Belliturgula najdica Engel, 2019

Engel, Michael S., Alqarni, Abdulaziz S., Shebl, Mohamed A. & Thomas, Jennifer C., 2019, New genera of meliturguline bees from Saudi Arabia and Persia, with notes on related genera and a key to the Arabian fauna (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae), Journal of Hymenoptera Research 69, pp. 1-21 : 1

Belliturgula najdica Engel sp. n.

Figs 1-2 , 3, 4 , 5 , 8 , 9 , 12 , 24

Diagnosis.

As for the genus (vide supra).

Description.

♀: Total body length 7.08-7.33 mm; forewing length 4.13-4.27 mm. Head broader than long, width 2.08-2.13 mm, length 1.67-1.71 mm; compound eyes with inner orbits margins roughly parallel, upper interorbital distance 1.33-1.38 mm, lower interorbital distance 1.33-1.36 mm; distance between compound eyes slightly greater than compound eye length; compound eye length 1.25 mm, width 0.58-0.63 mm; clypeus greatly protuberant, extending in front of compound eye by nearly compound eye width; intertegular distance 1.42-1.46 mm.

Clypeus and supraclypeal area largely smooth with coarse, shallow (almost faint in most areas) punctures, such punctures separated by a puncture width or more, slightly denser along borders; labrum similar to clypeus except impunctate on transparent ovals; remainder of face similar except punctures smaller, more defined (albeit still shallow), and separated by a puncture width or frequently less; dark area between ocelli minutely and faintly imbricate and impunctate; facial fovea imbricate and impunctate; gena as on upper face except punctures becoming more sparsely separated ventrally; mesoscutum smooth to faintly and minutely imbricate with shallow punctures separated by a puncture width or less; mesoscutellum as on mesoscutum except punctures slightly denser and integument slightly more noticeably imbricate; metanotum as on mesoscutellum except shallow punctures nearly contiguous; pleura as on mesoscutum except punctures shallower and becoming sparse ventrally; basal area of propodeum as on metanotum; lateral and posterior surfaces of propodeum with small punctures separated by a puncture width or frequently less, integument between punctures smooth to faintly imbricate; metasomal terga minutely and finely imbricate with scattered shallow, faint, small punctures separated by a puncture width or less, such punctures most easily discernible on first tergum and becoming fainter on succeeding terga; pygidial plate minutely and finely imbricate; sterna as on terga except shallow, coarse punctures more prominent.

Integument generally pale yellow except marked with dark brown to black on mandibular apex, on facial fovea, around ocelli (Figs 4 , 5 ); mesoscutum with three longitudinal dark stripes, medial stripe thin, terminating before posterior of mesoscutum, lateral stripes thicker, situated between lateral yellow borders and medial stripe, extending to axilla (Fig. 4 ); dark brown on lateral depression of axilla and along anterior border of mesoscutellum (slightly extended mediolongitudinally) (Fig. 4 ), and light brown anteriorly on basal area of propodeum (Fig. 4 ). Wing membranes clear, hyaline; veins pale yellow to off white (Fig. 3 ). Metasoma with light to dark brown marks as follows: paramedian spots on anterior-facing surface of first metasomal tergum (Fig. 4 ), elongate oval spots at lateral extremities of second tergum (Fig. 3 ), small spots on lateral extremities of third tergum (absent in some individuals); terga I-V with irregular brownish-purplish coloration (reflective of inner organs through pale integument) to varying degrees (in some individuals inner gut prominent through integument, others less so); pygidial plate brown, becoming reddish apically (Fig. 24 ); sterna pale brown, becoming darker on two apical sterna.

