Hoplitis manuelae Müller, 2012, spec. nov.
Creators: name: Müller, Andreas
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Megachilidae
Hoplitis
Hoplitis manuelae

description: Hoplitis manuelae spec. nov.
Holotype: Spain, Andalucia: 20km N of Almeria, 3.5.2003, ɗ (leg. M. Halada), [ETHZ]. Paratype: Spain, Andalucia: Mini Hollywood, 3.5.2003, 1 ɗ (leg. M. Snizek).
Diagnosis. The linear parapsidal lines, the presence of a lateral tooth on tergum 6 as well as the form of the sterna confirm that H. manuelae belongs to the genus Hoplitis. Its subgeneric placement within Hoplitis, however, is unclear. It lacks the membraneous basal flaps on sternum 6, which are a typical character of Hoplitis except for the subgenera Pentadentosmia and Stenosmia as well as some species of the subgenus Anthocopa including H. oxypyga (BENOIST), which was formerly treated as the only member of the subgenus Exanthocopa (Michener, 2007; Müller, 2012). As H. manuelae does definitely not belong to Pentadentosmia nor Stenosmia, it might be an aberrant member of the subgenus Anthocopa, but since the female is unknown, this placement remains hypothetical. The male of H. manuelae is immediately recognizable by the form of tergum 6, which is prolonged medially into a rectangular projection slightly emarginated along its apical margin (Fig. 28).
Description. Female: Unknown.
Male: Body length: 8.5–10mm. Head: Face, posterior part of vertex, lower genal area and hypostomal area densely covered with a long and whitish pilosity. Second segment of the labial palpus about 1.8x as long as the first segment. Antenna blackish and parallel-sided along its whole length. Antennal segments 5–12 all of about the same size, segments 3–4 slightly shorter and segment 13 slightly longer. Head about 0.75x as long as broad. Distance between lateral ocellus and preoccipital ridge about 2.5x as long as the ocellar diameter. Thorax: Dorsal, lateral, ventral and posterior part of the thorax as well as legs densely covered with long whitish hairs. Scutum and scutellum very densely punctate with interspaces of usually less than half a puncture. Basal zone of the propodeum distinctly shagreened in the upper two thirds and polished in the lower third. Hind tibial spurs yellowish, long and slender and slightly curved upwards. Metasoma: Apical margin of terga 1–6 black except for the apex of the median projection of tergum 6, which is reddish. Tergum 1 densely covered with a long, whitish and erect pilosity, which forms a rather indistinct and little appressed hair band along its apical margin.Terga 2–5 with long whitish hairs on the disc and conspicuous whitish hair bands along the apical margin. Median part of tergum 6 densely covered with apressed whitish hairs. Punctation of tergal discs dense with interspaces rarely exceeding the diameter of one puncture. Apical margin of tergum 6 with a lateral tooth, which is slightly shorter than broad, and prolonged medially into a rectangular projection, which is about 2.5x as wide as long and shallowly emarginated along its apical margin (Fig. 28). Apical margin of tergum 7 with two triangular teeth, which are slightly shorter than broad and separated from each other by a broad semicircular incision (Fig. 28). Apical margin of sterna 2–3 straight and ciliated with long whitish hairs. Sternum 4 distinctly elevated posteriorly, its apical margin thickened, shallowly emarginated and ciliated with whitish hairs, which are half as long as the hairs along the apical margin of terga 2–3. Apical margin of sternum 5 straight and without hairs. Sternum 6 lacking basal flaps, its apical part membraneous and projecting medially.
Distribution. Known so far only from southernmost Spain.
Host plants. Unknown.
Etymology. manuelae = dedicated to my wife Manuela.
description: Published as part of Müller, Andreas, 2012, New European bee species of the tribe Osmiini (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Megachilidae), pp. 29-50 in Zootaxa 3355 on pages 48-49, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.281575