Megachile (Pseudomegachile) blepharis 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) blepharis Dorchin & Praz, sp. nov.
Distribution: Israel.
Pollen hosts: All specimens of the type series were collected on Blepharis (Acanthaceae) in Israel (Sedivy & Praz, per. obs.).
Nesting biology: unknown.
Diagnosis: This newly described species closely resembles Megachile incana and even more so M. plumigera sp. nov. from the Arabian Peninsula. The female can be differentiated from females of these species by the combination of uniform silvery-white vestiture (Figs 113, 114), robust 6-toothed mandible (Fig. 8), and facial comb of unbranched, apically curved golden hairs covering the clypeus, supraclypeal area, and frons (Fig. 116). Megachile incana is larger and darker, at least hairs on T6 and tarsi are dark brown and the scopa reddish-brown to dark brown; furthermore, the mandible of this species has 5 to 6 blunt teeth (Fig. 7); M. plumigera sp. nov. lacks a facial comb of unbranched hairs and its face is covered with ordinary, light, appressed or semi-erect branched hairs (Fig. 125); Megachile incana has unbranched golden-brown hairs on the clypeus, but the hairs vary in length and are not curved apically, and the clypeus is slightly shorter (Fig. 7). In addition, the supraclypeal area of females of the new species is not bulging, and the vertex shorter and more sparsely punctate than in M. incana females (ocelloccipital distance equals 2 compared to 2.33 lateral ocellus diameters in the latter species).
The male can be separated from that of M. incana by the following combination of characteristics: uniform silvery-white vestiture (Figs 120, 121); preapical carina of T6 with 10–11 teeth conspicuously varying in size and median symmetrical emargination (Fig. 123); apicomedian spine of T7 about equal in length to distance from base of spine to anterior margin of external surface of T7 as seen in ventral view (cf. Fig. 129); preapical carina of S4 produced into a small submedial spine at each side (Fig. 162); S5 weakly emarginate and depressed medially (Fig. 163); S8 tapering apically to a point with weak posterior submedial depressions (Fig. 167); gonoforceps with short and broad basal dorsolateral projection (Fig. 168); penis valve with lateral angles not produced anteriorly (Fig. 168). It is slightly smaller and has lighter tarsal hairs compared to males of M. incana, in which teeth in the preapical carina of T6 and the apicomedian spine of T7 are longer (the latter apically truncate and longer than the described above as seen in ventral view), preapical carina of S4 stronger (Fig. 159), S5 deeply emarginate and strongly depressed (Fig. 160), S8 apically rounded (Fig. 165), gonoforceps with longer basal dorsolateral projection, and lateral angles of penis valves produced anterolaterally (Fig. 166). The male is very similar to that of M. plumigera sp. nov., and differs only by the weaker posterior submedial depressions of S8 (compare Figs 167 and 169), and more rounded basomedial spine and basolateral angle of penis valve (compare Figs 168 and 170).
Description: Female: body length 12–13 mm; forewing length 8.5–10 mm; head 1.1 times broader than long; inner margins of compound eye weakly converging below, slightly sloping mesad above (Fig. 117); interocellar distance 2.85 lateral ocellus diameters; ocellocular distance 2.1 lateral ocellus diameters; vertex relatively short, ocelloccipital distance 2 lateral ocellus diameters, about 0.7 times as long as interocellar distance (Fig. 115), concave in frontal view; compound eye about 2.5 times longer than wide in profile; mandible 6-toothed, short and broad, coarsely reticulate and shiny, with smooth, premarginal area along apical margin relatively long, at least half as long as minimum width of first flagellomere; all teeth comparably sharp, teeth 5 and 6 smallest, tooth 3 distinctly shorter than 4 (Fig. 8); clypeus about 1.5 times broader than long, weakly convex and elevated along midline with weakly elevated medial ridge seen in some angles, and small but conspicuous apicomedial protuberance obscuring truncate anterior margin (Fig. 8); clypeus weakly depressed near base, basally at same level as supraclypeal area; scape about three times longer than broad; first flagellomere 1.3 times as long as broad, slightly broader than pedicle; subsequent flagellomeres subequal in length, slightly shorter than first, terminal flagellomere longest, about 1.4 times longer than broad. Omaulus obtusely angular, weakly carinate only at uppermost margin; pronotal lobe sharply carinate and concealed by dense hairs; scutellum convex but without median protuberance; all femora and tibiae robust, broadly rounded on dorsal surface; hind femur with dorp-shaped fovea about half way along upper posterior margin, occupying about 1/5 of total length of femur; hind basitarsus oval, weakly convex, about 2.35 times as long as broad (cf. Fig. 133). Metasomal tergites 2–5 regularly rounded, sinuate in lateral view, depressed at base and elevated posteriorly.
Integument color black on head, mesosoma and dorsal side of metasoma (Fig. 113), reddish-amber on underside of antennae and most parts of sternites and leg segments; marginal zones of both tergites and sternites changing from reddish amber to ocherous or fulvous; tegulae mostly ocherous; wings hyaline yellow, veins black to reddish amber, papillate distally beyond veins. Integument surface uniformly smooth and shiny at most with inconspicuous microreticulation, finely shagreened on propodeal triangle and medially on metanotum. Vertex irregularly punctate with moderately dense deep punctures, the largest punctures about twice as large as smallest punctures, with some interspaces more than one large puncture diameter wide (Fig. 115); clypeus densely punctate with irregular, confluent, deep punctures and few small interspaces on disc, with smooth, apical margin approximately two puncture diameters long; lower gena and hypostomal area sparsely punctate with very large, irregular, deep punctures forming interrupted ridges; mesonotum with confluent, irregular punctures forming interrupted ridges (Fig. 118); surface of metasomal tergites strongly irregularly punctured, concealed by hairs, comprising intermixed large and twice as small punctures separated by some large interspaces, more than one large puncture diameter wide.
