Sphecodopsis acuta 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 acuta

description: Sphecodopsis acuta sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 9DED7D33-1CEE-4A4E-B35B-A3EF8700C171
Figs 17–18
Diagnosis
The female of S. acuta sp. nov. can be separated from that of all other species of the genus by the combination of the following characters: S6 bifid posteriorly, tips barely curved inward, apical notch with a small tip distally, shape as shown in Fig. 18C. Body length max. 5.3 mm; metasomal terga T1–T2 red (Fig. 17B); fore tibia and tarsi usually black (Fig. 17A); T6 covered with black hair (Fig. 17B); head and mesosoma with shorter black hair and more dispersed punctation (Fig. 17C–D); propodeum covered with short, white hair only (Fig. 18A); mesoscutum more finely and densely (i=0.25–0.5 d) punctate (Fig. 17D). The male is unknown.
Etymology
The name refers to the unusual thin and needle-like sharp tip of the female S6.
Type material (1 specimen)
Holotype
SOUTH AFRICA • ♀; N Cape, Nieuwoudtville, Glen Lyon, Renosterveld; 31°24′42″ S, 19°09′00″ E; 700 m a.s.l.; 25 Aug. 2006; KT leg.; SAMC.
Description
Female
BODY LENGTH. 4.9 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. Face with dense (i=0.25–0.5 d), fine and shallow punctation, clypeus and supraclypeal area with more dispersed (i =0.5–1.5 d) punctation (Fig. 17C). Surface between punctures matt. Antenna reddish-brown to dark brown.
MESOSOMA. Integument black, tegula reddish-brown, partially translucent.Mesoscutum matt.Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum densely (i= 0.25–0.5 d), very finely and shallowly punctate (Fig. 17D). Propodeum with dense (i=0.5–1 d), fine and shallow punctation, metapostnotum matt (Fig. 18A). Mesoscutum, mesoscutellum and mesepisternum sparsely covered with long, black hair mixed with shorter, white hair (Fig. 17D). Metanotum and propodeum very sparsely covered with short, white hair, metapostnotum glabrous (Figs 17D, 18A).
WINGS. Fuscous; wing venation dark brown and stigma dark brown to black (Fig. 17A).
LEGS. Integument black. Coxa, trochanter and femur sparsely covered with long, black hair mixed with shorter white hair. Tibia and tarsi very sparsely covered with short, black hair mixed with short white hair (Fig. 17A).
METASOMA. Integument of T1 black basally. T1 and T2 red and T3–T6 black. T1 and T2 with only few short, white hair, from T3 increasingly more black hair (Fig. 17B). T5 marginal zone with few white, short hairs. T6 narrow and almost straight apically, covered with long, black hair (Fig. 18B). Shape of S6 (Fig. 18C) as illustrated.
Male
Unknown.
Distribution
Only known from the type locality near Nieuwoudtville.
Host bees
Unknown.
Seasonal activity
August.
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 26-28, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2025.980.2805, http://zenodo.org/record/14981767