Pseudoanthidium wahrmanicum ( Mavromoustakis, 1953 )

Kasparek, Max, 2021, The bee genus Pseudoanthidium: revision of the subgenus Exanthidium with the description of a new species (Apoidea: Megachilidae), Fragmenta entomologica 53 (2), pp. 333-346 : 341-343

Pseudoanthidium wahrmanicum ( Mavromoustakis, 1953)

Anthidium wahrmanicum Mavromoustakis, 1953 (male, female, Israel) [often misspelt as A. wahrman n icum] T ype material (not examined). Israel, Wadi Fukra, Negev (S Be’er Sheva) and Ein Gedi (Dead Sea) ( Mavromoustakis 1953).

Material examined. ALGERIA: 1 ♀, 2 ♂, Amsel , 30 km S Tamanrasset (22°37’N, 05°27’E), 01 Apr 1969, M. Schwarz leg. ( CMK) ; 1 ♀ Tamanraset, 52 km NE (Guelta), Hoggar (23°06’N, 05°53’E), 26 March 1989, leg. M. Schwarz ( CMK) ; 1 ♀, 1 ♂ Tamanraset, 60 km E, Hoggar (22°47’N, 06°07’E), 1500 m, 26 March 1989, leg. M. Schwarz ( CMK) ; 1 ♀ Tamanraset, 16 km NE (Guelta), Hoggar (22°53’N, 05°38’E), 25 March 1989, leg. M. Schwarz ( CMK) ; 14 ♀, 5 ♂ same location, 01 Apr 1989, leg. M. Schwarz ( CMK) . All material also listed in Aguib et al. (2010). 1♀ 1♂ Hoggar: Guelta nr. Ilamane , 1900 m, 29 March 1989, K. Warncke leg. ( OLL) ; 3♀ 4♂, Tamanrasset: Guelta 16 km NE, 25 March and 1 April 1989, K. Warncke leg. ( OLL) ; 4♀ 3♂ Amsel , 30 km S Tamanrasset, 29 March and 1 April 1989, K. Warncke leg. ( OLL) ; 1♂ Hoggar: Idjef Mélène Guelta , 15.-30. April 1950, G. Giodani Soika leg. ( OLL; Mavromoustakis 1954a) . ISRAEL: 2♂ Eilat , 10 April 1988, M. Kraus leg. ( OLL) ; 4♀ 3♂ 2 km E Samar (33 km N Eilat ), 15 April 1990, K. Warncke leg. ( OLL) . 2♀ Wadi Segur , 40km NW Eilat, 17 April 1990, K. Warncke leg. ( OLL) ; 1♀ Gerofit (46 km N Eilat), 16 April 1990, K. Warncke leg. ( OLL) ; 1♂ 100 km N Eilat, Menuha Junction , R 90, N30°18’, E35°08‘, 200 m, M. Halada leg. ( OLL) ; 1♀ Solom (?), 12 April 1972, H. Bytinski-Salz leg. ( OLL) ; 1♂ 50 km SE Mitspe Ramon , 30.280N, 35.001E, 3 May 2019, M. Halada leg. ( OLL) ; 1♀ Ein Gedi , 5 April 1952, J. Wahrman, Hebrew University leg. ( OLL) . SAUDI ARABIA: 1♀ Thumana , 70 km NW Er Riad, 10 March 1987, Voith leg. ( OLL) .

The female is distinguished from its congeners by an appendage on the apical margin of T5 which overhangs the cavity of T6. The male is characterised by a step-like broadening of the deep emargination of T7. It shares this trait with P. deserticolum sp.n., which is distinguished by several colour traits such as a yellow preoccipital band (lateral maculations in P. wahrmanicum ) or L-shaped anterolateral yellow band on scutum (black in P. wahrmanicum ).

Female ( Figs 13-14 ). 4-6 mm. Head: Clypeus creamy white, bell-shaped, broader than long (1.5-1.6 as long as broad at the broadest point); shining and with large punctures at base, matt and with smaller punctures towards apex; clypeus somewhat retracted apically; posterior margin emarginate with dense white pubescence; broad black longitudinal band in the centre (this band not reported by Mavromoustakis from Negev material); mandible light yellow with five dark brown teeth; supraclypeal area with large punctures and shining interstices (as base of clypeus); lower paraocular area and lower half of upper paraocular area creamy white; creamy white genal stripe almost reaching mandible and upper end of eye; margins of the macula sometimes tinged with red-brown; preoccipital ridge rounded, little concave in dorsal view; antenna black, reddish-brown underneath.

Mesosoma : Scutum black, densely punctate, shining; pronotal lobe black at base, creamy white distally; high lamella; scutellum widely rounded in dorsal view, angulate in lateral view; black with creamy white posterior side; axilla black anteriorly, creamy white posteriorly.

Metasoma: Metasoma barrel-shaped to rotundiform; terga shining; discs with scattered punctures, often separat- ed by up to three puncture diameters; depression with finer and denser punctation; marginal zone impunctate and curled upwards (best seen in lateral view); marginal zone broader in the middle than laterally; T2 longer than neighbouring terga; T1-T5 each with a creamy-yellow strip nearly reaching the middle; the stripes attenuated in the middle; depressions red-brown, sometimes tinged with yellowish-brown; marginal zone brownish semi-transparent; T5 with a produced narrow and short appendage in the middle; T6 broad, creamy white with black margins, strongly depressed; apical margin truncate with a small emargination in the middle; T5 with its appendage overhanging the cavity of T6.

Male ( Figs 13-14 ). 6-8 mm. Head: Clypeus, supraclypeal area, lower paraocular area and lower part of upper paraocular area pale yellow; gena with yellow stripe not reaching mandible; apical margin of clypeus truncate; mandible pale yellow with scattered punctation, tridentate with dark brown teeth; entire face with long silvery-white pubescence nearly reaching anterior ocellus; antenna as in female.

Mesosoma : Scutum with pale yellow stripe on each side of the middle above ( Mavromoustakis 1953). This stripe is absent in material from Algeria. Yellow stripe on scutellum sometimes broken in the middle. Mesosoma otherwise as in female.

Metasoma: T1-T5 similar to female; T6 laterally bulging; T7 yellow, long with deep median emargination; anterior part of emargination U-shaped, but step-like widening of opening (see also drawing in Mavromoustakis 1954a); transparent marginal area; punctation of T7 sparse; S 3 with specialised hairs with hooked apices; apical margin of S 6 wide-angled triangular; genitalia as in Fig. 3 .

Biology. All material was collected in March and April.

Distribution ( Fig. 15 ). Hoggar Mountains in Algeria (details see under Material), Negev in Israel (Ein Gedi, 31°27’N 35°23’E, and Wadi Fukra, c. 30°57’N 35°03’E) ( Mavromoustakis 1953), and central SAudi Arabia (Riyadh region).

Figures

Fig. 13 – Pseudoanthidium wahrmanicum from Algeria.A, Habitus dorsal female; B, Habitus dorsal male; C, Face female; D, Face male.

Fig. 14 – Pseudoanthidium wahrmanicum from Algeria. A, Apical terga female; B, Apical terga male; C, Scutum male; D, Apical sterna male.

Fig. 3 – Male genitalia of P. deserticolum sp. n. (upper row, A-C), P. wahrmanicum (middle row, D-F), and P. eximium (lower row, G-I). A/D/G: dorsal view, B/E/H: ventral view, C/F/I: lateral view.

Fig. 15 – Distribution of Pseudoanthidium deserticolum sp.n., P. enslini, P. pictipes, and P. wahrmanicum.