Seladonia gemmella Pauly

Pauly, Alain, Devalez, Jelle, Sonet, Gontran, Nagy, Zoltán Tamás & Boevé, Jean-Luc, 2015, DNA barcoding and male genital morphology reveal five new cryptic species in the West Palearctic bee Seladonia smaragdula (Vachal, 1895) (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Halictidae), Zootaxa 4034 (2), pp. 257-290 : 271-274

Seladonia gemmella Pauly sp. nov.

( Figures 1 , 10–13 , 23 a,b, 24c)

Halictus gemmellus Blüthgen, 1924 in Schulthess, 1924: 306. Nomen nudum. Cyrenaica, ♂, ♀, col. Mader (NÖLM). Ebmer 1988: 566 (comment on nomen nudum).

Halictus smaragdulus Form B in Pauly & Rassel 1982: 144.

Diagnosis. The male of S. gemmella differs from that of S. smaragdula and S. phryganica by the boomerangshaped underplate of the large projection of the gonocoxite ( Figs 11 , 12 , 23 a,b). The distal part of the plate is larger than in S. submediterranea and S. orientana . The shape of the large projection is remarkably stable among specimens from Spain ( Fig. 11 ) as far as to the Sinai in Egypt ( Fig. 12 ). Females of S. gemmella cannot be distinguished from the other species of the S. smaragdula complex by morphological characters. However, most female specimens collected in North Africa belong to this species.

Description. Male and female as described for S. smaragdula except as follows: underplate of the large projection of male gonocoxite boomerang-shaped, length/width of the distal plate = 1.77 ( Figs 11 , 12 ). Small projection of the gonocoxite moderately thin ( Fig. 11 , 12 , 24 c). Fourth antennal segment of the male moderately short (length/ width = 1.41).

Variations. Specimens from Cyrenaica in Lybia often show more blue green reflexions, the punctation is often finer ( Fig. 10 ), and the body size is smaller (5 mm) than specimens from other regions.

Holotype. SPAIN, Almeria, Almerimar, coastal rocky area, 3.VIII.2014, on Asteriscus maritimus , 1♂, leg. A. Pauly ( RBINS).

Paratypes (68 males, 13 females). FRANCE. Hérault, Montpellier, Castelnau, 6.IX.1955, 1♂, leg. H.C. Blöte ( RMNHL).

SPAIN. Valencia, Alberique, 25.VII.1969, 1♂ ( FSAG).—Alicante, Benidorm, 1.VII.1970, 1♂, Eryngium campestre , 16.VII.1970, 1♂, 25.VII.1970, 2♂, 10.X.1971, 1♂, leg. A. Pauly ( RBINS).—Almeria, Nijar, Banco las Ninas, Cabo de Gata, 30SWF 5657, 220m, 2.X.2008, 1♂, leg. F.J. Ortiz-Sanchez.—Almeria, Cuevas de Almanzora, 30SXG02, 30.IX–6. X.1992, 1 ♂ (leg. J.E. Belda).—Almeria, El Ejido, 80m, 30SWF1671, 23.VI.2005, 2 ♂, leg. F.J. Ortiz-Sanchez.—Almeria, La Aldeilla, El Ejido, 30SWF 1870, 60m, 21.V.2005, 1♂, leg. F.J. Ortiz- Sanchez.—Almeria, La Mojonera, El Ejido, 30SWF2666, 2.VII.1988, 1 ♂, leg. F.J. Ortiz-Sanchez.—Almeria, Cuevas de Almanzora, 30SXG02, 7–13. X.1992, 1 ♂, leg. J.E. Belda, col. F.J. Ortiz-Sanchez.—Almeria, Sierra Alhamilla, 5.VIII.2014, 1♀, leg. A. Pauly ( RBINS).—Almeria, Sorbas, 437m, 5.VIII.2014, Foeniculum vulgare , 1♀, leg. A. Pauly.—Almeria, Almerimar, 2.VIII.2014, Asteriscus maritimus , 6♂ 10♀, leg. A. Pauly ( RBINS).— Malaga, Benalmadena, 23.V.1967, 1♂, leg. M.J. & J.P. Duffels ( RMNHL).— Melilla, 8.VII.1961, 1♂, Ziziphus lotus ( FSAG).—Segovia, Riofrio, S. Ildefonso, 1030m, 30TVL0328, 21.VIII.2010, leg. F.J. Ortiz-Sanchez.— Gandia, 66 km S. Valencia, Selfa, 27.VI.1989, 1♂, leg. K. Warncke ( OOLM).

