Colletes gessi, Kuhlmann, 2007

Kuhlmann, Michael, 2007, Revision of the bees of the Colletes fasciatus-group in southern Africa (Hymenoptera: Colletidae), African Invertebrates 48 (2), pp. 121-166 : 145-147

Colletes gessi sp. n.

Figs 14, 15, 41

Etymology: Named for Dr Friedrich Gess, Grahamstown, who greatly facilitated this study by providing numerous specimens collected over the last decades by him and his wife Sarah.

Diagnosis: Female readily identifiable by the characters given in the key. Among the species with a normal scopa it is unique by the smaller and less convex clypeus. Male best identified by the unique shape of S7 ( Fig. 14).

Description:

Female.

Length 11–12 mm.

Vestiture: Face greyish to yellowish brown with numerous blackish hairs intermixed, densely along inner eye margins, between antennae and on vertex; mesonotum with relatively long, dark greyish hairs intermixed with numerous longer blackish hairs; mesosomal sides and legs yellowish to greyish white, with numerous black hairs on legs, scutellum and metanotum with orange-brown hairs, scutellum with longer blackish hairs intermixed; scopa dark blackish dorsally and yellow ventrally; T1 very densely covered with very long, erect, yellowish brown hairs; disc of T2 with dense, shorter concolorous hairs; discs of T3–T5 with successively longer, erect, blackish hairs; T1–T5 with successively broader, yellowish white posterior tergal hair bands, weakly developed on T1; T2 without basal tomentum; S2–S5 with very sparse, long fringes of more or less equal width, discs of sterna with scattered long, yellowish brown hairs.

Integument: Completely black, except tarsi partly reddish brown; malar area short, length about 1/3 width of mandibular base; clypeus slightly convex with dense (0.2 pd) coarse punctation, punctures not elongate; integument between punctures slightly shagreened and dull; facial fovea narrow, maximum width about antennal diameter; disc of mesonotum with scattered (1–2 pd) coarse punctation, integument glabrous, surrounded by dense (<0.5 pd) punctation; upper sloping part of propodeal triangle scabriculous, vertical part glabrous; disc of T1 with fine, scattered (1–2 pd) granulation, becoming denser and shallower towards posterior tergal depression and disappearing along posterior margin; disc of T2 with finer, more distinct, dense (0.5–1 pd) granulation; integument between granulation glabrous.

Male.

Length 11–12 mm.

Vestiture: Face greyish to yellowish brown with numerous blackish hairs intermixed, more dense along inner eye margins, between antennae and on vertex; mesonotum with long, greyish white hairs; mesonotum with long, dark greyish hairs intermixed with numerous longer blackish hairs; mesosomal sides and legs yellowish to greyish white, with some black hairs on legs, scutellum and metanotum with orange-brown hairs, on scutellum intermixed with longer, blackish hairs; T1 very densely covered with very long, erect, yellowish brown hairs; disc of T2 with dense, short, concolorous hairs; discs of T3–T5 with successively longer erect, blackish hairs; relatively broad and distinct white posterior tergal hair bands on T1–T5; S2–S5 with sparse fringes of equal width consisting of very long, yellowish hairs; discs of sterna with long erect, yellowish hairs.

Integument: Completely black, except tarsi partly reddish brown and terga narrowly and indistinctly translucent posteriorly; malar area short, length about 1/3 width of mandibular base; clypeus with very dense, coarse punctation (<0.2 pd); facial fovea narrow, maximum width about 1/2 antennal diameter; disc of mesonotum with coarse, scattered punctures (1–2 pd), integument glabrous, surrounded by dense (0.5 pd) punctation; upper sloping part of propodeal triangle scabriculous, vertical part chagreened, slightly dull, with some well developed more or less transverse carinae anteriorly; hind basitarsus modified, slightly curved and broadened apically; T1–T4 with bluish shine; discs of T1 and T2 with dense granulation (0.5 pd), granulation becoming indistinct towards posterior tergal depression; integument between punctures superficially shagreened and shiny. Shape of S7 as in Fig. 14 and shape of gonostylus as in Fig. 15.

Holotype: ơ SOUTH AFRICA: Northern Cape: Nieuwoudtville, Wild Flower Reserve, 7.viii.1986, Whitehead , on Othonna sp. 2 ( SAMC).

Paratypes: SOUTH AFRICA: Northern Cape: 6ơ 2^Nieuwoudtville, Wild Flower Reserve, 21.vii.1986, Whitehead , on Othonna sp. ( SAMC, CMK); 1^Farm Bloomfontein, 3.x.1985, K. Steiner, on Compositae

1122 (SAMC); 1^8 km E Karkams, 28.vii.1985, V.B. Whitehead, on Asteraceae (SAMC) ; 1^Nieuwoudtville, Wild Flower Reserve, 9.ix.1986, Macpherson, on Diascia sp. (SAMC); 1^Nieuwoudtville, Farm Glen Lyon, 700 m, 27.viii.2003, M. Kuhlmann, on Chrysanthemum sp. (CMK); 1ơ Nieuwoudtville, Wild Flower Reserve, 735 m, 4.ix.2003, M. Kuhlmann, on Oxalis sp. (CMK).

Distribution: Restricted to the central part of the winter rainfall area ( Fig. 41 ).

Flower visiting: Chrysanthemum sp. , Othonna sp. (Asteraceae) , Oxalis sp. (Oxalidaceae) , Diascia sp. (Scrophulariaceae) .

Phenology: First record 21 st July, last record 3 rd October.

Remarks: This species is treated as Colletes sp. D in Kuhlmann (2006).

Figures

Fig. 41. Distribution of C. denudatus, C. eardleyi, C. fasciatus, C. genalis, C. gessi and C. infracognitus.