Colletes abessinicus Friese 1915

Kuhlmann, Michael & Pauly, Alain, 2013, The bee genus Colletes Latreille 1802 in Ethiopia (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Colletidae), Zootaxa 3693 (2), pp. 267-292 : 268-270

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.3693.2.9

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:73406132-C802-4DBF-B3FE-6DC4728C407F

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6153663

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/4F0A87F9-F700-FF88-FF5E-C58CFCA632DC

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Colletes abessinicus Friese 1915
status

 

Colletes abessinicus Friese 1915 View in CoL

( Figs 1–3 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 )

Colletes abessinicus Friese, 1915: 266 , 268, 274, 278–279, 291, 3 holotype (type locality: “NO.-Afrika, Abessinien, Harrar”).

The female of C. abessinicus is here described for the first time.

Diagnosis. Colletes abessinicus belongs to a taxonomically very difficult group of sub-Saharan species related to C. rufitarsis Friese that have mostly tropical and subtropical distributions. In addition to C. abessinicus this group comprises six described species, namely C. opacus Friese, C. rufitarsis Friese, C. michaelis Cockerell, C. gorillarum Cockerell, C. marleyi Cockerell and C. fascicularis Cockerell (Kuhlmann 1998) . In addition, C. senkelensis sp. n. and probably C. aethiopicus sp. n. (see below) that are described here, and more than ten undescribed species, belong to this group. The female of C. abessinicus differs from all other species of the group by the finer, more dispersed and superficial punctation, especially of T1, in combination with the intense oily bluish shine of the terga ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 d). As in the female the terga of the male have the oily bluish shine but less intense. In combination with the fine and dense punctation of T1 ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 b) and the shape of S7 ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 c) the male of C. abessinicus is clearly defined.

Description. Female. Bl = 9.0–10.0 mm. Head. Head wider than long. Integument black except tip of mandible partly dark reddish-brown. Face except clypeus densely covered with long, yellowish-grey, erect hairs. Clypeus convex, without longitudinal median depression, supraclypeal area elevated, square. Clypeus coarsely and densely punctate, medially finer; surface between punctures shagreened, matt; Supraclypeal area with coarse but very shallow puncatation, appearing impunctate, matt ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 b). Malar area medially about 1/3 as long as width of mandible base, finely striate. Antenna black. Mesosoma. Integument black. Mesoscutal disc coarsely and densely punctate (i <0.5d), shagreened and matt. Scutellum as mesoscutum but punctation finer ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 c). Mesoscutum, scutellum, metanotum, mesepisternum and propodeum covered with long orange-brown erect hairs ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 a). Wings. Yellowish-brown; wing venation dark brown. Legs. Integument black, apical tarsomeres yellowish-brown. Vestiture whitish to yellowish, scopa greyish-white with isolated dark brown hairs. Metasoma. Integument black except very narrow apical margins of terga reddish translucent; terga with intense oily-bluish shine ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 d). T1 anteriorly sparsely covered with long, yellowish-white hairs; disc of T2 without long erect hairs, on T3–T5 discs with successively longer, erect black hairs; apical tergal hair band of T1 medially broadly interrupted, on T2–T4 broad and white. Terga densely (i <d) and very finely but superficially punctate ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 d).

Male. Bl = 8.5–9.5 mm. Head. Head wider than long. Integument black except tips of mandible partly dark reddish-brown. Face densely covered with long, yellowish-brown, erect hairs. Malar area medially about as long as width of mandible base, apically finely striate. Antenna black. Mesosoma. Integument black. Mesoscutal disc coarsely and densely punctate (i <0.5d), shagreened and matt. Mesoscutum, scutellum, metanotum, mesepisternum and propodeum covered with long yellowish-brown, erect hairs ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 a). Wings. Slightly yellowish-brown; wing venation brown. Legs. Integument black. Vestiture whitish to yellowish-brown. Metasoma. Integument black except narrow apical margins of terga reddish translucent; terga with an oily-bluish shine. T1–T2 covered with long, erect yellowish-brown hairs that are successively shorter on following terga ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 a); apical tergal hair bands narrow, white. Terga densely and finely punctate (i <d), on T1 between punctures slightly shagreened, matt, on following terga smooth and more shiny ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 b). Terminalia. Genitalia and S7 as illustrated ( Figs. 2 View FIGURE 2 c–d).

Material examined (21 specimens). Type material: male Lectotype, two male Paralectotypes, ETHIOPIA: Abessinien, Harrar 11 [42°07´E 09°18´N], Kristensen (ZMHB).

Additional material: ETHIOPIA: 1 Ƥ, Amhara region, Embuli near Dembecha [E37.31.39 N 10.31.03], 14.x.2011, Zewdu A., Bidens prestinaria (RBINS); 1 Ƥ, 1 3, Amhara region, Limalimo, N. Debark [E37.53.13 N13.13.46], 2153m, 19.x.2011, Zewdu A., Bidens prestinaria (RBINS); 1 Ƥ, Amhara region, Simien Mountains, near Sankaber, yellow pan trap [E38.01.23 N13.13.55], 3252m, 17.x.2011, A. Pauly & J.L. Boevé (RBINS); 1 Ƥ, 1 3, Oromia, Holeta [E38.30 N09.04], 10-16.x.2010, female on Trifolium rueppellianum (Fabaceae) , male on Brassica napus (Brassicaceae) (RBINS, RCMK); 1 3, Oromia, Entoto [E38.42 N09.06], 14.x.2010, Bidens pachyloma (Asteraceae) (RBINS); 1 3, Addis Abbaba [E38.44 N09.01], 18.viii.1920 (AMNH); 1 Ƥ, Addis Ababa [E38.44 N09.01], 1700m, 7.x.1945, K.M. Guichard (BMNH); 1 Ƥ, Addis Ababa [E38.44 N09.01], 13.x.1945, K.M. Guichard (BMNH); 1 Ƥ, 2 3, nr. Addis Ababa, Happy Valley [E38.44 N09.01], 30.x.1945, K.M. Guichard (BMNH, RCMK); 1 3; Oromia, btw. Kolobo to Genet [E38.44 N09.04], 12.x.2010, Guizotia scabra (Asteraceae) (RBINS); 1 3, Oromia (Bale), Kofale [E38.47 N07.04], 2200m, 25.x.2010, Zewdu A., Guizotia scabra (Asteraceae) (RBINS); 1 3, Bale, Robe 20 km E [E40.00 N07.08], 21.x.2010, Guizotia scabra (Asteraceae) (RCMK); 1 3; Harar [E42.07 N09.18], 1911, Kristensen (AMNH); 1 3, Djem-Djem Forest, ca. 8000ft, 25.- 26.ix.1926, Dr. H. Scott (BMNH).

General distribution. This species seems to be endemic to the Ethiopian highlands ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 ).

Floral hosts. Bidens prestinaria , B. pachyloma , Guizotia scabra (Asteraceae) , Brassica napus (Brassicaceae) , Trifolium rueppellianum (Fabaceae) ,.

Seasonal activity (first–last observations). VIII–X.

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Hymenoptera

Family

Colletidae

Genus

Colletes

GBIF Dataset (for parent article) Darwin Core Archive (for parent article) View in SIBiLS Plain XML RDF