Cyphanthidium sheppardi (Mavromoustakis)

Eardley, Connal & Griswold, Terry, 2018, Taxonomic revision of Cyphanthidium Pasteels (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Megachilidae: Megachilinae: Anthidiini), an endemic Afrotropical bee genus, Zootaxa 4450 (1) : -

Cyphanthidium sheppardi (Mavromoustakis)

(Figs 4–6)

Hypanthidium sheppardi Mavromoustakis, 1937b: 229 –230, male holotype ( TMSA, examined) Zimbabwe.

Trianthidiellum sheppardi (Mavromoustakis) : Pasteels 1969: 58, 129–132.

Anthidiellum (Trianthidiellum) sheppardi (Mavromoustakis) : Pasteels 1984: 113 –114.

Cyphanthidium sheppardi (Mavromoustakis) : Michener & Griswold 1994: 314.

Diagnosis. This species differs from all other Cyphanthidium in the extremely dense, finely punctured scutum. The female is unknown but is expected to share this gender-neutral character. In addition, males have a strongly protuberant clypeus and the scutellum does not extend laterally behind the axillae, modified anterior hind tibial spur that is weakly swollen basally, T7 posterolateral and posteromedian lobes elongate and of similar width ( Fig. 5d ). Cyphanthidium sheppardi , C. gessorum and C. whiteheadi resemble one another in the shape of the male T7, and each of these three species has at least one unique feature, which in this species is the absence of a distinct posteromedial carina on T6.

Description. FEMALE. Unknown.

MALE. Colour. Vestiture mostly white, yellow on legs (all vestiture damaged) ( Fig. 5a & b ). Integument black with yellow maculation on: most of clypeus, ventral and lateral supraclypeus, lower paraocular area, lateral upper paraocular area, below median ocellus, mandible (except distal margin), most gena, anterolateral scutum, small lateral spot on scutum, pronotal lobe, mesepisternum below pronotal lobe, lateral axilla, short band on posterior region of scutellum (interrupted posteromedially), anterolateral tegula, most of legs (dorsal femora and ventral tibiae partly black), anterolateral T1, T1–T5 cross-bands; most of T6–T7 (distal margins black) ( Fig. 5a, b–c ).

Lengths. Head 3.2 mm; scutum 2.4 mm; fore wing 7.2 mm.

Structure. Vertex gentle convex (anterior view) ( Fig. 5c ); clypeus dull between punctures (fine reticulate sculpture), ventral edge crenulate; clypeus strongly protuberant (lateral view; eye about twice as wide as clypeus); mandible bidentate, inner region narrowly spatulate; pronotal lobe rounded to weakly carinate; scutum dull, finely and densely punctate; posterior (inner) hind tibial spurs mostly straight, dissimilar, slightly curved distally (posterior (inner) spur slender, anterior (outer) spur distinctly wider basally – arced to more or less straight, curved distally); T6 almost entire posteromedially (with a very small apicomedian point), toothed laterally ( Fig. 5d ); T7 trilobed, lobes similar in width ( Fig. 5d ); S5–S8 and genital capsule as illustrated ( Fig. 6a–e ).

Distribution. Unlike the other species of Cyphanthidium , C. sheppardi occurs in summer rainfall regions, possibly forested areas in eastern Zimbabwe and the eastern area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Fig. 4).

Material examined. Type material. Male holotype of Hypanthidium sheppardi Mavromoustakis : ‘Umvomvomvo Umtali District, S. Rhodesia, June 1932 P.A. Sheppard; Hypanthidium sheppardi Mavromoustakis ♂; Type, TYPE Hym1162 Hypanthidium sheppardi Mavromoustakis ♂’ (in TMSA).

Additional material. Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bassin Lukuga, 1934, De Saeger (1♂, RMAC).

Figures

FIGURE 5. Cyphanthidium sheppardi (Mavromoustakis), male. a. Habitus, dorsal. b. Habitus, lateral. c. Face. d. T6–T7. e. Hind tibial spurs.

FIGURE 6. Cyphanthidium sheppardi (Mavromoustakis), male. a. Genital capsule. b. S8. c. S7. d. S6 e. S5