Colletes ravulus Noskiewicz 1936

Kuhlmann, Michael & Yu, Maxim, 2011, Bees of the genus Colletes Latreille 1802 of the Asian part of Russia, with keys to species (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Colletidae), Zootaxa 3068, pp. 1-48 : 10

Colletes ravulus Noskiewicz 1936

( Figs 5 a–f, 6a–f)

Colletes ravulus Noskiewicz 1936: 335 –337, 3 (type locality: Mongolia).

Material examined. Russia. Buryatia Republic: 1 Ƥ, Gusinoe Lake, Baraty [106°15'E 51°15'N], 6.VIII.1984, leg. ASL ( IBSS). Mongolia. 1 Ƥ, 1 3, Dornod, Kerulen river, Steppe [113°23'E 48°02'N] 18.VIII.2009, leg. Yu. Danilov ( ISEN); 1 3, Dornod to the north from Choibalsan, Steppe [114°27'E 48°30'N], 20.VIII.2009, leg. Yu. Danilov ( ISEN). China. 1 Ƥ, Inner Mongolia, Tomortei, Ulanqab League [113°08'E 41°50'N], 27.VIII.1971, leg. Xu Huan-Li ( IOZB).

Distribution in Russia. *Buryatia Republic.

General distribution. Russia, Mongolia, China [Inner Mongolia].

Colletes ravulus was described by Noskiewicz (1936), based on a single male collected 1892 by Leder in northern Mongolia. The type is lost ( Kuhlmann 2000), but the detailed description and the characteristically shaped S7 enabled the unambiguous identification of three males collected in Russia and Mongolia as C. ravulus . One of the males was collected together with the hitherto unknown female that is described below. Another female was identified from material in the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing.

To facilitate the identification of this little-known species, illustrations of taxonomically relevant morphological features of the male are provided ( Figs 5 a–f) and the female is described below.

Female

Diagnosis

In the female of C. ravulus the punctation of T1 is fine and dense (i <d) ( Fig. 6 f), a character only shared with C. perforator ( Fig. 22 d) and C. patellatus ( Fig. 22 b) within the C. fodiens species-group. However, the apical tergal hair bands of C. ravulus are much broader than in these species ( Fig. 6 e), allowing for a reliable identification of the species.

Description

Bl = 10.0–11.0 mm. Head. L = 2.8–2.9 mm; W = 3.6–3.7 mm. Head wider than long ( Fig. 6 a). Integument black except tips of mandible partly dark reddish-brown. Face except clypeus densely covered with long, whitishgrey, erect hairs. Clypeus and supraclypeal area convex in profile. Clypeus finely and densely punctate and without a median depression; surface between punctures shiny ( Fig. 6 b). Supraclypeal area medially impunctate, laterally with a few, small punctures; surface medially shiny, laterally less so and slightly shagreened. Malar area medially about ¼ as long as width of mandible base, finely striate. Antenna black. Mesosoma. Integument black. Mesoscutal disc between punctures smooth and shiny; disc sparsely punctate (i = 2.0–3.0d) ( Fig. 6 c). Scutellum anteriorly sparsely punctate with more dense punctation apically, surface smooth and shiny ( Fig. 6 c). Mesoscutum, scutellum, metanotum, mesepisternum and propodeum covered with yellowish-white erect hairs. Basal area of propodeum as illustrated in Fig. 6 d. Wings. Hyaline; wing venation dark brown. Legs. Integument black. Vestiture whitish, scopa white. Metasoma. Integument black except narrow apical margins of T brownish translucent; T1 to T3 with a slight oily-bluish shine. T1 sparsely covered with short to long, partly appressed white hairs ( Fig. 6 f); discs of T2 to T6 without white hairs; apical tergal hair bands broad ( Fig. 6 e). Terga densely and finely punctate (i <d) ( Fig. 6 f).

Figures

FIGURE 5. Colletes ravulus Noskiewicz, male: a. head, showing the smooth and shiny end of the clypeus; b. finely striate malar area; c. metasomal terga 1 and 2; d. metasomal sternum 7 (dorsal view); e. genitalia (dorsal view); f. gonostylus (lateral view). Scale bar: 1 mm.

FIGURE 6. Colletes ravulus Noskiewicz, female: a. head; b. clypeus; c. scutum and scutellum; d. propodeum; e. metasoma (dorsal view); f. metasomal terga 1 and 2. Scale bar: 1 mm.

FIGURE 22. a. Colletes patellatus Pérez, female: head; b. metasomal terga 1 and 2; c. C. perforator Smith, female: head; d. metasomal terga 1 and 2; e. C. impunctatus Nylander, female: head; f. metasomal terga 1 and 2. Scale bar: 1 mm.