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

description: Hoplitis (Annosmia) monticola spec. nov.
Holotype: Greece, Erymanthos mountains: Michas, 1600–2220m, 23.6.1995, ɗ (leg. W. Arens), [ETHZ].
Paratypes: Greece, Erymanthos mountains: Michas, 1300–1700m, 10.7.1996, 2 ɗ (leg. W. Arens); Michas 900–1300m, 27.7.1997, 1 Ψ (leg. W. Arens); Michas, 1700–2220m, 24.6.1998, 3 ɗ (leg. W. Arens); Michas 1700m, 5.7.2001, 2 ɗ (leg. W. Arens); Michas, 1600–2220m, 7.7.2006, 1 Ψ (leg. W. Arens). Helmos mountains: Xerokambos, 1600m, 10.6.1997, 2 ɗ (leg. W. Arens). Killini mountains: Ano Trikala, 1700–1900m, 15.7.1997, 1 Ψ, 1 ɗ (leg. W. Arens). Panahaikon mountains: Patras, 1600–1950m, 11.7.1996, 1 Ψ, 1 ɗ (leg. W. Arens); Patras, 1600–1950m, 25.6.1998, 1 ɗ (leg. W. Arens); Patras, 1000–1950m, 4.7.2001, 2 ɗ (leg. W. Arens). Turkey, Antalya: 4km E of Saklikent, 1600m, 30.5.2009, 1 ɗ (leg. J.S. Ascher, J.G. Rozen & H. Özbek).
Diagnosis. H. monticola is one of the four European Hoplitis species of the subgenus Annosmia (Müller, 2012). As H. tkalcuella LE GOFF is confined to the Iberian peninsula and H. idaensis (WARNCKE) is of a distinctly smaller body size, H. monticola can be confounded only with H. annulata (LATREILLE) in Europe. The female differs from H. annulata by the presence of very narrow but still plane interspaces between the punctures on the scutum (Fig. 13; without plane interspaces in H. annulata), the basal zone of the propodeum, which is shagreened only in its upper half (completely shagreened in H. annulata), and the distinctly light-coloured apical margin of the terga (dark to faintly light-coloured in H. annulata). The male is distinctive due to the bulging lower margin of antennal segments 7–10 (Fig. 14), which is straight in all other Palearctic Annosmia species except for H. gentilis (WARNCKE), which, however, is smaller, has red coloured terga 1–3 and is known so far only from central Turkey.
Description. Female: Body length: 8–9mm. Head: Second segment of the labial palpus about 2.25x as long as the first segment. Clypeus, supraclypeal area and frons very densely punctate with interspaces not exceeding the diameter of half a puncture with the exception of the lower supraclypeal area and a narrow longitudinal median area on the clypeus, where the interspaces reach the diameter of one to two, rarely three punctures. Head as long as broad. Distance between lateral ocellus and preoccipital ridge about 3.5x as long as the ocellar diameter. Thorax: Scutum and scutellum very densely punctate with very narrow interspaces of less than the diameter of half a puncture (Fig. 13). Basal zone of the propodeum polished in its lower half and distinctly shagreened in its upper half. Inner spur of the hind leg yellowish, its apical half slightly diverging from the basal half and with a dense row of minute, contiguous and evenly sized teeth along its upper margin. Metasoma: Apical margin of terga 1–5 reddish.
Terga 1–5 with whitish hair bands interrupted on tergum 1 and narrowed medially on tergum 2. Tergum 6 densely covered with whitish hairs. Disc of terga 1–3 rather densely punctate with interspaces varying between the diameter of one half and two punctures. Disc of terga 4–6 more densely punctate with interspaces of usually less than the diameter of one puncture. Apical zone of the terga distinctly finer and more densely punctate than the tergal disc.
Male: Body length: 8–9mm. Head: Second segment of the labial palpus about 2.25x as long as the first segment. Mandible yellow except for a narrow basal zone and the apical teeth, which are blackish. Lower genal area distinctly impressed and polished with scattered punctures along its lower margin. Antenna orange except for its upper side and the first three segments, which are darkened. Lower margin of antennal segments 7–10 distinctly bulged (Fig. 14). Apical third of last antennal segment narrowed to a rounded tip, which is conspicuously curved downwards. Distance between lateral ocellus and preoccipital ridge about 4x as long as the ocellar diameter. Thorax: Punctation of scutum slightly denser than in the female, punctation of scutellum as well as basal zone of the propodeum as in the female. Tarsus of all legs orange except for the basitarsus of the middle and hind leg, which is darkened to different degrees. Metasoma: Apical margin of terga 1–5, sometimes also the ventral part of terga 1–2 and sternum 1 reddish. Terga 1–5 with whitish hair bands, hair band on tergum 1 narrowed medially. Disc of terga 1–5 rather densely punctate with interspaces varying between the diameter of one half and two punctures, punctation of tergum 6 more scattered with interspaces reaching the diameter of up to three, rarely more punctures. Apical zone of the terga distinctly finer and more densely punctate than the tergal disc. Tergum 6 very slightly emarginated medially and with a lateral tooth, which is about as long as broad. Tergum 7 two-toothed. Apical margin of sterna 2–3 very shallowly emarginated medially and with a long and rather loose white hair band. Apical margin of sternum 4 deeply emarginated with the incision being about twice as wide as deep and beset with a very dense and yellowish-white hair band of the same length as the hair band on sterna 2–3. Apical margin of sternum 5 evenly rounded and inconspicuouly ciliated with short whitish hairs. Sternum 6 bilobed apically with the two lobes being light-coloured and densely haired.
Distribution. Known so far from a few mountain ranges on the Peloponnes between 900m and 2220m and from southwestern Turkey.
Host plants. The only pollen sample available so far consists of pollen of Fabaceae (probably Astragalus), indicating that H. monticola might be oligolectic on Fabaceae as are several other Annosmia species (Sedivy et al., submitted).
Etymology. monticola = living in mountainous areas.
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 39-40, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.281575