Hoplitis (Alcidamea) herrmanni, Müller, 2022

Müller, Andreas, 2022, New Moroccan bee species of the tribe Osmiini (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Megachilidae), Zootaxa 5188 (3), pp. 233-263 : 234-235

Hoplitis (Alcidamea) herrmanni spec. nov.

Holotype. MOROCCO: Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra : Layoune, 16.2.1988, ♂ (leg. K. Guichard). Deposited in the Entomological Collection of ETH Zurich.

Paratypes. MOROCCO: Drâa-Tafilalet : Tiouine, 40 km N Tazenakht, 1300 m, 23.4.2008, 2♂ (leg. M. Herrmann); Tizi-n-Bachkoum, 10 km N Tazenakht, 1600 m, 23.4.2008, 1♂ (leg. M. Herrmann). Deposited in the Entomological Collection of ETH Zurich .

Diagnosis. With a male body length of 5–6 mm, H. herrmanni is the smallest representative of the subgenus Alcidamea in the western Palaearctic. Diagnostic character of the male is the short, widely triangular and predominantly yellowish- to reddish-brown tergum 7 in combination with the length of the gonoforceps, which is distinctly shorter than the penis valve ( Fig. 2 ). Additional characters are the short head, which is 0.8–0.85x as long as wide, the yellowish to brownish anterior side of antennal segments 4–13, the short proboscis, which only slightly exceeds the proboscidial fossa when in repose, the very shallow impression on the dorsal side of the hind femur, the inconspicuous median protuberance of the metanotum, which is only slightly below the scutellar plane, and the yellowish- to reddish-brown marginal zone of tergum 6 ( Fig. 2 ). The female of H. herrmanni is unknown.

Description. MALE ( Fig. 1 ): Body length 5–6 mm. Head: Head 0.8–0.85x as long as wide. Distance between lateral ocellus and preoccipital margin about as long as ocellar diameter. Maximum width of genal area 0.5–0.6x as long as maximum width of compound eye. Mandible two-toothed and black except for preapical reddish zone. Apical margin of clypeus shortly denticulate. Frons, paraocular area, supraclypeal area and clypeus covered with dense whitish pilosity, which surpasses clypeal margin. Proboscis short, when folded only slightly exceeding proboscidial fossa and not reaching coxa of fore leg; second segment of labial palpus about 0.55x as long as compound eye and 1.75x as long as first segment. Antennal segments 1–3 dark and 4–13 yellowish to brownish on anterior side; segments 3–4 shorter than wide and of about the same length, segments 5–12 about as long as wide to slightly longer and segment 13 about 1.5x as long as wide. Mesosoma: Pronotal lobe keeled along anterior margin. Parapsidal line linear. Punctation of scutum, scutellum and upper lateral part of mesepisternum rather dense with interspaces reaching diameter of one to one and a half, rarely two punctures. Punctation of lower lateral and ventral part of mesepisternum rather irregular with interspaces varying in size between diameter of less than a puncture to diameter of four punctures. Metanotum medially with weak protuberance. Basal area of propodeum polished except for narrow transversal zone at its base, which is distinctly shagreened and finely striate. Tegula yellowishbrown except for black inner margin and with scattered punctures over its whole surface. Stigma and veins of fore wing predominantly dark brown. Dorsal side of hind femur with inconspicuous shallow impression. Tibial spurs of hind leg yellowish and apically distinctly curved. Metasoma: Punctation of terga dense with interspaces rarely exceeding diameter of one puncture. Marginal zones of terga 1–5 narrowly reddish-brown and laterally covered with dense and short whitish hair bands except for tergum 5, which is apically beset with whitish ciliae. Apical margin of tergum 6 broadly yellowish-to reddish-brown, medially rounded and laterally with short tooth ( Fig. 2 ). Tergum 7 widely triangular, only slightly surpassing apical margin of tergum 6 and predominantly yellowish- to reddish-brown ( Fig. 2 ). Apical margin of sternum 1 straight. Sternum 2 preapically slightly bulged, its marginal zone translucent, medioapically very shallowly emarginate to straight and rather sparsely ciliated with long whitish hairs. Apical margins of sterna 3–4 widely emarginate and densely beset with very long, whitish and inwardly directed hairs. Apical margin of sternum 5 evenly rounded and sparsely ciliated with short whitish hairs. Sternum 6 medioapically with oval impression, its apical margin triangularly projecting and its base with pair of translucent flaps. Gonoforceps distinctly shorter than penis valve ( Fig. 2 ). Penis valve apically widened, its apical third about twice as wide as median third ( Fig. 2 ).

FEMALE: Unknown.

Distribution. Known so far only from the surroundings of Tazenakht (Drâa-Tafilalet region) and Layoune (Laâyoune-Sakia El Hamra region) in southern Morocco.

Pollen hosts. Unknown.

Nesting biology. Unknown.

Etymology. The species is dedicated to the German bee expert Mike Herrmann, who collected the paratype series on a joint bee excursion to southern Morocco.

Figures

FIGURES 1–9. Hoplitis (Alcidamea) herrmanni: 1: Male, 2: Terga 5–7 and genitalia of male.Hoplitis (Anthocopa) clypeoincisa: 3: Female, 4: Marginal zone of clypeus and mandibles of female. Hoplitis (Anthocopa) convolvuli: 5: Female, 6: Male, 7: Marginal zone of clypeus and mandibles of female, 8: Terga 5–7 of male, 9: Genitalia of male (oblique view from above).