Hoplitis (Stenosmia) crassipunctata Müller, 2014

Müller, Andreas, 2014, Palaearctic Hoplitis bees of the subgenus Stenosmia (Megachilidae, Osmiini): biology, taxonomy and key to species, Zootaxa 3765 (4), pp. 301-316 : 304-306

Hoplitis (Stenosmia) crassipunctata Müller , spec. nov.

Holotype: KAZAKHSTAN: Lake, 50km E Balkhash, 26.– 28.6.1992, ♂ (leg. K. Denes). Deposited in the Entomological Collection of ETH Zurich.

Paratypes: CHINA: River Sulejche near Satchov, Gashun Gobi, 7.8.1895, 2♀, ♂ (leg. R. Kozlov). KAZAKHSTAN: River Ili Aidarli, 14.6.1992, ♂ (leg. J. Halada); Lake, 50km E Balkhash, 26.– 28.6. 1992, ♀, 2♂ (leg. J. Halada, K. Denes); Sand desert 4km N Bakanas, 12.6.2000, ♀ (leg. I.V. Makogonova). TURKMENISTAN: Uch-Adzhi, ♀ (leg. A. Schestakov); Farab near Bukhara, 20.6.1912, ♂ (leg. Golbek); Denev, 40km N Tzardjou, 9.6.1993, 7♀, 4♂ (leg. M. Halada). UZBEKISTAN: 56km NW Bukhara, 21.6.1984, ♀ (leg. Gurko); Navoi reg., Tudakul lake, 35km S Kzyl-Tepe, 25.6.1986, ♀ (leg. Gurko). Deposited in the Entomological Collection of ETH Zurich, the Oberösterreichische Landesmuseum Linz and the private collection of M. Schwarz (Ansfelden).

Diagnosis. Both sexes of H. crassipunctata differ from all other H. ( Stenosmia ) species by the distinctly impressed marginal zones of terga 2–4 and by the punctation of terga 2–4, which is coarse and scattered on the discs but very fine and dense on the marginal zones ( Fig. 6 ). Additionally, the female is characterized by the presence of a long spine at the inner apical margin of the fore leg coxa, and the male is diagnosable by the rather dense punctation of the discs of sterna 2–4 and by the shape of sternum 6, which is medioapically protruding into a rounded lobe that has a shallow roundish depression densely covered with very short hairs ( Fig. 7 ).

Description. FEMALE: Body length: 5.5–6.5mm. Head: Second segment of labial palpus 1.1–1.2x as long as first segment. Distance between lateral ocellus and preoccipital ridge 1.8– 2 x as long as ocellar diameter. Antennal segment 5 about 0.8x as long as broad. Antennal segments (5)6–12 yellowish-brown, on posterior side darkened to different degrees. Mandible reddish except for base and apex, which are brown to black. Clypeus, supraclypeal area, paraocular area, frons and genal area densely covered with white pilosity. Mesosoma: Punctation of scutum and scutellum rather dense, interspaces varying in size from the diameter of half a puncture to the diameter of two punctures. Scutellum medially with very narrow but distinct longitudinal line that usually extends till its centre. Basal zone of propodeum chagreened in its upper and polished in its lower half. Inner margin of fore leg coxa apically with long and slender spine that is usually hidden by dense white pilosity. Hind coxa with indistinct longitudinal keel. Mesosoma densely covered with white hairs except for central parts of scutum and scutellum and basal zone of propodeum, which are almost hairless. Anterior, lateral and posterior margins of scutum and scutellum densely covered with short, scale-like white hairs. Tegula yellowish, translucent. Central part of stigma dark brown to brown. Metasoma: Punctation of tergum 1 rather dense with interspaces rarely exceeding the diameter of one puncture. Punctation of tergal discs 2–3 scattered with interspaces reaching the diameter of up to three punctures, punctation of tergal disc 4 slightly denser ( Fig. 6 ). Marginal zones of terga 2–4 both laterally and medially distinctly impressed and very densely punctured with minute punctures, which are one third to one fourth as large as punctures on the tergal discs ( Fig. 6 ). Laterobasal part of disc of tergum 1 sparsely covered with appressed white hairs. Marginal zones of terga 1–5 with dense white hair bands, which consist of short, scale-like hairs, cover at most half of tergal length and are interrupted on terga 1–2 in older specimens. Disc of tergum 5 sparsely and inconspicuously haired, without scale-like white hairs. Tergum 6 densely covered with white plumose hairs. Scopa white to yellowish-white.

