Seladonia gemmella Pauly, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Pauly, Alain
name: Devalez, Jelle
name: Sonet, Gontran
name: Nagy, Zoltán Tamás
name: Boevé, Jean-Luc
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Halictidae
Seladonia
Seladonia gemmella

description: Seladonia gemmella Pauly sp. nov.
(Figures 1, 10–13, 23 a,b, 24c)
Halictus gemmellus Blüthgen, 1924 in Schulthess, 1924: 306. Nomen nudum. Cyrenaica, ♂, ♀, col. Mader (NÖLM). Ebmer 1988: 566 (comment on nomen nudum).
Halictus smaragdulus Form B in Pauly & Rassel 1982: 144.
Diagnosis. The male of S. gemmella differs from that of S. smaragdula and S. phryganica by the boomerangshaped underplate of the large projection of the gonocoxite (Figs 11, 12, 23 a,b). The distal part of the plate is larger than in S. submediterranea and S. orientana. The shape of the large projection is remarkably stable among specimens from Spain (Fig. 11) as far as to the Sinai in Egypt (Fig. 12). Females of S. gemmella cannot be distinguished from the other species of the S. smaragdula complex by morphological characters. However, most female specimens collected in North Africa belong to this species.
Description. Male and female as described for S. smaragdula except as follows: underplate of the large projection of male gonocoxite boomerang-shaped, length/width of the distal plate = 1.77 (Figs 11, 12). Small projection of the gonocoxite moderately thin (Fig. 11, 12, 24 c). Fourth antennal segment of the male moderately short (length/ width = 1.41).
Variations. Specimens from Cyrenaica in Lybia often show more blue green reflexions, the punctation is often finer (Fig. 10), and the body size is smaller (5 mm) than specimens from other regions.
Holotype. SPAIN, Almeria, Almerimar, coastal rocky area, 3.VIII.2014, on Asteriscus maritimus, 1♂, leg. A. Pauly (RBINS).
Paratypes (68 males, 13 females). FRANCE. Hérault, Montpellier, Castelnau, 6.IX.1955, 1♂, leg. H.C. Blöte (RMNHL).
SPAIN. Valencia, Alberique, 25.VII.1969, 1♂ (FSAG).—Alicante, Benidorm, 1.VII.1970, 1♂, Eryngium campestre, 16.VII.1970, 1♂, 25.VII.1970, 2♂, 10.X.1971, 1♂, leg. A. Pauly (RBINS).—Almeria, Nijar, Banco las Ninas, Cabo de Gata, 30SWF 5657, 220m, 2.X.2008, 1♂, leg. F.J. Ortiz-Sanchez.—Almeria, Cuevas de Almanzora, 30SXG02, 30.IX–6. X.1992, 1 ♂ (leg. J.E. Belda).—Almeria, El Ejido, 80m, 30SWF1671, 23.VI.2005, 2 ♂, leg. F.J. Ortiz-Sanchez.—Almeria, La Aldeilla, El Ejido, 30SWF 1870, 60m, 21.V.2005, 1♂, leg. F.J. Ortiz- Sanchez.—Almeria, La Mojonera, El Ejido, 30SWF2666, 2.VII.1988, 1 ♂, leg. F.J. Ortiz-Sanchez.—Almeria, Cuevas de Almanzora, 30SXG02, 7–13. X.1992, 1 ♂, leg. J.E. Belda, col. F.J. Ortiz-Sanchez.—Almeria, Sierra Alhamilla, 5.VIII.2014, 1♀, leg. A. Pauly (RBINS).—Almeria, Sorbas, 437m, 5.VIII.2014, Foeniculum vulgare, 1♀, leg. A. Pauly.—Almeria, Almerimar, 2.VIII.2014, Asteriscus maritimus, 6♂ 10♀, leg. A. Pauly (RBINS).— Malaga, Benalmadena, 23.V.1967, 1♂, leg. M.J. & J.P. Duffels (RMNHL).— Melilla, 8.VII.1961, 1♂, Ziziphus lotus (FSAG).—Segovia, Riofrio, S. Ildefonso, 1030m, 30TVL0328, 21.VIII.2010, leg. F.J. Ortiz-Sanchez.— Gandia, 66 km S. Valencia, Selfa, 27.VI.1989, 1♂, leg. K. Warncke (OOLM).
MOROCCO. Rabat, 1♂, leg. A. Thery (MNHNP).—Bab Azhar, 14.VII.1968, 1♂ (FSAG).—Haut Atlas, Jebel Ayachi, Mikdane, stream II N of road, 5.VIII.1963, 1♂, leg. A.C. Pont (BMNH).—Tizi-n-Test S., 1900m, 30.VI.1987, 1♂, leg. M. Schwarz.—Tizi-n-Bachkoum, 1700m, 1.VII.1987, 3♂, leg. M. Schwarz.—Haut Atlas, Agaiouar, 1500m, 10.VII.1975, 1♂, leg. J. Gusenleitner (OOLM).—Ain Leuh 10 km S, 1750m, 15.VIII.1988, 4♂, leg. K. Warncke (OOLM).—Tounfitte 24 km W, 1950m, 18.VIII.1988, 1♂, leg. K. Warncke (OOLM).— 10 km N. Agadir, 30°31'N 9°38'W, 21.IV.1996, leg. J. Gusenleitner (OOLM).
ALGERIA. Alger, Aïn Oussera, 29.V.1924, 1♂ (MNHNP).— Oran, le Petit Lac, 27.VI.1959, 1♂, leg. J. Barbier (MNHNP).— Oran, Misserghim, 18.VII.1959, 1♂, leg. J. Barbier (MNHNP).— Oran, Bou, 19.VII.1959, 1♂, leg. J. Barbier (MNHNP).
TUNISIA. S. Tunisia, Gafsa, "Oasengarten südl", 21.VI.1994, 2♂, leg. & col. Schmid-Egger.—Sousse, 1– 9. VIII.1981, 2 ♂, leg. M. Wolf (OOLM).
LIBYA. CYRENAICA, Apollonia, 1.VIII.1957, 1♂, leg. K.M. Guichard (BMNH).—Cyrenaica, Bersis, W. of Tocra, 26.VII.1957, 1♂, leg. K.M. Guichard (BMNH).
EGYPT. S. Sinai, St Katherines, 28°33’N 33°56’E, V.2013, 4 ♀, VI.2013, 3 ♂, 21♀, VII.2013, 7 ♀, leg. O. Norfolk (UNOT).
Distribution. Along the Mediterranean coast from southern France (Montpellier) to southern Spain, in North Africa from Morocco to the Sinai (Fig. 13).
Visited plants. Asteriscus maritimus Moench (Asteraceae), Eryngium campestre L., Foeniculum vulgare L. (Apiaceae), Ziziphus lotus (L.) Lam (Rhamnaceae).
Etymology. The specific epithet is the diminutive of gemma, meaning "gem", and is a reference to the bright green colouration of this small species.
description: Published as part of Pauly, Alain, Devalez, Jelle, Sonet, Gontran, Nagy, Zoltán Tamás & Boevé, Jean-Luc, 2015, DNA barcoding and male genital morphology reveal five new cryptic species in the West Palearctic bee Seladonia smaragdula (Vachal, 1895) (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Halictidae), pp. 257-290 in Zootaxa 4034 (2) on pages 271-274, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4034.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/244969