Sphecodes barbatus Bluethgen , 1923

Astafurova, Yulia V., Proshchalykin, Maxim Yu. & Schwarz, Maximilian, 2019, The distribution of the genus Sphecodes Latreille (Hymenoptera, Halictidae) of the Arabian Peninsula and surrounding countries with description of hitherto unknown female of S. atlanticus Warncke, 1992 and male of S. dathei Schwarz, 2010, ZooKeys 872, pp. 13-40 : 17-18

Sphecodes barbatus Bluethgen, 1923 Figures 4 , 17

Sphecodes barbatus Blüthgen, 1923: 497-498, ♀ (holotype: ♀, Turkey, Ak-Chehir; ZSM).

Diagnosis.

Sphecodes barbatus is very similar to S. majalis . The two species are easily separable in the female, but males are difficult. The female S. barbatus differs from S. majalis by denser, distinctly plumose pubescence on paraocular areas and clypeus ( Fig. 4 ) (sparser, weakly plumose or simple pubescence in S. majalis , Fig. 2 ) and by a distinctly ( Fig. 17 ) punctate T1 (sparse and tiny punctures in S. majalis , Fig. 16 ).

Material examined.

SYRIA: 1 ♀, Syria, 40 km NE Damaskus, 22.V.1996, H. Halada (ZISP); 2 ♂♂, Slenfe, 1200 m, 19.IV.1986, K.M. Guichard, (NHMUK 013380371, 013380372).

Distribution.

*Syria; Greece, Turkey.

Remarks.

Warncke (1992) interpreted Sphecodes barbatus as a subspecies of S. majalis Pérez, 1903, but later this taxon was restored as a valid species ( Bogusch and Straka 2014a).

Figures

Figures 2 - 7. Head, females, frontal view. 2 Sphecodes majalis Perez 3 S. scabricollis Wesmael 4 S. barbatus Bluethgen 5 S. atlanticus Warncke 6 S. rubripes Spinola 7 S. albilabris (Fabricius). Scale bars: 1.0 mm.

Figures 16 - 19. T 1 (16, 17), metasoma (18, 19), females, dorsal view. 16 Sphecodes majalis Perez 17 S. barbatus Bluethgen 18 S. scabricollis Wesmael 19 S. atlanticus Warncke. Scale bars: 1.0 mm.