Pseudoanthidium (Pseudoanthidium) orientale (Bingham, 1897)

Nalinrachatakan, Pakorn, Ascher, John S., Kasparek, Max, Traiyasut, Prapun, Thanoosing, Chawatat & Warrit, Natapot, 2023, A review of the anthidiine bees (Apoidea, Megachilidae) in Thailand, ZooKeys 1186, pp. 235-284 : 235

Pseudoanthidium (Pseudoanthidium) orientale (Bingham, 1897)

Figs 13 , 14A , 15

Anthidium orientale Bingham, 1897: 496 (♀). Holotype from Tenasserim, Myanmar, image examined in NHMUK under https://data.nhm.ac.uk/media/b2906d76-cd81-4776-9133-9558ce51baca.

Anthidium kryzhanovskii Wu, 1962: 167 (♀). Holotype from Jinping Xian, Yunnan, China (IZCAS: Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, not examined).

Pseudoanthidium (Paraanthidiellum) orientale (Bingham): Pasteels 1969: 79, 80.

Trachusa (Orientotrachusa) orientale (Bingham, 1897): Gupta 1993: 55, 56, 58, figs 141-159 (♂ nov.).

Anthidium (s. str.) kryzhanovskii Wu, 1962: Wu 2006: 157 (♀, ♂).

Pseudoanthidium (Pseudoanthidium) orientale (Bingham): ITIS 2008: http://www.itis.gov.

Pseudoanthidium (Pseudoanthidium) orientale (Bingham): Niu et al. 2021: 139-142.

Material examined.

(10♀, 3♂). Laos (new record): 3♀, Champasak , Si Phan Don, Don Det , 20 Jan. 2015, N. Warrit et al., (CUNHM: BSRU-AA-1223, 1227, 1231) ; 1♀, Pakse, Bolaven plateau, Phu Suam Water Fall (15°16'44"N, 105°53'23"E), 19 Jan. 2015, N. Warrit et al., (CUNHM: BSRU-AA-1235) ; Thailand: Chiang Mai, 1♀, Mae Chaem District, Baan Na Jon (18°42'11.3970"N, 98°16'59.3754"E, alt. 874.93 m), 9 Dec. 2015, N. Warrit et al. (CUNHM: BSRU-AA-1243) ; 1♀, Chiang Mai , Chom Thong District, Doi Inthanon National Park , (18°32'12.39"N, 98°31'14.44"E, alt. 1,267 m), 16 Feb. 2021, Srimaneeyanon et al. (CUNHM: BSRU-AB-2970) ; 1♀, Kamphaeng Phet , Mueang District , (16°28'18"N, 99°29'43"E, alt. 10 m), 4 Dec. 2015, C. Thanoosing (CUNHM: BSRU-AA-1252) ; 1♂, Lampang , Mueang Pan District , Chae Son National Park (18°50'15.0498"N, 99°28'19.5594"E, alt. 451 m), TIGER project T-2922, Malaise trap, 8/ 14 Dec 2007, Boonruen & Acharaporn (CUNHM: BSRU-AB-4361) ; 2♀, 2♂, Mae Hong Son , Pang Tong, Under Royal Forest Park 2/ Pang Ung (19°29'58.3008"N, 97°54'42.1014"E, alt. 1,164 m), 10 Dec. 2015, N. Warrit et al. (CUNHM: ♀ BSRU-AA-1239, 1240, ♂ BSRU-AA-1241, 1242) ; 1♀, Phayao , Mueang District , Maeka Subdistrict, Phayao University (CUNHM: BSRU-AA-1238, Phayao University) .

Records from iNaturalist

(2023). Thailand: Chiang Mai, San Sai District, San Sai Noi Subdistrict (18°49'08.6"N, 99°01'15.1"E) uploaded by ‘jackychiangmai’ on 14 Jan. 2022 (observation id:104911660); Chiang Rai, Chiang Saen Lake, Viang Yonok Hotel (20°15'42.5"N, 100°02'59.5"E), uploaded by ‘pam-pilombino’ on 27 Jan 2020.

Distribution.

Cambodia (Mondulkiri: Ascher et al. 2016), China (Yunnan), India (Alwar, Poona, Solan, Tolawas, Udaipur), Laos (Champasak (new record), Myanmar (Tenasserim), Thailand (Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai (new record from iNaturalist 2023), Kamphaeng Phet (new record), Lampang (new record), Lamphun (new record from iNaturalist 2023), Mae Hong Son (new record), Phayao (new record)). For the Indian records from Gupta (1993), see Remarks section below.

Diagnosis.

Pseudoanthidium orientale is a medium-sized bee (6-8 mm) and usually has a black integument with yellow maculations in all tagmata. It has a remarkably pale yellow mark on the paraocular area reaching close to the top of eyes, female mandibles with five or six teeth, rounded scutellum with broad marginal maculation which is medially disrupted, tibia and tarsi yellow except black on the venter, female terga with yellow paramedian maculation on T1-T5 in female, which is more laterally extended on T1 and T2 and nearly rectangular in T3-T5. The male looks superficially similar to the female but has a different dentition of the mandible (i.e., distinctly tridentate, broader especially the inner tooth), and maculation on T6 and T7. Male genitalia broad.

Floral associations.

