Megachile seewaldi Strand.

Eardley, Connal, 2012, A taxonomic revision of the southern African species of the subgenus Creightonella Cockerell (Apoidea: Megachilidae: Megachile Latreille), Zootaxa 3159, pp. 1-35 : 15-18

Megachile seewaldi Strand.

Figs 8–9

Megachile seewaldi Strand, 1911: 125 , female holotype (ZMHB) Namibia.

Creightoniella [!] seewaldi (Strand) : Pasteels 1965: 18, 21, 43, 45–46, 48.

Megachile pyrrhopyga Friese 1922: 26 , male and female syntypes (ZMHB) Namibia; Pasteels 1965: 45, syn.

Megachile lichtenburgensis Brauns, 1926: 226 –227, male holotype (TMSA) South Africa; Pasteels 1965: 45, syn.

Megachile (Creightonella) lichtenburgensis Brauns : Cockerell 1937: 193, 222.

Megachile orycina Cockerell, 1935a: 66 , female holotype (TMSA) Namibia; Pasteels 1965: 45, syn.

Megachile (Creightonella) sanctissima Cockerell, 1938: 225 –226, male holotype (type depository unknown) Namibia; Pasteels 1965: 45, syn.

Megachile weenenica Cockerell, 1944: 246 , male holotype (NHML) South Africa; Pasteels 1965: 45, syn.

Discussion. Strand (1911) described this species from Namibia. The type material has been studied. Later, Friese (1922) described pyrrhopyga , also from Namibia, which was synonymized with seewaldi by Pasteels (1965). Brauns (1926) described lichtenburgensis , and Cockerell (1935a, 1938) described orycina and weenenica , all of which Pasteels (1965) synonymized with seewaldi . The holotypes of pyrrhopyga , lichtenburgensis , orycina and weenenica have been studied and Pasteels’ (1965) synonymies are here confirmed.

Diagnosis. Female. Vestiture on head, mesosoma and T1 mostly white, vertex, foretibia and tarsus mostly black, mesosomal dorsum with black and white hairs intermixed; T2–T4 black with a white distal fringes (narrow medially, broad laterally), T5 orange with white distal fringe; T6 orange ( Fig. 8a–b ); scopa orange. Lengths: face 3.5–3.6 mm, scutum 2.0– 2.6 mm, forewing 8.8–10.0 mm, body 11.0–12.0 mm. Structure. Clypeus more than twice as wide as long; gently convex, densely punctuate, except mediolongitudinal region, ventral edge straight ( Fig. 8a ); clypeocellus:clypeus 1:0.7; scopal hairs pointed.

Male. Integument. T6–T7 reddish. Vestiture on head, mesosoma, foreleg, T1 and metasomal venter mostly white, vertex black, mesosomal dorsum with black and white hairs intermixed; T2–T4 black with white distal fringes (narrow medially, broad laterally), T5 orange with white distal fringe; T6 orange ( Fig. 8c–d ). Lengths: face 2.8–3.1 mm, scutum 1.5–2.0 mm, forewing 8.0– 8.7 mm, body 9.5–10.0 mm. Structure. Clypeus gently convex above, flat below, ventral edge concave mediolongitidinally, weakly tuberculate apicolaterally; mandible with three apical teeth, middle tooth wide, large tooth on ventral edge; foretarsus unmodified; T6 shield–like, with mediolongitudinal carina, not distinctly concave posteromedially, serrate distal edge, convex ( Fig. 8d ); T7 with mediolongitudinal keel; S4 with concave posterior carina; S5 unmodified; S6–S8 and gonocoxite resemble those of M. cognata ( Fig. 2d–f ).

Distribution ( Fig. 9 ). Megachile seewaldi is only known from southern Africa where it is widely distributed, yet seldom collected.

Biology. Food plants of M. seewaldi are: Alchornea sp., Asteraceae , Crotalaria sp., Indigofera sp., Justica sp., Lamiaceae and Passifloraceae .

