Hoplitis (Anthocopa) nevadensis Müller & Wood, 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Müller, Andreas
name: Wood, Thomas J.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Megachilidae
Hoplitis
Hoplitis nevadensis

description: Hoplitis (Anthocopa) nevadensis sp. nov.
Holotype. SPAIN: Granada: Sierra Nevada, Jardin Botanico, Hoya Pedraza, 37.1130°N / 3.4378°W, 1900 m, 29.6.2021, ♂ (leg. T. Wood). Holotype deposited in the Entomological Collection of ETH Zurich.
Paratypes. SPAIN: Granada: Sierra Nevada, Jardin Botanico, Hoya Pedraza, 37.1130°N / 3.4378°W, 1900 m, 29.6.2021, 3♀, 2♂ (leg. T. Wood); Sierra Nevada, El Dornajo, 37.1323°N / 3.4392°W, 1700 m, 6.6.2021, 1♂. Paratypes deposited in the Entomological Collection of ETH Zurich and the private collection of T. Wood.
Diagnosis. Among the European and North African Hoplitis species of the subgenus Anthocopa, the females of Hoplitis nevadensis (Fig. 8) can be recognised by the following combination of characters: i) body length 6–7 mm; ii) apical margin of clypeus with strongly rounded median projection (Fig. 10); iii) second segment of labial palpus almost 2.5× as long as first segment and as long as compound eye; iv) pilosity on inner side of basitarsus of hind leg brownish; v) tibial spurs of hind leg and tegula predominantly blackish; and vi) metasomal scopa white and with numerous distinctly plumose hairs. (Fig. 8) The males (Fig. 9) can be identified by the following combination of characters: i) body length 6.5–7 mm; ii) second segment of labial palpus almost 2.5× as long as long as first segment and as long as compound eye; iii) mandible, antenna, tibial spurs of hind leg and tegula predominantly blackish; iv) tergum 7 bidentate and laterally not projecting, its median emargination 1.5–2.5× as wide as preapical width of adjacent teeth (Fig. 11); v) pilosity of sternum 5 very short, sparse, neither hiding cuticular surface nor forming apical hair band and of about same density over entire sternal surface (Fig. 12); and vi) sternum 6 mediopreapically with polished roundish impression, which is neither haired nor punctured (Fig. 12).
Description. FEMALE (Fig. 8: Body length 6–7 mm. Head: Head about 0.9× as long as wide. Distance between posterior margin of lateral ocellus and preoccipital margin 1.9–2.1× as long as ocellar diameter. Maximum width of genal area 0.6–0.7× as long as maximum width of compound eye. Second segment of labial palpus 2.3–2.4× as long as first segment and as long as compound eye. Mandible three-toothed and blackish except for preapical reddish zone. Clypeus distinctly convex, its punctation very dense with only linear interspaces except for narrow apical zone, which is not to very sparsely punctured (Fig. 10). Apical margin of clypeus medially with strongly rounded median projection (Fig. 10). Lower two thirds of face with whitish and predominantly erect pilosity, which is sparse on clypeus and rather dense on paraocular area, supraclypeal area and frons. Punctation of supraclypeal area denser and finer than that of clypeus except for medioapical zone, where punctation may be more scattered (Fig. 10). Punctation of frons dense with interspaces reaching diameter of half a puncture to one puncture, punctures of about same size as those on clypeus. Hypostomal area and ventral side of mandibles covered with long and inwardly curved yellowish-white bristles forming distinct basket on head underside. Antenna blackish. Antennal segments 3 and 12 about 1.3× as long as wide and segments 4–11 shorter than wide. Mesosoma: Parapsidal line long-linear. Punctation of scutum and mesepisternum very dense with interspaces rarely exceeding diameter of half a puncture, punctures of about same size as those on frons. Punctation of scutellum of similar size and density as that of scutum except for median zone, where punctures may be more scattered. Basal area of propodeum polished except for narrow transverse zone at its base, which is finely sculptured. Posterior surface of propodeum adjacent to basal area polished and sparsely punctured. Tegula predominantly dark brown. Tibial spur of fore leg yellowish, its apex extended into long and well stepped tip, which is more than 2× as long as basally wide. Tibial spurs of middle and hind leg dark brown, long, slender and almost straight. Pilosity on inner side of basitarsus of hind leg brownish. Veins of fore and hind wing dark brown. Stigma of fore wing brown in centre and dark brown along margins. Metasoma: Terga 2–3 basally distinctly constricted. Punctation of tergal discs 1–5 moderately dense with interspaces varying in size between diameter of half a puncture on lateral tergal sides and diameter of up to two to three punctures on median parts of terga 2–3, punctures slightly smaller than those on scutum. Punctation of tergum 6 distinctly smaller than that of terga 1–5 and very dense with interspaces hardly exceeding diameter of half a puncture. Marginal zones of terga 1–5 with short and uninterrupted white hair bands (Fig. 8). Tergal discs 2–5 covered with very short and predominantly dark hairs. Pilosity of tergum 6 short, semierect, predominantly whitish and sparse, not hiding cuticular surface. Scopa white (Fig. 8), scopal hairs of sterna 2–4 distinctly plumose.
