Sphecodopsis chrysea Pöllein & Kuhlmann, 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Pöllein, Daniela
name: Kuhlmann, Michael
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Apidae
Sphecodopsis
Sphecodopsis chrysea

description: Sphecodopsis chrysea sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 985230AE-3C14-44E9-8BCA-F4815159D3A8
Figs 101–102
Diagnosis
The female of S. chrysea sp. nov. is unknown. The male can be separated from that of all other species by the combination of the following characters: metasoma at least partially red (Fig. 101B); fore legs usually black (Fig. 101A); head and mesosoma with short white hair (Fig. 101C–D); mesoscutum densely, coarsely and deeply punctate, matt or slightly shiny (Fig. 101D); propodeum smooth and shiny, except for the metapostnotum, covered only with white hair (Fig. 101E); genitalia elongated and narrow (Fig. 102B–C).
Etymology
The name refers to the shiny golden hair on the mesoscutum and scutellum.
Type material (2 specimens)
Holotype
SOUTH AFRICA • ♂; Nieuwoudtville, Farm Glen Lyon, Renosterveld; 31°24′03″ S, 19°08′34″ E; 700 m a.s.l.; 31 May 2004; MK leg.; SAMC.
Paratype
SOUTH AFRICA • 1 ♂; Gemsbokrivier-Pad, 4.5 km NE of Grootdrif, roadside; 31°25′54″ S, 18°55′16″ E; 170 m a.s.l.; 28 May 2013; MK leg.; RCMK.
Description
Female
Unknown.
Male
BODY LENGTH. 6.0 mm.
HEAD. Head wider than long. Vertex slightly rounded, ocelli highest point. Integument black, except part of mandibles red or reddish-brown. Face covered with long, black hair mixed with short, white hair, with patch of white hair above base of the antenna. Face with dense (i=0.25–0.5 d) and fine but deep punctation, supraclypeal area with fine and more dispersed (i=0.5–1 d) punctation (Fig. 101C), between punctures slightly shiny. Antenna black.
MESOSOMA. Integument black, tegula brown. Mesoscutum slightly shiny. Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum densely (i=0.25–1 d) and finely but deeply punctate (Fig. 101D). Propodeum with sparse (i=0.5– 1.5 d), fine and shallow punctation, metapostnotum matt (Fig. 101E). Mesoscutum, mesoscutellum and mesepisternum covered with long, golden hair (Fig. 101D). Metanotum and propodeum covered with short, golden hair, metapostnotum glabrous (Fig. 101D–E).
WINGS. Yellowish; wing venation brown and stigma brown to dark brown (Fig. 101A).
LEGS. Integument black. Coxa, trochanter and femur sparsely covered with fairly long, black hair mixed with short, white hair. Tibia and tarsi covered with short, white hair mixed with short, black hair (Fig. 101A).
METASOMA. Integument of T1–T5 red, T6 apical quarter black, T7 black. T1 and T2 with few short, white hair mixed with short, black hair, from T3 increasingly more and longer hair (Fig. 101B). T7 covered with short, golden hair (Fig. 101F).
TERMINALIA. Genitalia (Fig. 102B–C) and terminal plate of S8 (Fig. 102A) as illustrated. Unfortunately, S7 of the specimen was lost during dissection.
Distribution
Only known from the wider Nieuwoudtville area.
Host bees
Unknown.
Seasonal activity
May.
Comment
This species possibly represents the unknown male of S. papilla as both were collected in autumn in the same area.
description: Published as part of Pöllein, Daniela & Kuhlmann, Michael, 2025, Taxonomic revision of the southern African bee genus Sphecodopsis Bischoff, 1923 (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Nomadinae), pp. 1-157 in European Journal of Taxonomy 980 on pages 130-133, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2025.980.2805, http://zenodo.org/record/14981767