Vestiture uniform with white or light silvery hairs, comprising semi-erect, moderately dense, fine, branched hairs on sides of head, mesosoma, and T1, and appressed, short, scale-like hairs on following tergites (Figs 113, 114); clypeus, supraclypeal area and frons densely covered with modified, unbranched, apically curved golden hairs (Fig. 116); unbranched, golden hairs present on vertex, throughout mid-underside of thorax, coxae, trochanters, and posterior of T6, and appearing as thickened, long setae on clypeal edge, labrum, lower gena, underside of mandibles, and comprising two dense raws of hairs along grooves of inner side of mandible; tibiae and tarsi with ordinary, short, stiff golden setae; metasomal tergites 2–6 with comparable sparse, semi-erect, short setae; scopa made of long golden hairs (Fig. 114).
Male: description as female except for the following. Body length about 12–14 mm; forewing length about 8 mm; inner margins of compound eyes converging below but not sloping mesad above (Fig. 124); interocellar distance 2.7 lateral ocellus diameters; ocellocular distance 1.9 lateral ocellus diameters; ocelloccipital distance 2.1 lateral ocellus diameters, 0.78 interocellar distance; compound eye 2.35 times longer than wide in profile; mandible weakly 5-toothed, third tooth small and sharp, basal tooth broad, divided in two (Fig. 124); mandible without basal inferior projection; clypeus roundly convex, completely hidden with hairs (Fig. 124); scape broaden apically, 2.3 times as long as broad apically; first flagellomere 1.2 times as long as broad, broader than pedicle, subsequent flagellomeres subequal in length, about as long as first, terminal flagellomere longer, about 1.9 times longer than broad; coxae without anterior spine; dorsal surface of front femur glabrous with tuft of long hairs originating on basal third (Fig. 121); front tarsi unmodified, front and middle basitarsi with long, snow-white posterior hair fringe, about 1.6 and 1.3 times as long as maximal width of basitarsus, respectively (Fig. 121); metasomal tergites 2–5 sinuate in lateral view, less conspicuously so than in female; hind femoral fovea larger than in female, occupying about 1/4 of total length of femur; hind basitarsus regularly slender. Preapical carina of T6 broad, more or less evenly dentate with 10–11 teeth largely varying in size, the longest teeth on both sides of wide median emargination; T7 produced into long, robust apicomedian spine, about equal in length to distance from base of spine to anterior margin of external surface of T7 as seen in ventral view, deeply emarginated below as seen in ventral or posterior view (Fig. 123); S1 weakly emarginate between short, rounded lateral lobes; S2 with elevated preapical carina on both sides forming comparable lateral lobes to S1; S3 with lower and longer preapical carina than on S2; S4 preapical carina absent laterally, weaker medially compared to M. incana, developed to submedial short spines (Fig. 162); S5 reminding that of M. incana but only weakly emarginate and depressed medially (Fig. 163); S6 reminding that of members of the cyanipennis species group: with lateral swollen lobes, the disc bare medially, with modified, sclerotized hairs along far lateral margins, growing in size apically (as also in M. incana) (Fig. 164); S8 broad and rounded, strongly tapering and pointed apically, with abundant, finely branched, long hairs apicomedially and along margins (Fig. 167); genitalia robust, gonoforceps with basal dorsolateral quadrate projection shorter than in M. incana, arms slender reminding those found in members of the cyanipennis species group: strongly angular in cross section, apically compressed in dorsal view with long branched hairs, especially on inner surface, the basal-most hairs thickened and sclerotized (Fig. 168); penis valve reminding M. incana but basomedial spine longer and closer to midline, and lateral angles blunt, less strongly produced (Fig. 168).
Integument and wing color as in female, integument predominantly black, marginal zones of tergites reddish amber, marginal zones of sternites lighter ocherous or fulvous. Surface sculpture much as in female but vertex with smaller punctures and lower gena and hypostomal area with denser smaller punctures; metasomal tergites 3–5 highly irregularly sparsely punctured with some interspaces more than two large puncture diameters wide.
Vestiture as in female but modified, unbranched or apically curved hairs absent except ordinary, stiff setae on inner side of tarsi; face completely covered with dense, long light hairs (Fig. 124); branched hairs slightly longer on base of tergites 2–5 and unbranched thickened setae longer on discs of tergites 4–6; T7 with long, unbranched golden hairs (Fig. 123); sternites 2–5 with abundant, finely branched hairs, longest apicolaterally (Figs 162, 163).
Etymology: The new species is named after its known host plant. The name is based on a substantive and is thus invariable.
Holotype: ♀, ISRAEL AND PALESTINE, 2km N ' En Yahav 30°40’39’’N 35°14’17’’E, 29.04.2010, C. Sedivy & C. Praz leg. (SMNH).
Paratypes: 4♀ 6♂, ISRAEL AND PALESTINE, 2km N ' En Yahav 30°40’39’’N 35°14’17’’E, 29.04.2010, C. Sedivy & C. Praz leg. (SMNH, 1♀ 2♂; OLML, 1♀ 1♂; CPCN, 2♀ 3♂). 1♀, ISRAEL AND PALESTINE, ' En Yahav, 14.06.1986, J. Cna'ani leg (SMNH).
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 275-278, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4524.3.1, http://zenodo.org/record/2610526