Megachile (Pseudomegachile) maxschwarzi Dorchin & Praz 2018, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Dorchin, Achik
name: Praz, Christophe J.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Megachilidae
Megachile

description: Megachile (Pseudomegachile) maxschwarzi Dorchin & Praz, sp. nov.
Distribution: Iran, Uzbekistan.
Note: This species is found in collections under the name M. stolzmanni Radoszkowski 1893, which was based on a mixed type series; the female described by Radoszkowski is probably an atypical female of M. tecta, but definitely not conspecific with the male, which belongs to M. maxschwarzi sp. nov.. Alfken (1936) redescribed both sexes of M. stolzmanni based on syntypes preserved in ISZP, and designated the female as the lectotype, the male as the allotype. Consequently, we place M. stolzmanni in synonymy with M. tecta. A presumed syntype male of M. stolzmanni in ZMHB bears the following label “ lectotype M. stolzmanni des. Tkalců”; this designation has remained unpublished. Since Alfken previously published the designation of a female from ISZP as lectotype, we do not consider this male specimen from ZMHB as the lectotype. Megachile orientalis Morawitz 1895 was also based on a mixed type series, the female being a species of the subgenus Eutricharaea and the male M. maxschwarzi sp. nov.; Praz (2017) selected a female syntype as the lectotype.
Pollen hosts: unknown.
Nesting biology: unknown.
Diagnosis: This Central Asian species is a typical member of the M. flavipes species group, most reminiscent of the sympatric M. tecta or M. flavipes due to the uniform ferruginous or fulvous vestiture and the dense vestiture covering the clypeus, entirely hiding its sculpture (Fig. 172). Females can be distinguished from most other species by the following characteristics: flattened clypeus with particularly small and dense punctures as only in M. flavipes (Fig. 15) (this characteristic is difficult to examine due to the dense hair cover of the clypeus); vertex with dense, small punctures posteriorly, with only a few interspaces up to one puncture diameter wide (Fig. 110); thepunctures are much larger in most other species, but only slightly larger in M. tecta, in which some interspaces are however more than one large puncture diameter wide (Fig. 107); bright ferruginous mandible (Fig. 172) compared to black, or at most reddish-amber on premarginal area in both M. flavipes and M. tecta; metasomal tergites strongly depressed basally and elevated posteriorly, delineating a conspicuous sinuate pattern in lateral view (Fig. 171); marginal zones ferruginous, contrasting the dark integument on disc, compared to less strongly contrasted in other species, but the marginal zones are normally entirely covered by dense appressed hairs in M. maxschwarzi sp. nov. as in most other species (Fig. 112).
Males can be recognized by the: large maculations on the ventral surface of the front tarsi, occupying most of the ventral surface of tarsal segments 2–4 (Fig. 175) (in all other species of the flavipes species group, the maculations are narrowly linear, Fig. 28); the long posterior hair fringe of front tarsi, more than twice as long as maximal width on basitarsus (Fig. 174), as observed only in M. sanguinipes but otherwise much shorter in the flavipes species group (Figs 30, 31); the relatively long middle flagellomeres, about 1.5 times as long as broad, and terminal flagellomere not broader than preceding flagellomere (Fig. 176), a condition sometimes matched only in M. tecta; the long median teeth of preapical carina of T6, at least three times as long as medially wide (Fig. 177); and the uniformly small sclerotized spatulate hairs on S6, the 3–5 lateral hairs sometimes vary even within the same specimen, similar in size or even smaller than the hairs medially (Fig. 55) (the hairs are usually larger posterolaterally (Figs 49, 58, 61, 62), except only in M. tecta).
