Colletes abessinicus Friese 1915
Creators: name: Kuhlmann, Michael
name: Pauly, Alain
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Colletidae
Colletes
Colletes abessinicus

description: Colletes abessinicus Friese 1915
(Figs 1–3)
Colletes abessinicus Friese, 1915: 266, 268, 274, 278–279, 291, 3 holotype (type locality: “NO.-Afrika, Abessinien, Harrar”).
The female of C. abessinicus is here described for the first time.
Diagnosis. Colletes abessinicus belongs to a taxonomically very difficult group of sub-Saharan species related to C. rufitarsis Friese that have mostly tropical and subtropical distributions. In addition to C. abessinicus this group comprises six described species, namely C. opacus Friese, C. rufitarsis Friese, C. michaelis Cockerell, C. gorillarum Cockerell, C. marleyi Cockerell and C. fascicularis Cockerell (Kuhlmann 1998). In addition, C. senkelensis sp. n. and probably C. aethiopicus sp. n. (see below) that are described here, and more than ten undescribed species, belong to this group. The female of C. abessinicus differs from all other species of the group by the finer, more dispersed and superficial punctation, especially of T1, in combination with the intense oily bluish shine of the terga (Fig. 1 d). As in the female the terga of the male have the oily bluish shine but less intense. In combination with the fine and dense punctation of T1 (Fig. 2 b) and the shape of S7 (Fig. 2 c) the male of C. abessinicus is clearly defined.
Description. Female. Bl = 9.0–10.0 mm. Head. Head wider than long. Integument black except tip of mandible partly dark reddish-brown. Face except clypeus densely covered with long, yellowish-grey, erect hairs. Clypeus convex, without longitudinal median depression, supraclypeal area elevated, square. Clypeus coarsely and densely punctate, medially finer; surface between punctures shagreened, matt; Supraclypeal area with coarse but very shallow puncatation, appearing impunctate, matt (Fig. 1 b). Malar area medially about 1/3 as long as width of mandible base, finely striate. Antenna black. Mesosoma. Integument black. Mesoscutal disc coarsely and densely punctate (i <0.5d), shagreened and matt. Scutellum as mesoscutum but punctation finer (Fig. 1 c). Mesoscutum, scutellum, metanotum, mesepisternum and propodeum covered with long orange-brown erect hairs (Fig. 1 a). Wings. Yellowish-brown; wing venation dark brown. Legs. Integument black, apical tarsomeres yellowish-brown. Vestiture whitish to yellowish, scopa greyish-white with isolated dark brown hairs. Metasoma. Integument black except very narrow apical margins of terga reddish translucent; terga with intense oily-bluish shine (Fig. 1 d). T1 anteriorly sparsely covered with long, yellowish-white hairs; disc of T2 without long erect hairs, on T3–T5 discs with successively longer, erect black hairs; apical tergal hair band of T1 medially broadly interrupted, on T2–T4 broad and white. Terga densely (i <d) and very finely but superficially punctate (Fig. 1 d).
Male. Bl = 8.5–9.5 mm. Head. Head wider than long. Integument black except tips of mandible partly dark reddish-brown. Face densely covered with long, yellowish-brown, erect hairs. Malar area medially about as long as width of mandible base, apically finely striate. Antenna black. Mesosoma. Integument black. Mesoscutal disc coarsely and densely punctate (i <0.5d), shagreened and matt. Mesoscutum, scutellum, metanotum, mesepisternum and propodeum covered with long yellowish-brown, erect hairs (Fig. 2 a). Wings. Slightly yellowish-brown; wing venation brown. Legs. Integument black. Vestiture whitish to yellowish-brown. Metasoma. Integument black except narrow apical margins of terga reddish translucent; terga with an oily-bluish shine. T1–T2 covered with long, erect yellowish-brown hairs that are successively shorter on following terga (Fig. 2 a); apical tergal hair bands narrow, white. Terga densely and finely punctate (i <d), on T1 between punctures slightly shagreened, matt, on following terga smooth and more shiny (Fig. 2 b). Terminalia. Genitalia and S7 as illustrated (Figs. 2 c–d).
Material examined (21 specimens). Type material: male Lectotype, two male Paralectotypes, ETHIOPIA: Abessinien, Harrar 11 [42°07´E 09°18´N], Kristensen (ZMHB).
Additional material: ETHIOPIA: 1 Ƥ, Amhara region, Embuli near Dembecha [E37.31.39 N 10.31.03], 14.x.2011, Zewdu A., Bidens prestinaria (RBINS); 1 Ƥ, 1 3, Amhara region, Limalimo, N. Debark [E37.53.13 N13.13.46], 2153m, 19.x.2011, Zewdu A., Bidens prestinaria (RBINS); 1 Ƥ, Amhara region, Simien Mountains, near Sankaber, yellow pan trap [E38.01.23 N13.13.55], 3252m, 17.x.2011, A. Pauly & J.L. Boevé (RBINS); 1 Ƥ, 1 3, Oromia, Holeta [E38.30 N09.04], 10-16.x.2010, female on Trifolium rueppellianum (Fabaceae), male on Brassica napus (Brassicaceae) (RBINS, RCMK); 1 3, Oromia, Entoto [E38.42 N09.06], 14.x.2010, Bidens pachyloma (Asteraceae) (RBINS); 1 3, Addis Abbaba [E38.44 N09.01], 18.viii.1920 (AMNH); 1 Ƥ, Addis Ababa [E38.44 N09.01], 1700m, 7.x.1945, K.M. Guichard (BMNH); 1 Ƥ, Addis Ababa [E38.44 N09.01], 13.x.1945, K.M. Guichard (BMNH); 1 Ƥ, 2 3, nr. Addis Ababa, Happy Valley [E38.44 N09.01], 30.x.1945, K.M. Guichard (BMNH, RCMK); 1 3; Oromia, btw. Kolobo to Genet [E38.44 N09.04], 12.x.2010, Guizotia scabra (Asteraceae) (RBINS); 1 3, Oromia (Bale), Kofale [E38.47 N07.04], 2200m, 25.x.2010, Zewdu A., Guizotia scabra (Asteraceae) (RBINS); 1 3, Bale, Robe 20 km E [E40.00 N07.08], 21.x.2010, Guizotia scabra (Asteraceae) (RCMK); 1 3; Harar [E42.07 N09.18], 1911, Kristensen (AMNH); 1 3, Djem-Djem Forest, ca. 8000ft, 25.- 26.ix.1926, Dr. H. Scott (BMNH).
General distribution. This species seems to be endemic to the Ethiopian highlands (Fig. 3).
Floral hosts. Bidens prestinaria, B. pachyloma, Guizotia scabra (Asteraceae), Brassica napus (Brassicaceae), Trifolium rueppellianum (Fabaceae),.
Seasonal activity (first–last observations). VIII–X.
description: Published as part of Kuhlmann, Michael & Pauly, Alain, 2013, The bee genus Colletes Latreille 1802 in Ethiopia (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Colletidae), pp. 267-292 in Zootaxa 3693 (2) on pages 268-270, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3693.2.9, http://zenodo.org/record/247793