area of the clypeus is more extended covering an area that is twice as wide as the maximal width of the antenna.

Description. FEMALE: Body length 5.5mm. Head: Head as long as wide and about 1.25x as wide as maximal width of scutum. Distance between lateral ocellus and preoccipital ridge about 3.25x as long as ocellar diameter. Maximal width of genal area about 1.5x as long as maximal width of compound eye. Mandible with extraordinarily long apical edge, which consists of two apical teeth and an adjacent long edge bearing a sharp triangular tooth between preapical tooth and upper apical angle ( Fig. 3 ). Hypostomal carina with sharp tooth at the transitional zone between its posterior and anterior part. Antenna blackish at base and increasingly brownish towards apex. Apical margin of clypeus with shallow emargination, which is about 8x as wide as long ( Fig. 3 ). Lobes adjacent to clypeal emargination very slightly projecting upwards and lying nearly in the same plane as clypeal surface. Clypeus medially with large unpunctured area, which is more than twice as wide as maximal width of antenna and basally more than half as wide as maximal width of supraclypeal area ( Fig. 3 ). Laterobasal part of clypeus, paraocular area, frons, vertex and genal area with rather sparse but mostly long whitish pilosity. Mesosoma: Punctation of scutum and scutellum rather dense with interspaces varying in size between the diameter of half a puncture and the diameter of one and a half, rarely more punctures. Basal area of propodeum densely shagreened with many weak longitudinal carinulae. Propodeal triangle shiny in its lowermost part. Mesosoma with rather sparse but long pilosity of whitish to yellowish hairs, which are longest on anterior part of scutum and on posterior part of scutellum. Tegula brown except for the base, which is blackish. Stigma and veins of wings brown. First recurrent vein of forewing meets first submarginal crossvein. Inner spur of hind leg yellowish-white, its apex slightly curved. Metasoma: Tergum 1 without carina separating its declivous anterior part from the horizontal posterior part. Declivous anterior part of tergum 1 polished. Impression at base of tergum 1 wide and limited laterally by longitudinal and more or less parallel-sided keels. Punctation of discs of terga 1–5 widely scattered medially with interspaces reaching the diameter of three to four, on tergum 1 even more punctures. Tergum 6 densely punctured with interspaces rarely exceeding the diameter of one puncture. Punctation of marginal zones of terga 2–4 finer and denser than on discs. Terga 1–4 with rather narrow apical white hair bands, which are widely interrupted on tergum 1. Apical margin of tergum 6 with fringe of yellowish hairs. Scopa white.

MALE: Unknown.

Distribution. Known so far only from the type locality in northern South Korea.

Pollen hosts. Unknown.

Nesting biology. Unknown.

Etymology. coreensis = from Korea.

Figures

FIGURE 1 – 8. 1: Hoplitis robusta, typical habitat in open subalpine forest with large proportion of dead wood (Swiss Alps, Sedrun, Grisons). 2: Hoplitis robusta, pollen collecting female on Potentilla erecta. 3: Hoplitis coreensis, clypeus and mandibles of female. 4: Hoplitis maritima, clypeus and mandibles of female. 5: Hoplitis maritima, tergum 7 of male. 6: Hoplitis excisa, clypeus and mandibles of female. 7: Hoplitis robusta, clypeus and mandibles of female. 8: Hoplitis robusta: tergum 7 of male.