MOROCCO. Rabat, 1♂, leg. A. Thery ( MNHNP).—Bab Azhar, 14.VII.1968, 1♂ ( FSAG).—Haut Atlas, Jebel Ayachi, Mikdane, stream II N of road, 5.VIII.1963, 1♂, leg. A.C. Pont ( BMNH).—Tizi-n-Test S., 1900m, 30.VI.1987, 1♂, leg. M. Schwarz.—Tizi-n-Bachkoum, 1700m, 1.VII.1987, 3♂, leg. M. Schwarz.—Haut Atlas, Agaiouar, 1500m, 10.VII.1975, 1♂, leg. J. Gusenleitner ( OOLM).—Ain Leuh 10 km S, 1750m, 15.VIII.1988, 4♂, leg. K. Warncke ( OOLM).—Tounfitte 24 km W, 1950m, 18.VIII.1988, 1♂, leg. K. Warncke ( OOLM).— 10 km N. Agadir, 30°31'N 9°38'W, 21.IV.1996, leg. J. Gusenleitner ( OOLM).

ALGERIA. Alger, Aïn Oussera, 29.V.1924, 1♂ ( MNHNP).— Oran, le Petit Lac, 27.VI.1959, 1♂, leg. J. Barbier ( MNHNP).— Oran, Misserghim, 18.VII.1959, 1♂, leg. J. Barbier ( MNHNP).— Oran, Bou, 19.VII.1959, 1♂, leg. J. Barbier ( MNHNP).

TUNISIA. S. Tunisia, Gafsa, "Oasengarten südl", 21.VI.1994, 2♂, leg. & col. Schmid-Egger.—Sousse, 1– 9. VIII.1981, 2 ♂, leg. M. Wolf ( OOLM).

LIBYA. CYRENAICA, Apollonia, 1.VIII.1957, 1♂, leg. K.M. Guichard ( BMNH).—Cyrenaica, Bersis, W. of Tocra, 26.VII.1957, 1♂, leg. K.M. Guichard ( BMNH).

EGYPT. S. Sinai, St Katherines, 28°33’N 33°56’E, V.2013, 4 ♀, VI.2013, 3 ♂, 21♀, VII.2013, 7 ♀, leg. O. Norfolk ( UNOT).

Distribution. Along the Mediterranean coast from southern France (Montpellier) to southern Spain, in North Africa from Morocco to the Sinai ( Fig. 13 ).

Visited plants. Asteriscus maritimus Moench (Asteraceae) , Eryngium campestre L., Foeniculum vulgare L. ( Apiaceae ), Ziziphus lotus (L.) Lam ( Rhamnaceae ).

Etymology. The specific epithet is the diminutive of gemma, meaning "gem", and is a reference to the bright green colouration of this small species.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Seladonia smaragdula " form B " (Spain, Almeria, Almerimar); a, female; b, male.

FIGURE 10. " Halictus gemmellus ", nomen nudum, male and female in collection Schulthess in the Niederösterreiches landesmuseum; a, female head; b, male head; c, male habitus; d, labels of the male.

FIGURE 11. Seladonia gemmella sp. nov. (= form B) (Spain, Almeria, Almerimar), ventral view of the projections of the gonocoxites.

FIGURE 12. Seladonia gemmella sp. nov. (= form B) (Egypt, Sinai, St Katherines), ventral view of the projections of the gonocoxites.

FIGURE 13. Geographic distribution of Seladonia gemmella sp. nov. (males with genitalia form B and barcoded females).

FIGURE 23. Ventral view of the large projection of the male gonocoxite of Seladonia gemmella sp. nov., S. submediterranea sp. nov. and S. orientana sp. nov. Left photographs are reproduced from Pauly & Rassel (1982), at right new photographs by Pauly & Cillis; a, S. gemmella (Spain, Alicante); b, S. gemmella (Spain, Almeria); c, S. submediterranea (Romania, Bucarest); d, S. submediterranea (France, Deux-Sèvres); e, S. orientana (Croatia, Ugljan); f, S. orientana (Greece, Samothrace).

FIGURE 24. Contour of the small projection, in lateral view, of the male gonocoxite in the species of the Seladonia smaragdula complex; a, S. smaragdula (Spain, Almeria); b, S. phryganica sp. nov. (Greece, Anafi); c, S. gemmella sp. nov. (Spain, Almeria); d, S. cretella sp. nov. (Greece, Crete); e, S. submediterranea sp. nov. (France, Deux-Sèvres); f, S. orientana sp. nov. (Greece, Lesvos).