Description: Female: body length 10.4 mm; forewing length 7.75 mm; head 1.15 times broader than long; inner margins of compound eye converging below, slightly sloping mesad above (Fig. 172); interocellar distance 2.5 lateral ocellus diameters; ocellocular distance 2 lateral ocellus diameters; ocelloccipital distance 2.7 lateral ocellus diameters, about as long as interocellar distance (Fig. 110); vertex rounded in frontal view (Fig. 172); compound eye about 2.45 times longer than wide in profile; mandible weakly 4-toothed, tooth 3 obtuse, short and broad; clypeus almost twice broader than long, flattened, anterior margin truncate with conspicuous, premarginal obtuse tooth; supraclypeal area weakly protuberant; scape 2.85 times longer than broad; first flagellomere as long as broad, slightly shorter than pedicle and slightly longer than second flagellomere; subsequent flagellomeres subequal in length, slightly longer than first, terminal flagellomere longest, 1.6 times longer than broad. Omaulus angular; pronotal lobe sharply carinate concealed by overlain dense hairs; scutellum regularly convex, not bulging medially; all femora and tibiae robust, broadly rounded on dorsal surface. Metasomal tergites 2–4 regularly rounded, strongly depressed basally and elevated posteriorly, slightly more so posterolaterally, thus conspicuously sinuate in lateral view (Fig. 171).
Integument color black, including antennal scape and pedicle, contrasting with reddish-amber flagellomeres (Fig. 172); mandible, legs including most of trochanter and following segments, and marginal zones of tergites ferruginous to fulvous; wings hyaline, yellow, papillate distally beyond veins, veins basally hyaline and fulvous like tegulae, reddish-amber to black distally. Integument surface smooth and shiny at most inconspicuously microreticulate, finely shagreened medially on propodeal triangle. Vertex irregularly punctate with relatively small punctures, punctures posteriorly not much larger than anteriorly, with interspaces up to one large puncture diameter wide, confluent near preoccipital ridge (Fig. 110); clypeus densely covered with hairs, with uniformly dense, particularly small punctures, with mostly less than 1 puncture wide interspaces, and with few irregular, larger punctures along anterior margin, (Fig. 15); gena covered with dense hairs, with larger, weaker punctures than on clypeus, increasing in size and fading toward hypostomal area, leaving some large, smooth surfaces; mesonotal punctation uniformly dense, with few small interspaces medially, confluent at the periphery; scutellum with similar, slightly larger punctures than on mesonotum; tergites with small, confluent punctures in transverse lines and few interspaces up to one puncture diameter wide, uniform in size on T1–3, larger and irregular on T4 and T5, covered with dense hair.
Vestiture with abundant hairs densely covering most body parts, comprising fulvous, fading to pale yellow or white appressed, branched scale-like hairs on vertex, mesonotum, scutellum, and all metasomal tergites; lighter, yellow-white, semierect to appressed minutely branched hairs cover face, base of mandible, sides of head and thorax, metanotum, propodeum, and most parts of legs; tibiae and tarsi with ordinary short, stiff, light golden setae, and T4–6 sparsely scattered with comparable short setae; scopa with light golden hairs.
Male: As female except for the following. Body length 12.3–12.4 mm, forewing length 7.25–7.4 mm; inner margins of compound eyes converging below but not sloping mesad above (Fig. 176); interocellar distance 2.4 lateral ocellus diameters; ocellocular distance 1.8 lateral ocellus diameters; ocelloccipital distance 2.6 lateral ocellus diameters, about as long as interocellar distance; compound eye about 2.4 times longer than wide in profile; mandible tridentate; clypeus as in female, supraclypeal area flat (protuberant in female), both concealed by dense, light hairs; scape 2.3 times longer than broad; first flagellomere 0.8 times as long as broad, slightly shorter than pedicle, 0.8 times as long as second flagellomere; subsequent flagellomeres subequal in length, slightly longer than second, about 1.5 times as long as broad thus longer than in most other species, terminal flagellomere longest, twice as long as broad. Omaulus obtusely angular; front coxal spine relatively short, about as long as medially wide with conspicuous apical tuft of golden velvety hairs; front tarsi with ventral dark maculations particularly large, occupying most of inner surface but partly obscured by surrounding hairs, except sometimes weaker on tarsal segment 4 (Fig. 175); front tarsi and middle basitarsus with long posterior hair fringe, more than twice as long as maximal width of basitarsus (Fig. 174). Metasomal tergites 2–5 strongly depressed basally and elevated posteriorly, thus conspicuously sinuate in lateral view but less so than in female (Fig. 173); preapical carina of T6 with irregular teeth of varying sizes, medially emarginated between two particularly long inner-most teeth, these long teeth at least three times as long as medially wide (Fig. 177); T7 typical of the flavipes species group, small and rounded with short inferior tooth (cf. Fig. 39); S4 relatively broad with weak punctation fading across middle of disc, with abundant minutely branched hairs, and with obtuse preapical carina medially (Fig. 53); S5 with sclerotized capitate hairs conspicuously broadened posteriorly, and fine, inconspicuous bifid hairs anteriorly (Fig. 54); S6 with 23–24 uniformly small, sclerotized spatulate hairs (in other species the hairs are larger posterolaterally), with lateral separated hairs similar in size or even smaller than hairs medially, as in M. tecta, but these hairs vary in number (there may be 3–5 hairs) even in the same specimen (Fig. 55). S8, gonoforceps, and penis valves typical of the group: S8 spear-shaped triangular, fringed along entire lateral margin with dense, long hairs that extend well beyond margin (cf. Fig. 95); gonoforceps slender, linear, slightly tapering apically, with dense long branched hairs directed mesad on posterior portion and with no hairs at apex as seen in dorsal view (cf. Fig. 96); penis valve simple, almost linear, with apex bluntly pointed (cf. Fig. 96).