Plants with hairy surfaces (see iNaturalist observation from Lamphun) must be the resources for the nesting material. Also, from iNaturalist image from Chiang Mai, the photographs clearly show the bee wandering on the inflorescence of Antigonon leptopus Hook. & Arn. ( Polygonaceae ), which is a hairy plant, although there is no direct evidence to this claim. Niu et al. (2021) also noted the floral associations for Ps. orientale including Blumea sp. ( Asteraceae ), Eupatoreae sp. ( Asteraceae ), Helianthus annuus L. ( Asteraceae ), Tephrosia purpurea (L.) Pers. ( Fabaceae ; originally noted as Tephrosia hamiltoni ), and Tridax sp. ( Asteraceae ; originally noted as " Tridex ").

Remarks.

This species was described by Bingham (1897) as Anthidium orientale , based on a female from Tenasserim, Myanmar. Pasteels (1969) then assigned it to Pseudoanthidium (Paraanthidiellum) Michener, 1948. Gupta (1993) provided both female and male descriptions and illustrations from India, which is designated as Trachusa (Orientotrachusa) orientale . Later, the species was listed as Ps. (Pseudoanthidium) in the World Bees Checklist Project ( ITIS 2008). A female Ps. orientale was reported from a monochrome image from Chiang Mai, Thailand ( Tadauchi and Tasen 2009), and a male was reported from Bousra, Mondulkiri, Cambodia ( Ascher et al. 2016) with photographs. However, the CUNHM male specimens studied here are apparently different from the male descriptions and photographs from Cambodia in lacking the antero-lateral maculation on the scutum. Gupta’s (1993) male description from India also stated that "tergum first with a complete band, T2 and T3 interrupted medially, T4-T7 entirely yellow" which is incongruent to the CUNHM specimens studied here, and also to the photographs of the male from Cambodia; therefore, the Indian specimens need further study.

Pseudoanthidium orientale is superficially similar to Ps. rotundiventre (Pasteels, 1987) from Sri Lanka and India. Kumar et al. (2017) mentioned that these two species were probably referred to the same species. As most of their distinct morphology is similar, the difference is based on color (Fig. 14 ). First, Ps. rotundiventre has a more extended maculation on the face, the female has an entirely yellow clypeus, and a W-shape maculation on the supraclypeal area. Seven Thai females of Ps. orientale come without supraclypeal mark and show reduction of the clypeal color as a black stigma, while the remaining two from Laos have an entirely yellow clypeus and the supraclypeal mark is only a triangle in the median part. Second, it is remarkable that Ps. rotundiventre comes with more extended maculation on the male terga: the median interruption of the band tends to decrease from base to apex on the metasoma. Specifically, T5 and T6 are nearly uninterrupted and T7 is entirely yellow. The Ps. orientale males show much more consistency in the median interruption of the tergal maculation, making it appear similar to the female. Hence, Gupta’s Ps. orientale male description from India is more congruent to Ps. rotundiventre .

As the male genitalia of Ps. orientale illustrated in Gupta (1993: fig. 159) is inadequate to compare with microphotographs of the male genitalia of Ps. rotundiventre (see Kumar et al. 2017: fig. 20C), we used a microphotograph of Thai Ps. orientale genitalia which was prepared and preserved in glycerin. Overall, the genitalia seem to be identical, but the photograph of the genitalia of Ps. rotundiventre is not clear, so the shape and sclerotization of the apodeme of penis valve is hard to compare with that of Ps. orientale (cleared one in Fig. 13K ). However, the respective characters do not seem to have much of value in sexual differentiation.From the evidence, it seems that color variation in Pseudoanthidium orientale is variable, and potentially similar to Ps. rotundiventre . At the same time, Ps. flaviventre Cameron, 1897, belonging to the same subgenus, displays much more obvious differences in male genitalia and other external body parts (also see Kumar et al. 2017). Because of the similarities, Kumar et al. (2017) suggested that Ps. rotundiventre is a junior synonym of Ps. orientale , but the types need to be examined before making a final decision.

Finally, there is an observation of wool-collecting behavior of a female of Ps. orientale from Chiang Saen Lake, Chiang Rai, Thailand, reported and observed by Ms. Pamela Piombino [user: ‘pam-pilombino’] on 27 January 2020, and published on iNaturalis.org ( iNaturalist 2023). Based on personal communication, the bees landed on a cushion with a mouthful of fiber-ball, wandered around for a few minutes, and eventually flew off without any “active” fiber-collecting behavior. We are not sure if this fiber was collected precisely from the cushion or elsewhere, but this is the first time that fiber-collecting behavior has been observed in this species.

Figures

Figure 13. Pseudoanthidium orientale (Bingham, 1897) [showing Mae Hong Son female (BSRU-AA- 1240) (A-D), and male (BSRU-AA- 1241) (E-K)] A, H dorsal habitus B, G lateral habitus C, F face D female T 6 E male T 7 I male S 5 J S 8 K male genitalia in lateral (left), dorsal (middle) and ventral (right). Scale bars: 2 mm (A, B, G, H); 1 mm (C-F); 0.5 mm (I-K).

Figure 14. Facial and metasomal illustrations of A Pseudoanthidium orientale (Bingham, 1897) and B Ps. rotundiventre (Pasteels, 1980).

Figure 15. Pseudoanthidium orientale wandering around on a cushion with a fiber ball (A-C for cropped close-up). Original photographs taken by Pamela Piombino.