Sphecodopsis obscura Pöllein & Kuhlmann, 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Pöllein, Daniela
name: Kuhlmann, Michael
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Apidae
Sphecodopsis
Sphecodopsis obscura

description: Sphecodopsis obscura sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 645C6F27-EA0A-4806- BEC 3-4C92C530806E
Figs 25–28
Diagnosis
The female of S. obscura sp. nov. can be separated from that of all other species of the genus by the combination of the following characters: S6 bifid posteriorly, apical notch three times as long as its apical width (Fig. 26C); metasoma completely black (Fig. 25B); T6 covered with long black hair (Fig. 26B). The male can be separated from that of all other species by the combination of the following characters: metasoma completely black (Fig. 25B); head and mesosoma with black hair (Fig. 27C–D).
Etymology
The name refers to the dominantly dark coloration of the species that is unusual in this species group.
Type material (23 specimens)
Holotype
SOUTH AFRICA • ♀; 20 km S of Nieuwoudtville, Farm Papkuilsfontein, Fynbos; 31°33′16″ S, 19°08′31″ E; 680 m a.s.l.; 27 Aug. 2012; MK leg.; SAMC.
Paratypes
SOUTH AFRICA • 17 ♀♀, 3 ♂♂; 20 km S of Nieuwoudtville, Farm Papkuilsfontein, Fynbos; 31°33′16″ S, 19°08′31″ E; 680 m a.s.l.; 27 Aug. 2012; MK leg.; RCMK • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; 30 Aug. 2018; RCMK.
Description
Female
BODY LENGTH. 4.0– 5.2 mm.
HEAD. Head wider than long. Vertex slightly rounded, ocelli highest point. Integument black, except part of mandibles red or reddish-brown. Face covered with long, black hair mixed with short, white hair. Face with dense (i =0.25–0.5 d), fine and shallow punctation (Fig. 25C). Surface between punctures slightly shiny. Antenna reddish-brown to dark brown.
MESOSOMA. Integument black, tegula brown. Mesoscutum slightly shiny. Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum densely (i=0.25–1 d), finely and shallowly punctate (Fig. 25D). Propodeum with dense (i=0.5–1 d), fine and shallow punctation, metapostnotum matt (Fig. 26A). Mesoscutum, mesoscutellum and mesepisternum sparsely covered with long, black hair mixed with shorter, white hair (Fig. 25D). Metanotum and propodeum sparsely covered with short, white hair, metapostnotum glabrous (Figs 25D, 26A). WINGS. Yellowish-brown; wing venation brown and stigma brown (Fig. 25A).
LEGS. Integument black. Coxa, trochanter and femur sparsely covered with long, black hair mixed with shorter white hair. Tibia and tarsi very sparsely covered with short, black hair mixed with short white hair (Fig. 25A).
METASOMA. Integument black. T1 and T2 with few short, white and black hair, from T3 increasingly more and longer black hair (Fig. 25B). T5 marginal zone covered with white, short hairs. T6 covered with long, black hair, narrow and almost straight apically (Fig. 26B). Shape of S6 (Fig. 26C) as illustrated.
Male
BODY LENGTH. 4.4–5.0 mm.
HEAD. Head wider than long. Vertex slightly rounded, ocelli highest point. Integument black, except part of mandibles red or reddish-brown. Face covered with long, black hair mixed with short, white hair. Face with dense (i=0.25–0.5 d) and fine but deep punctation (Fig. 27C). Surface between punctures slightly matt. Antenna reddish-brown to dark brown.
MESOSOMA. Integument black, tegula reddish-brown. Mesoscutum slightly shiny. Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum densely (i= 0.25–0.1 d), finely and shallowly punctate (Fig. 27D). Propodeum with dense (i =0.5–1 d), fine and shallow punctation, metapostnotum matt (Fig. 27E). Mesoscutum, mesoscutellum and mesepisternum sparsely covered with long, black hair mixed with shorter, white hair (Fig. 27D). Metanotum and propodeum very sparsely covered with short, white hair, metapostnotum without hair (Fig. 27D–E).
WINGS. Yellowish-brown; wing venation brown and stigma brown (Fig. 27A). LEGS. Integument black. Coxa, trochanter and femur sparsely covered with long, black hair mixed with shorter white hair. Tibia and tarsi very sparsely covered with short, black hair mixed with short white hair (Fig. 27A).
METASOMA. Integument black. T1 and T2 very sparsely covered with short white and black hair, from T3 increasingly more and longer black hair (Fig. 27B). T7 covered with short, gold hair and longer, black hair (Fig. 27F).
TERMINALIA. Genitalia (Fig. 28C), S7 (Fig. 28A) and terminal plate of S8 (Fig. 28B) as illustrated.
Distribution
Only known from the type locality south of Nieuwoudtville.
Host bees
Likely hosts are equally small species of euryglossiform Scrapter (Kuhlmann 2014; Kuhlmann & Friehs 2020) that were found in association with this cuckoo bee.
Seasonal activity
August.
description: Published as part of Pöllein, Daniela & Kuhlmann, Michael, 2025, Taxonomic revision of the southern African bee genus Sphecodopsis Bischoff, 1923 (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Nomadinae), pp. 1-157 in European Journal of Taxonomy 980 on pages 36-40, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2025.980.2805, http://zenodo.org/record/14981767