Sphecodes olivieri Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau, 1825

Astafurova, Yu. V., Proshchalykin, M. Yu. & Engel, M. S., 2018, The cuckoo bee genus Sphecodes Latreille, 1804 (Hymenoptera: Halictidae) in Kazakhstan, Far Eastern Entomologist 369, pp. 1-48 : 25-26

Sphecodes olivieri Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau, 1825

DIAGNOSIS. This species is close to S. cristatus Hagens, 1882 and S. pectoralis as they share a sharp, longitudinal carina on the vertex and similar male gonostylar shape ( Fig. 18 ), but differs from both by the coarser punctation of the mesoscutum

(25–75 μm versus 20–40 μm in other species) and by the more strongly transverse head (1.30–1.35 times as wide as long in female and 1.2 times as wide as long in male versus 1.20––1.25 times in female and 1.10–1.15 times as wide as long in male in S. cristatus and S. pectoralis , respectively).

DESCRIPTIVE NOTES. Hind wing with basal vein weakly curved; costal margin with 11–12 hamuli. Female. Total body length 8.0–11.0 mm. Head strongly transverse, 1.30–1.35 times as wide as long; vertex elevated; face and gena with dense, appressed, snow-white pubescence obscuring integument. Mesoscutum coarsely and irregularly punctate, with punctures (25–75 μm) separated by 0.1–3

puncture diameters; mesoscutellum sometimes with sparser punctures, separated by

0.1–5 puncture diameters; mesosoma black to entirely red; legs red or reddish brown; mesepisternum and metanotum with dense, appressed, snow-white pubescence obscuring integument. Metasomal T1 distinctly punctate, on disc irregularly so (15–30 μm / 1–8), densely so on marginal zone (0.5–2); T1–T5 red;

pygidial plate slightly narrower than metabasitarsus. Male. Total body length 7.0–

11.0 mm. Head transverse, 1.2 times as wide as long; vertex strongly elevated; tyloids weakly developed, narrow, semicircular across basal 1/7–1/5 of flagellomeres.

Mesocutum and mesoscutellum coarsely and densely punctate, with punctures (30–

75 μm) separated by 0.1–2 puncture diameters; mesosoma black to entirely red; legs red or reddish brown. Metasomal T1 with marginal zone distinctly punctate; T1–T5

red; gonocoxite dorsally with impression; gonostylus as in Fig. 18 .

MATERIAL EXAMINED. Kazakhstan. West Kazakhstan: 2 ♀ (Kharkin, Ural

River; Bolshoy Uzen River); Atyrau: 2 ♂ (30 km W Miyaly, Uil River ); Mangystau :

1 ♀, 1 ♂ ( Fort Aleksandrovsk [Shevchenko]; 120 km E Aktau, Ushtagan, Sauskan sands) ; Kyzylorda: 2 ♀ (near Zhulek, Syr Darya River ; Kazalinsk) ; Akmola: 1 ♀

(15 km NW Ashchikol Lake [W Kokshetau]); Karagandy: 2 ♀, 1 ♂ ( Balkhash

Lake, 90 km E Balkhash); South Kazakhstan: 1 ♀, 4 ♂ ( Arys River , Syr Darya

River; Golodnaya Step Desert; Karatau Mts, Darvaza River; 40 km N Tashkent,

Darbaza; Shardara, Syr-Dar’ya River); Zhambyl: 6 ♀, 16 ♂ ( Talas River ; Kara Tau;

Togusken; 12 km NE Lugovoy; 30 km SW Khantau, Chu River; Balkhash Lake, 30

km NNW Mynaral; Balkhash env.); East Kazakhstan: 1 ♀, 1 ♂, Bolshoy Uzen

River; 15 km W Buran, Cherny Irtysh River ; Almaty: 4 ♀, 5 ♂ (Iliysk [Kapchagay];

25 km W Bakanas; 40 km NNW Chardara, Syr Darya River; 15 km SSW Ushtobe;

Lepsi; Matai-desert; Charyn River, Sortogay; 15 km W Chundzha).

PUBLISHED RECORDS. The species has been recorded from South Kazakhstan by Morawitz (1876: 225, as S. rufithorax Morawitz, 1876 ) and Meyer (1919: 107,

as S. rufithorax ), while Meyer (1924: 5, as S. tenuis Meyer, 1919 ) provided a record from Almaty.

DISTRIBUTION. Kazakhstan (* West Kazakhstan, * Atyrau, *Mangystau, *Kyzylorda, *Akmola, *Karagandy, South Kazakhstan, *Zhambyl, * East Kazakhstan,

Almaty), Central Asia, South Europe, Russia (south of European part), Caucasus,

Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, North Africa.

Figures

Figs 14–19. Genitalia, males, dorsal view. 14 – Sphecodes intermedius; 15 – S. longulus;