Material examined. Type material. Female holotype of Megachile seewaldi : ‘D.S.W. Afrika Okanjanda Waterberg 25.ii.09 Seewald S.G., Megachile seewaldi female m. Strand det., Type’, [20.25S 17.15E] in ZMHB. Female syntype of Megachile pyrrhopyga : ‘SW. Africa Grotfontein 1903 Volkmann, Megchile pyrrhopyga female Fr. 1915 Friese det., Type, Coll. Friese’, [19.34S 18.07E] in ZMHB. Male holotype of Megachile lichtenburgensis : ‘ TYPE Hym1068 Megachile lichtenburgensis Brauns male, Lichtenburg Transvaal Dr. Brauns 1.i.11, Megachile lichtenburgensis Br. Male n. sp. Type, Megachile lichtenburgensis male Type Brauns’, [26.10S 26.11E] in TMSA. Female holotype of Megachile orycina : ‘ TYPE Hym 1221 Megachile orycina Cockerell female, V.–L. Kal. Exp. Gemsbok Pan 23/4–5/5 /30, Megachile orycina Ckll TYPE, = pyrrhopyga Friese 1922 det. G. Arnold’, [21.40S 21.25E] in TMSA. Male holotype of Megachile weenenica : ‘ Type B.M. TYPE HYM 17a 2512, Megachile weenenica Ckll TYPE, NATAL Weenen 1.1926, H.P. Thomasset, Pres. By Imp. Bur. Ent Brit Mus. 1929–407’, [28.50S 30.06E] in NHML.

Additional material. Zimbabwe. Bulawayo [20.09S 28.35E], x.1924, R. Stevenson (6 females 1 male, TMSA). South Africa. O.T.K. Reserve, near Loskop Dam, 25.27S 29.24E, 9–11.xii.1985, C. Eardley (2 males, SANC); Hartebeespoort Dam [25.37S 27.53E], 10.xii.1969, L. Starke (1 female, SANC); Roodeplaat [25.34S 28.22E], 20–15.ii.1916, Breyer (1 male, SANC); Pretoria North [25.45S 28.10E], 16.x.1977, H. Empey (4 females, SANC); idem, 26.x.1947, C. Jacot Guillarmod (1 specimen, AMSA); Rivonia, Johannesburg [26.11S 28.03E], 9.ii.1961, F Herbst (1 specimen, AMSA); Florida Hills, Johannesburg, 19.xii.1972, H. Empey (2 females, SANC); Koppies Dam Nature Reserve, 27.15S 27.41E, 22–23.ii.1993, C. Eardley (1 male, SANC); Grahamstown [33.18S 26.32E], 4.ii.1967, D.J. Brothers (4 specimens, AMSA); Strowan, Grahamstown, 27.iii.1967, D.J. Brothers (1 specimen, AMSA); Strowan, Grahamstown, 26.xii.1967, 7.i.1968, C.F. Jacot Guillarmod (3 specimens, AMSA); Strowan, Grahamstown, 22.i.1969 – 3.iii.1969, F.W. Gess (4 specimens, AMSA); Hilton, Grahamstown, 6.xii.1972, 3.i.1977, 10.ii.1977 20.xii.1977, 5.xii.1980, F.W. Gess D.W. Gess (6 specimens, AMSA); Thursford, Grahamstown, 8–13.i.1981, F.W. Gess, S.K Gess (specimens, AMSA); Clifton, Grahamstown, 8.ii.1981, 10.ii.1986, F.W. Gess (6 specimens, AMSA); Modderfontein [33.11S 24.46E], Kommadagga District, 14.i.1986, D. Gess (1 specimen, AMSA); Riebeek East [33.12S 26.09E], 14.xi.1992, F. Gess, S. Gess (1 specimen, AMSA); Algoa Bay [33.58S 25.36E], 18.i.1898, H. Brauns (1 female, SANC); Malmesbury, 33.27S 18.44E, 8.xii.1988, C. Eardley (1 female. SANC); Cederberg, 32.30S 19.15E, 19.xi.1984, C. Eardley (1 female, SANC); Harlem, 33.44S 23.17E, 17.xii.1986, M. Mansell (1 female, SANC); 5km Stoffberg, 25.23S 29.48E, 16.i.1989, V. Uys (1 female, SANC).

Figures

FIGURE 9. Known distribution of Megachile seewaldi.

FIGURE 8 a – d. Megachile seewaldi. a. Female face. b. Female habitus. c. Male face. d. Male habitus.

FIGURE 2 a – f. Megachile cognata. a. Female mandible. b – f. Male. b. T 6. c. S 4. d. S 6. e. S 8. f. Genital capsule.