Scrapter sittybon Davies, 2005

Davies, G. B. P., Eardley, C. D. & Brothers, D. J., 2005, Eight new species of Scrapter (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Colletidae), with descriptions of S. albifumus and S. amplispinatus females and a major range extension of the genus, African Invertebrates 46, pp. 141-141 : 171-172

Scrapter sittybon Davies , sp. n.

Figs 36–39

Etymology: Gr. sittybon (small piece of parchment or skin). In reference to the unique S7 ( Fig. 38 ).

Holotype ơ: SOUTH AFRICA: Western Cape: 40 km north-east of Vanrhynsdorp, Farm Kalkgat (31°07'04"S: 18°55'18"E), 140 m, 10.ix.2003, K.Timmermann ( SANC) . Paratype: 1ơ collected 30 km north of Vanrhynsdorp in the Knersvlakte, 5–6.ix.2003 .

Description:

Male.

Measurements (n = 2): head length 1.2 mm, head width 1.5 mm, lower interocular distance 0.8 mm, upper interocular distance 1 mm, interantennal distance 0.2 mm, antennocular distance 0.2 mm, length of clypeus 0.4 mm, length of eye 1 mm, width of eye (lateral view) 0.6 mm, width of gena (lateral view) 0.3 mm, length of facial fovea 0.2 mm, maximum width of facial fovea 0.02 mm, mesoscutum length 0.8 mm, mesosoma length 1.7 mm, forewing length 3.2 mm, length of pterostigma 0.5 mm, maximum width of pterostigma 0.1 mm, length of marginal cell beyond pterostigma 0.6 mm, length of marginal cell 0.9 mm, length of free-part of marginal cell 0.6 mm.

Vestiture: Clypeus, anterior face of supraclypeal area and lower parts of paraocular area with thick, white, decumbent hairs. Remainder of supraclypeal area, frons, vertex and upper parts of paraocular area with fairly dense, erect, whitish hairs. Gena with short, whitish hairs but thicker ventrally. Mesoscutum, scutellum and metanotum with short, plumose, gold-white hairs. Sides of mesosoma with very sparse, whitish, plumose hairs. T1 largely hairless except for very sparse, scattered, inconspicuous white hairs. T2–T4 with distinctive bands of short, thick, white pubescence adjacent to graduli, remainder of discs hairless. T5–T6 sparse, plumose hairs, hairs stout on T6.

Integumental colour: Largely black. Antenna F1–F3 ventrally yellow-orange, dorsally blackish, F4–F11 all yellow-orange. Protibia, protarsus and extreme apical end of profemur all orange-yellow. Middle leg similar to foreleg. Extreme apical end of metafemur and proximal end of metatibia yellow-orange, metatarsus dark orange-brown.

Head: Clypeus shiny and smooth with heavy punctation (interspace <0.5 × puncture diameter), no clypeal sulcus. Supraclypeal area, paraocular area and frons sculpture and punctation similar to clypeus. Ocellar triangle weakly raised in anterior profile. Facial fovea a sulcus. Frontal line weakly carinate. Gena much narrower than eye (0.5:1), with fairly dense punctation and reticulate sculpture. Inner eye orbits diverging slightly dorsally, proportion of lower to upper interocular distance 0.8:1. Antenna long, reaching metanotum.

Mesosoma: Mesoscutum shiny and smooth with dense punctation (interspace 0.5–1 × puncture diameter), median line and notaulus weakly impressed. Scutellum sculpture similar to mesoscutum but punctation less dense. Metanotum with roughened sculpture and heavy punctation. Mes- and metepisterna with weakly carinulate sculpture and fairly dense punctation. Propodeum angulate, sides of propodeum with clumped punctation and roughened sculpture, propodeal triangle with weak network of carinae throughout including longitudinal carinae on basal area, margins of triangle weakly pitted.

Metasoma: T1–T6 with reticulate sculpture on discs. T1–T4 with fairly dense punctation (interspace approximately 1 × puncture diameter), T2–T4 punctation especially pronounced towards graduli. T5–T6 fewer, larger punctures which are not concentrated around the graduli. T2 fovea elongate ovoid.

Terminalia: Genitalia fairly complex; gonobase very large, gonoforceps tapering to acute point posteriorly, not hairy, has several membraneous invaginations ventrally, penis valves curved inwards, short, spike-like projection on inner margin of valves ( Fig. 36 ). S6 medio-posteriorly extended with rear margin slightly concave and hairy, anteriorly strongly concave ( Fig. 37 ). S7 distinctive, concave posteriorly, two acute processes fringed by transparent, rounded appendages bearing hairy posterior margins ( Fig. 38 ). S8 rounded anteriorly, fairly hairy on posterior process ( Fig. 39 ).

Legs: Metabasitibial plate entire. Claws deeply cleft.

Female. Unknown.

Diagnosis: S. sittybon keys to S. calx in Eardley’s (1996) key, but it differs markedly from S. calx in lacking the shiny, impunctate mesoscutum of that species. Further, S. calx has no carinae on the propodeal triangle (in sharp contrast to S. sittybon ), and the metabasitibial plate of S. calx is also extremely hairy. The S7 of S. sittybon is diagnostic, with characteristic posterolateral, transparent ‘flaps’. Further general distinguishing features of S. sittybon include the lack of a clypeal sulcus, sulcoid facial fovea, entire metabasitibial plate, short pubsecence on anterior part of terga and bifid claws. S. sittybon has similarities to the S. nitidus complex, but the lack of a clypeal sulcus and distinctive terminalia facilitate separation from that group.

Distribution: Only known from the Knersvlakte, near Vanrhynsdorp, Western Cape. See comments under S. acanthophorus regarding this region.

Biology: Type series collected in September. No data on pollen/nectar sources.

Figures

Figs 36–39. Scrapter sittybon sp. n., terminilia: (36) genitalia (dorsal and ventral views), (37–39) S6–S8. Scale bar = 0.4 mm.