MALE: Body length: 5–6.5mm. Head: Second segment of labial palpus 1.1–1.2x as long as first segment. Distance between lateral ocellus and preoccipital ridge 1.6–1.8x as long as ocellar diameter. Anterior side of antennal segments (3)4–13 yellow to yellowish-brown, posterior side more or less darkened. Mandible reddish to yellowish except for base and apex, which are brown to black. Clypeus, supraclypeal area, paraocular area, frons and genal area densely covered with white pilosity. Mesosoma: Punctation of scutum and scutellum dense, interspaces mostly less than the diameter of one puncture except for lateral parts of scutum and central part of scutellum, where interspaces may reach the diameter of one puncture or more. Scutellum medially with very narrow but distinct longitudinal line that usually extends till its centre. Basal zone of propodeum chagreened in its upper and polished in its lower half. Hind coxa with indistinct longitudinal keel. Mesosoma densely covered with white hairs except for central parts of scutum and scutellum and basal zone of propodeum, which are almost hairless. Tegula yellowish, translucent. Metasoma: Punctation of tergum 1 rather dense with interspaces rarely exceeding the diameter of one puncture. Punctation of tergal discs 2–3 scattered with interspaces reaching the diameter of up to three punctures, punctation of tergal disc 4 slightly denser. Marginal zones of terga 2–4 both laterally and medially distinctly impressed and very densely punctured with minute punctures, which are one third to one fourth as large as punctures on the tergal discs. Laterobasal part of disc of tergum 1 sparsely covered with appressed white hairs. Marginal zones of terga 1–5 with dense white hair bands, which consist of short scale-like hairs, cover less than half of the tergal length and are interrupted on terga 1–2 in older specimens. Disc of tergum 5 sparsely and inconspicuously haired, without scale-like white hairs. Tergum 6 densely covered with white plumose hairs except for basalmost part, its apical margin yellowish and translucent. Apex of tergum 7 small and quadrate, densely haired, yellowish and translucent, its apical margin slightly rounded. Sternum 2 planar, without longitudinal keel. Punctation of discs of sterna 2–4 rather dense, interspaces not exceeding the diameter of one or two punctures. Marginal zones of sterna 2–4 distinctly impressed and with dense white hair bands that extend over the whole sternal width. Sternum 5 with rather sparse white pilosity. Sternum 6 medioapically with shallow and roundish depression, which is densely beset with very short hairs; its apical margin slightly concave laterally and protruding into a rounded lobe medially ( Fig. 7 ).

Distribution. Northern and southern Central Asian desert ( Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan) eastward to Gashun Gobi desert ( China, Xinjiang province).

Pollen hosts. Probably oligolectic on Tamarix (Tamaricaceae) : all 7 pollen loads (6 localities, 4 countries) analyzed so far consisted of Tamarix pollen, and Marikovskaya (1968) observed huge numbers of individuals probably of this species (see Note) exploiting several Tamarix taxa during the species' entire flight period from June to August.

Nesting biology. Colonies consisting of 5-20 nests have been found in sandy desert areas on takyr soil (Marikovskaya, 1968, as Osmia flavicornis (Morawitz)) . The nests are excavated by the female bees and consist of a main burrow that ramifies into two or three side burrows. The brood cells, which are built at the end or at the side of these burrows at a depth of 3.5–7 cm, open directly into the burrow and are closed with soil. The walls of burrows and brood cells consist of compressed soil, they are not lined with foreign material.

Etymology. crassipunctatus = with coarse punctation, referring to the punctation of scutum, scutellum, tergal and sternal discs, which is distinctly coarser than that of the other H. ( Stenosmia ) species.

Note. The observations on nesting and host plants made by Marikovskaya (1968) in southeastern Kazakhstan (Iliysk, south of Lake Balkhash) probably refer to H. crassipunctata , as H. crassipunctata is the only H. ( Stenosmia ) species recorded from this region so far.

Figures

FIGURE 6 – 10. 6: Hoplitis crassipunctata, terga 2 – 4 of female. 7: Hoplitis crassipunctata, sterna 4 – 6 of male. 8: Hoplitis desertorum, antenna of female. 9: Hoplitis desertorum, antenna of male. 10: Hoplitis desertorum, sterna 4 - 6 of male.