Colletes muellermotzfeldi Kuhlmann & Proshchalykin

Kuhlmann, Michael & Proshchalykin, Maxim Yu., 2013, The genus Colletes (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Colletidae) in Central Asia, Zootaxa 3750 (5), pp. 401-449 : 431-432

Colletes muellermotzfeldi Kuhlmann & Proshchalykin sp. nov.

( Figs 6 a–d)

Diagnosis. Colletes muellermotzfeldi most likely belongs to the C. clypearis species-group and seems to be closely related to C. floralis Eversmann and C. radoszkowskii Noskiewicz but the unknown male is required to identify its taxonomic status with certainty.

The female of C. muellermotzfeldi is characterized by a combination of the following characters: clypeus as in Fig. 6 b (much denser punctation in C. floralis , see Fig. 25a in Kuhlmann & Proshchalykin 2011), disc of mesoscutum covered with black hairs ( Fig. 6 a, c), metasomal tergum 1 densely and coarsely punctate with punctation apically much finer and denser than on disc ( Fig. 6 d) (punctation in C. floralis much more dispersed und punctures smaller, see Fig. 25b in Kuhlmann & Proshchalykin 2011), apical tergal hair band of T1 medially distinctly narrower than laterally (interrupted medially in C. floralis ), on T2 only slightly narrower medially ( Fig. 6 d), T1 covered with long erect hairs.

Description. Female. Bl = 9.0–10.0 mm. Head. Head wider than long. Integument black except part of mandible dark reddish-brown. Face except clypeus densely covered with long, whitish-grey, erect hairs, vertex with yellowish-brown hairs, sometimes with a few blackish hairs intermixed ( Fig. 6 a, b). Clypeus with a very shallow longitudinal median depression, supraclypeal area rectangular and convex in profile. Clypeus coarsely and densely punctate (i = 0.5d), in median depression slightly finer and denser (i <0.5d); surface between punctures smooth and shiny (Fig. XXb). Malar area medially about 1/3 as long as width of mandible base, finely striate. Antenna black. Mesosoma. Integument black. Mesoscutal disc between punctures smooth and shiny; disc with scattered punctures (i = 2–3d). Scutellum anteriorly with small and scattered puncation becoming more dense apically, surface smooth and shiny ( Fig. 6 c). Mesoscutum, mesepisternum and propodeum covered with yellowishbrown, erect hairs, on mesoscutal disc intermixed with black hairs ( Fig. 6 a, c). Wings. Very slightly yellowish; wing venation dark brown. Legs. Integument black. Vestiture whitish to greyish, scopa white. Metasoma. Integument black except the narrow and slightly depressed apical tergal margins reddish translucent ( Fig. 6 d). T1 sparsely covered with long, erect yellowish-white hairs; discs of T3 – T5 with short but successively longer black hairs; apical tergal hair band of T1 medially narrowed, on the following terga hair bands broader ( Fig. 6 a, d). Terga densely and finely punctate (i = 0.5d), between punctures smooth and shiny ( Fig. 6 d).

Male. Unknown.

Type material (4 specimens). Holotype, female, Kyrgyzstan, Issyk-Kul-Becken, Halbwüste 40 km östl. Ottuk b. Dorf Ak-Saj [76°44'25,4''E 42°08'56,8''N], 1980 m, 23.VII.2000, Kornmilch (ZISP).

Paratypes: 3 ♀, same dates as holotype, 2 ♀ F. Wagner (RCMK); 1♀, Tajikistan, Kzyl-tam, NW Gissarskii Ridge (67°54'E 39°10'N), 2080 m, 20.VIII.1933, Veltishchev (ZISP).

Etymology. This species is dedicated to Prof. Dr. Gerd Müller-Motzfeld (19. July 1941 – 24. July 2009), a renown carabidologist and one of the pioneers of entomofaunistic research in Central Asian mountains (Klausnitzer 2009; Klausnitzer & Dathe 2009; Michalik et al. 2010). MK had the pleasure to join him on an unforgettable expedition to Kazakhstan in 2002.

General distribution. Only known from the type locality in the lake Issyk-Kul basin in Kyrgyzstan. This area seems to be a centre of endemism with C. issykkuli Kuhlmann also only known from here (Kuhlmann 2003, 2005, 2006).

Floral hosts. unknown.

Seasonal activity (first–last observations). VII.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Colletes muellermotzfeldi Kuhlmann & Proshchalykin sp. nov., female: a. specimen, lateral view; b. head; c. scutum and scutellum; d. metasomal terga 1 and 2. Scale bar: 1 mm.