MALE (Fig. 9): Body length 6.5–7 mm. Head: Head 0.8–0.9× as long as wide. Distance between posterior margin of lateral ocellus and preoccipital margin 1.9–2× as long as ocellar diameter. Maximum width of genal area 0.6–0.8× as long as maximum width of compound eye. Second segment of labial palpus 2.3–2.5× as long as first segment and as long as compound eye. Mandible three-toothed and black except for narrow reddish preapical zone. Apical margin of clypeus almost straight and with five minute teeth. Frons, paraocular area, supraclypeal area, clypeus and hypostomal area covered with dense and predominantly erect to semierect white pilosity. Punctation of frons very dense with interspaces not exceeding diameter of one puncture. Punctation of clypeus, supraclypeal area and paraocular area extremely fine and dense with only linear interspaces. Antenna dark brown to black. Antennal segment 3 about as long as wide, segments 4–12 shorter than wide and segment 13 about 1.25× as long as wide. Mesosoma: Parapsidal line long-linear. Punctation of scutum and mesepisternum very dense with interspaces rarely exceeding diameter of half a puncture, punctures of about same size as those on frons. Punctation of scutellum of similar size and density as that of scutum except for median zone, where punctures may be more scattered. Basal area of propodeum polished except for narrow transverse zone at its base, which is finely sculptured. Posterior surface of propodeum adjacent to basal area polished with sparse and fine punctation. Tegula dark brown in its anterior and reddish-brown in its posterior half. Mesepisternum covered with long and erect white pilosity that does not hide cuticular surface. Tibial spur of fore leg yellowish, its apex extended into long and well stepped tip, which is more than 2× as long as basally wide. Tibial spurs of middle and hind leg brown to dark brown, long, slender and almost straight. Pilosity on inner side of basitarsus of hind leg brownish. Veins of fore and hind wing brown to dark brown. Stigma of fore wing brown in centre and dark brown along margins. Metasoma: Terga 2–3 basally distinctly constricted. Punctation of tergal discs moderately dense with interspaces varying in size between diameter of half a puncture or less on lateral tergal sides and diameter of up to two to three punctures on median parts of terga 3–4, punctures slightly smaller than those on scutum. Marginal zones of terga 1–5 with short white hair bands, which may be interrupted on terga 1–2 in worn specimens (Fig. 9). Tergal discs (3)4–5 covered with moderately long and predominantly dark pilosity with more or less intermixed whitish hairs. Tergum 6 with lateral short tooth and without apical white hair band. Tergum 7 bidentate and laterally not projecting, its median emargination 1.5–2.5× as wide as preapical width of adjacent teeth (Fig. 11). Sternum 2 covered with rather long and erect white pilosity that does not hide cuticular surface, its apical margin evenly rounded and with very loose band of white hairs, which surpass tergal margin (Fig. 12). Apical margin of sternum 3 medially very shallowly emarginate, emargination beset with dense band of yellowish-white and slightly inwardly directed hairs, which are about as long as hairs along apical margin of sternum 2 (Fig. 12). Apical margin of sternum 4 widely and shallowly emarginate, emargination beset with dense band of yellowish-white and distinctly inwardly directed hairs, which are about twice as long as hairs along apical margin of sternum 3 (Fig. 12). Sternum 5 medioapically very shallowly emarginate, its pilosity whitish, very short, neither hiding cuticular surface nor forming apical hair band and of about same density over entire sternal surface (Fig. 12). Sternum 6 mediopreapically with more or less roundish impression, which is strongly polished, unhaired and unpunctured (Fig. 12). Gonoforceps apically widened and curved under penis valve (Fig. 13, 14).
Distribution. Sierra Nevada in southern Spain.
Habitat. Subalpine grassland near the edge of the tree line (Fig. 7). Woody plants such as Crataegus (Rosaceae), Berberis (Berberidaceae) and low growing clumps of Vella spinosa (Brassicaceae) were in bloom together with a rich ground flora of Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Lamiaceae. With 51 additional species recorded, a diverse bee fauna was present.
Etymology. The species epithet refers to the occurrence of the species in the Sierra Nevada.
description: Published as part of Müller, Andreas & Wood, Thomas J., 2025, Still undescribed bees in Europe-description of nine new European osmiine bee species (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae), pp. 83-102 in Zootaxa 5631 (1) on pages 87-88, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5631.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/15326665