Pubescence generally white and largely sparse (Figs 3 - 5 ); facial setae generally short to moderate (0.2-1.0 × median ocellar diameter) in length and minutely spicate (i.e., minutely branched on all sides along entire length of rachis, with a pipecleaner-like appearance), such setae scattered on face and generally suberect; scape with similar moderate-length, erect, minutely spicate setae; minutely spicate setae longer (0.9-1.5 × median ocellar diameter) and erect around ocelli, vertex, posterior of gena, and postgena; mandible with more sparse, elongate (1.8-3.0 × median ocellar diameter), simple setae along lower margin; mesoscutum with numerous erect short to moderate-length (0.4-1.2 × median ocellar diameter) minutely spicate setae, such setae not obscuring integument; mesoscutellum as on mesoscutum although setae slightly sparser; metanotum with minutely spicate setae sparse on disc, with various greatly elongate (up to 2.0 × median ocellar diameter) minutely spicate setae at lateral extremities; pleura with numerous moderate-length to elongate (1.0-2.2 × median ocellar diameter) minutely spicate setae, such setae not obscuring integument; basal area of propodeum with numerous fine minutely spicate setae, not obscuring integument; propodeum with lateral and posterior surfaces with pubescence similar to that of pleura; legs with minutely spicate setae except simple on tarsi and scopal setae of metatibia and metabasitarsus elongate (1.8-3.2 × median ocellar diameter) and simple; metasoma with generally sparse pubescence, setae more numerous on apical terga where such setae minutely spicate and suberect to erect; setae particularly dense around pygidial plate and obscuring integument.

♂: Latet .

Holotype.

♀, KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia], Riyadh [Region], Derab Agricultural Research Station [24°25'23"N, 46°39'01"E, 580 m elevation], 29.4.2015 [29 April 2015], M. Shebl, Carthamus [ Asteraceae : Carthamus L.] (SEMC).

Paratypes.

2♀♀, same data as holotype (SEMC, KSMA).

Etymology.

The specific epithet is taken from the Najd, the vast geographic central plateau portion of Saudi Arabia which encompasses the type locality which is slightly south of the city of Riyadh.

Comments.

The type series was collected from an unidentified species of distaff thistle ( Asteraceae : Carduoideae : Carthamus L.) growing around the Dirab Agricultural Research Station in central Saudi Arabia (just south from Riyadh). The most common species of Carthamus in Saudi Arabia are Carthamus oxyacantha M.Bieb., which grows wild in many disturbed areas, and C. tinctorius Linnaeus (safflower), the latter widely cultivated, particularly so in southern Arabia (Mandaville, 1990). It is likely that the type series of B. najdica was captured at C. oxyacantha . Species of Carthamus are spiny, dentate herbs that can be largely self-pollinated, although among insects bees are the dominant pollinators (e.g., Butler et al., 1966).

Figures

Figures 1, 2. Female of Belliturgula najdica Engel, gen. et sp. n., at flowers of Carthamus L. (Asteraceae) in central Saudi Arabia.

Figures 3, 4. Female of Belliturgula najdica Engel, gen. et sp. n., from central Saudi Arabia. 3 Lateral habitus 4 dorsal habitus.

Figures 5 - 7. Female faces of representative Meliturgulina. 5 Belliturgula najdica Engel, gen. et sp. n., from Saudi Arabia (note arched outer subantennal sulci) 6 Khuzimelissa deserta (Warncke), comb. n., from Pakistan 7 Flavomeliturgula (Flavomeliturgula) lacrymosa (Popov) from Iran (note straight outer subantennal sulci).

Figures 8 - 11. Female heads and mouthparts in profile and details of glossal apexes. 8 Head profile of Belliturgula najdica Engel, gen. et sp. n., from Saudi Arabia 9 glossal apex of B. najdica 10 head profile of Flavomeliturgula (Flavomeliturgula) lacrymosa (Popov) from Iran 11 glossal apex of F. (F.) lacrymosa.

Figures 12 - 15. Labial palpi of representative species (to same scale) and labiomaxillary complex of Khuzimelissa deserta (Warncke), comb. n. (not to same scale), all in ventral view. 12 Labial palpus of Belliturgula najdica Engel, gen. et sp. n. 13 labial palpus of K. deserta 14 labial palpus of Flavomeliturgula (Flavomeliturgula) lacrymosa (Popov) 15 photograph of labiomaxillary complex of K. deserta.

Figures 24 - 26. Female pygidial plates. 24 Belliturgula najdica Engel, gen. et sp. n. 25 Khuzimelissa deserta (Warncke), comb. n. 26 Flavomeliturgula (Flavomeliturgula) lacrymosa (Popov).