Integument color much as in female: scape and pedicle black, contrasting with reddish-amber flagellomeres; mandible black to dark reddish-amber; legs including most of trochanter, most of femur, and following segments, and marginal zones of tergites dark ferruginous to fulvous; tegulae and wings coloration as in female. Integument surface sculpture as in female: smooth and shiny, at most inconspicuously microreticulated, finely shagreen medially on propodeal triangle; vertex more uniformly punctate than in female, with moderately dense punctures increasing in size posteriorly, and some wide, smooth surfaces anteriorly; gena with uniformly small, moderately dense punctures, covered with dense hair, punctures stronger than in female, fading on hypostomal area; mesonotum and scutellum with uniform confluent punctures, denser than in female, with no apparent interspaces; metasomal tergites 1 and 2 uniformly punctate with small, moderately dense punctures, with interspaces up to 1 puncture diameter wide; tergites 4 and 5, sometimes also 3, irregularly punctate with some wide, smooth surfaces, and all tergites covered with dense hair in fresh specimens.
Vestiture comprising abundant semi-erect fulvous to white minutely branched hairs covering most body parts, especially dense on face (Fig. 176) and underside of thorax; hairs intermixed with fulvous, appressed, branched scale-like hairs on mesonotum and scutellum; the same hairs completely cover T2–6; tibiae and tarsi with ordinary short, stiff golden setae and thickened golden setae sparsely scattered on T3–6.
Etymology: The new species name is proposed in honor of our friend, the eminent bee taxonomist Maximilian Schwarz, whose substantial continuous support to both of us has permitted this study.
Holotype: ♂, IRAN: Kerman prov. Jupar, 1900m N30°05' E57°12, 1.6.2010, Mi. Halada leg (MSCA)
Paratypes: IRAN: 23♀ 17♂, Kerman prov. Jupar, 1900m N 30°05' E57°12, 1.6.2010, Mi. Halada leg (MSCA, 9♀ 7♂; SMNH, 1♀ 1♂; OLML, 5♀ 4♂; CPCN 7 ♀ 5♂; ZIN 1 ♀); 1 # 1♂, Sist & Blu, Zabol, 9.6.2010, M. Soraya leg (CPCN); 1♂ Sist & Blu, Zabol, 12.6.2010, M. Soraya leg (CPCN); 1♂, Saraks [Sarakhs] (ZMHB); 4♂, Saraks [Sarakhs] (collection Radoszkowski, ISZP); UZBEKISTAN: 2♀, Kyzyl-Kyr / Kyzyl-kum des., 29.6.1976, Jiri Niedl leg (MSCA, CPCN).
description: Published as part of Dorchin, Achik & Praz, Christophe J., 2018, Taxonomic revision of the Western Palaearctic bees of the subgenus Pseudomegachile (Hymenoptera, Apiformes, Megachilidae, Megachile), pp. 251-307 in Zootaxa 4524 (3) on pages 298-302, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4524.3.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2610526