Colletes stellatus Cockerell, 1946, 1945

Kuhlmann, Michael, 2007, Revision of the bees of the Colletes fasciatus-group in southern Africa (Hymenoptera: Colletidae), African Invertebrates 48 (2), pp. 121-166 : 159-160

Colletes stellatus Cockerell, 1946

Fig. 43

Colletes stellatus: Cockerell 1945 (1946) : 842. Type locality: South Africa, Stellenbosch .

Diagnosis: Female very similar to other species with a reduced scopa but only the hind leg is red.

Description:

Female.

Length 11–12 mm.

Vestiture: Face short, greyish white with long, dark brown hairs on vertex; mesonotum with relatively long, greyish white to yellowish brown hairs intermixed with numerous longer, blackish hairs; mesosomal sides and legs with yellowish white hairs, those on former longer and those on latter shorter than mesonotum, scutellum with long, orangebrown hairs intermixed with longer blackish hairs, metanotum with short, yellowish brown hairs, hairs shorter and plumose medially; T1 sparsely covered with moderately long, erect, yellowish white hairs, shorter posteriorly; disc of T2 with few very short, erect, whitish hairs; discs of T3–T5 with short, successively longer, erect, blackish hairs; relatively broad white posterior tergal fringes on T1–T5, slightly narrowed medially on T1, narrow on T5; T2 with very weakly developed, very narrow basal tomentum; S2–S5 with very short, thin white fringes; discs of sterna sparsely covered with short hairs.

Integument: Mainly black, antenna dark brown ventrally, hind legs red, except trochanter, apical part of femur and base and apex of tibia, tarsi of fore and mid legs partly yellowish brown, mid femur partly dark reddish brown, terga narrowly translucent, reddish brown posteriorly; T1–T3 with slight bluish shine; malar area short, length about 1/2 width of mandibular base; clypeus slightly flattened medially, with dense (0.2 pd), small punctures that slightly elongate; integument between punctures smooth and shiny; facial fovea narrow, maximum width subequal to antennal diameter; disc of mesonotum with relatively dense (0.5–1 pd), fairly coarse punctation, surrounded by dense (<0.5 pd) punctation, integument between punctures smooth and shiny; upper sloping part of propodeal triangle with short, longitudinal carinae, vertical part superficially shagreened and shiny, anteriorly with a few indistinct semi-transverse carinae; disc of T1 with distinct, fine, dense (0.5 pd) punctation, punctures becoming much denser, finer, indistinctly shallow towards posterior tergal depression; disc of T2 with very fine, dense (<0.5 pd) punctation; integument between punctures smooth and shiny.

Male. Unknown.

Type material examined: Colletes stellatus , ^holotype: ‘B.M. Type Hym. 17.a.1423, Colletes stellatus Ckll. Type, Stellenbosch, 17.9.23, C.J. Joubert, Colletes sp. ’ (BMNH).

Additional material examined: 5^. SOUTH AFRICA: Northern Cape: 1^Port Nolloth , 23.ix.1967, E.S. Ross &A. R . Stephen ( CMK) ; Western Cape: 1^Hopefield, 1.ix.1960 ( SAMC); 1^Kommetjie , 25.x.1972, J.G. Rozen, R . McGinley & C. Thompson ( AMNH); 1^Cape of Good Hope Nat. Res., Olifantsbos, 17– 19.ix.1993, H.G. Robertson (SAMC); 1^Mamre , 19.ix.1986, V. B. Whitehead ( CMK) .

Distribution: Most specimens are from the south-western Cape, but an isolated record from Port Nolloth in northern Namaqualand ( Fig. 43 ).

Flower visiting: Unknown.

Phenology: First record 1 st September, last record 25 th October.

Figures

Fig. 43. Distribution of C. nieuwoudtvillei, C. obscurus, C. schultzei, C. stellatus, C. testaceipes, C. wathmoughi and C. zygophyllum.