Sphecodes fumipennis Smith, 1853

Astafurova, Yulia V., Proshchalykin, Maxim Yu. & Schwarz, Maximilian, 2020, New and little-known species of the genus Sphecodes Latreille (Hymenoptera, Halictidae) from Southeast Asia, ZooKeys 937, pp. 31-88 : 31

Sphecodes fumipennis Smith, 1853 Figures 60-63 , 64-68

Sphecodes fumipennis Smith, 1853: 36, ♀ (holotype: ♀, N. India, coll. J.S. Baly; NHMUK, not examined).

Diagnosis.

The male of this species resembles Sphecodes assamensis Blüthgen, 1927 in having a similar size of antennal tyloids and shape of the gonostylus, but it differs from this species by shining interspaces on vertex and mesoscutum (dull in S. assamensis ), and the number of hamuli (ten or twelve versus eight). The female differs from other oriental species by combination of the following characters; lack of a preoccipital carina, large body length (9.5-12 mm), eleven or twelve hamuli, mesoscutum mostly punctate-areolate and vertex strongly elevated. With these characteristics the female is similar to the palaearctic S. albilabris (Fabricius, 1793), but it differs in a sparsely punctate T1 disc with punctures separated by 2-6 puncture diameters (versus 0.5-2 in S. albilabris ).

Descriptive notes.

Wings with strong brownish darkening; hind wing with the angle between basal (M) and cubital (Cu) veins ca. 70°, costal margin with eleven or twelve hamuli. Female. Total body length 9.5-12 mm. Head (Fig. 60 ) transverse, 1.25 times as wide as long; vertex strongly elevated with distance from top of head to upper margin of lateral ocellus ca. two lateral ocellar diameters as seen in frontal view; supraclypeal area swollen; labrum short, semi-oval, 0.45 times as long as basal width; ocello-ocular area areolate-punctate, but vertex behind ocelli with shiny interspaces; paraocular areas and gena with relatively dense plumose pubescence although not obscuring integument. Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum (Fig. 62 ) mostly with confluent punctures (50-75 μm), but medially with a few interspaces at most 1-2 puncture diameters; propodeal triangle (metapostnotum) coarsely reticulate-rugose; mesepisternum (Fig. 61 ) areolate on an upper half to reticulate below. Metasoma (Fig. 63 ) red; T1 sparsely punctate (ca. 25 μm / 2-6), finer and denser on marginal zone; remaining terga more densely and coarsely punctate, but marginal zones impunctate; pygidial plate dull, 1.3-1.4 as wide as metabasitarsus. Male. Total body length 9.5-12 mm. Head (Fig. 64 ) transverse, 1.2 times as wide as long; vertex strongly elevated with the distance from top of head to upper margin of lateral ocellus more than two lateral ocellar diameters as seen in frontal view; antenna (Fig. 66 ) long, reaching mesoscutellum, F2 1.8 times as long as wide, remaining flagellomeres ca. 1.4-1.5 times as long as wide; tyloids weakly developed, narrowly semicircular across basal 1/8-1/7 of flagellar surfaces and narrowly linear across remainder of flagellomere as seen in lateral view. Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum (Fig. 67 ) mostly areolate-punctate, but medially with a few interspaces approximately a puncture diameter wide; propodeum and mesepisternum as in the female. Metasoma (Fig. 68 ) coarsely and densely punctate, sparser on T1 (25-35 μm / 0.5-3); marginal zones impunctate except on T1; gonocoxite dorsally without impression; gonostylus (Fig. 65 ) short, with small membranous part.

Material examined.

Laos: 2 ♀♀, 1 ♂, Louang Phrabang pr., Ban Song Cha, 1200 m, V. 1999, V. Kuban (OLBL/PCMS).

Published records.

Blüthgen 1924: 489 (Myanmar).

Distribution.

*Laos, Myanmar, India (Sikkim).

Figures

Figures 60 - 63. Sphecodes fumipennis Smith, female 60 head, frontal view 61, 62 mesosoma, lateral view (61), dorsal view (62) 63 metasoma, dorsal view. Scale bars: 1.0 mm.

Figures 64 - 68. Sphecodes fumipennis Smith, male 64 head, frontal view 65 genitalia, dorsal view 66 antennae, lateral view 67 mesosoma, dorsal view 68 metasoma, dorsal view. Scale bars: 1.0 mm (64, 66 - 68), 0.5 mm (65).