Osmia (Hemiosmia) spinicoxa Müller, 2020

Müller, Andreas, 2020, Palaearctic Osmia bees of the subgenera Hemiosmia, Tergosmia and Erythrosmia (Megachilidae, Osmiini): biology, taxonomy and key to species, Zootaxa 4778 (2), pp. 201-236 : 208-210

Osmia (Hemiosmia) spinicoxa Müller , spec. nov.

Holotype. MOROCCO: Souss-Massa : Tajgalte at road to Tizi-n-Test and Ijoukak, 950 m, 21.4.2009, ♀ (leg. A. Müller). Deposited in the Entomological Collection of ETH Zurich.

Paratypes. MOROCCO: Souss-Massa : Tajgalte at road to Tizi-n-Test and Ijoukak, 950 m, 21.4.2009, 1♀, 1♂ (leg. A. Müller); Assafid, 40 km NE Agadir, 20.4.1988, 1♀ (leg. J. Gusenleitner). Deposited in the Entomological Collection of ETH Zurich .

Diagnosis. Diagnostic character of the female of O. spinicoxa is a long erect spine arising from the posterior side of the coxa of the middle leg ( Fig. 9 ); this spine is about half as long as the maximal width of the middle trochanter. Further unusual characters of the female are a keeled middle trochanter, which is angular towards its base ( Fig. 10 ), a polished concavity on the anterior side of the hind trochanter ( Fig. 11 ) and an appressed yellowish-red pilosity on terga 4–6, which almost completely hides the cuticular surface ( Fig. 8 ). The male of O. spinicoxa also possesses the diagnostic middle coxa spine; however, the spine is distinctly less developed and more difficult to see than in the female. The male is further characterized by the following characters: mandible four-toothed; terga 5–6 with appressed whitish pilosity ( Fig. 13 ); apical margin of tergum 6 medially rounded and laterally with short tooth ( Fig. 13 ); tergum 7 two-toothed and (almost completely) hidden under tergum 6 ( Fig. 13 ); sterna 4–6 simple with the apical margin medially either weakly emarginate (sterna 4–5) or prolonged into a short triangular projection (sternum 6) (Fig. 14); and gonoforceps billhook-like and apically widened ( Fig. 12 ).

Description. FEMALE: Body length 8–9 mm. Head: Head about 0.9x as long as wide. Distance between lateral ocellus and preoccipital margin 2.3–2.4x as long as ocellar diameter. Second segment of labial palpus about 1.9x as long as first segment. Maximal width of genal area about 0.8x as long as maximal width of compound eye. Mandible indistinctly four-toothed with the two basal teeth weakly separated from each other; lower inner margin of mandible with median tooth. Punctation of clypeus, supraclypeal area, paraocular area and frons very dense with only linear interspaces. Clypeus with narrow polished impunctate apical zone, its apical margin straight and beset with two short lateral tufts of inwardly directed yellowish hairs. Face covered with rather long foxy red pilosity. Antenna black, its third segment as long as total length of antennal segments 4 and 5; antennal segments 4–7 wider than long, segments 8–11 about as long as wide, segment 12 1.5x as long as wide. Mesosoma: Parapsidal line about 2.5x as long as wide. Punctation of scutum, scutellum and mesepisternum very dense with only linear interspaces. Basal area of propodeum basally and medially distinctly shagreened, laterally and apically more or less polished. Pilosity of scutum and scutellum foxy red, of lateral sides of mesosoma and of propodeum yellowish-red ( Fig. 8 ). Tegula orange, its punctation dense on apical third and along the margins. Stigma and veins of fore wing dark brown to black. Coxa of fore leg apically with short tooth. Trochanter of fore leg keeled. Posterior margin of coxa of middle leg prolonged into a spine, which is about half as long as maximal width of middle trochanter ( Fig. 9 ). Trochanter of middle leg keeled and angular towards its base ( Fig. 10 ). Anterior side of trochanter of hind leg with polished concavity ( Fig. 11 ). Tibial spurs of hind leg orange; inner spur slightly longer than half hind basitarsus length and straight except for its apex, which is bent upwards at an angle of 30–40°. Metasoma: Punctation of tergal discs dense with interspaces rarely reaching the diameter of one puncture. Marginal zones of terga yellowish and slightly less densely punctured than discs. Terga 1–3 with yellowish-red pilosity, which is erect on discs and forms rather weak hair bands on marginal zones ( Fig. 8 ). Terga 4–6 with appressed yellowish-red pilosity, which almost completely hides the cuticular surface ( Fig. 8 ). Scopa yellowish ( Fig. 8 ).

MALE: Body length 9 mm. Head: Head: Head about 0.85x as long as wide. Distance between lateral ocellus and preoccipital margin about 1.85x as long as ocellar diameter. Second segment of labial palpus about 2.1x as long as first segment. Maximal width of genal area about 0.9x as long as maximal width of compound eye. Mandible four-toothed. Apical margin of clypeus straight. Face covered with rather long whitish pilosity, which distinctly surpasses the clypeal margin. Antenna black, its third segment about 0.75x as long as total length of segments 4 and 5; antennal segments 4–5 about as long as wide, segments 6–13 longer than wide. Mesosoma: Parapsidal line about 3x as long as wide. Punctation of scutum, scutellum and mesepisternum very dense with interspaces rarely reaching the diameter of half a puncture. Basal area of propodeum basally and medially distinctly shagreened, laterally and apically more or less polished. Pilosity of mesosoma whitish (but worn specimen!). Tegula dark brown, its punctation dense on apical third and along the margins. Stigma and veins of fore wing dark brown to black. Posterior margin of coxa of middle leg prolonged into a short and indistinct spine. Tibial spurs of hind leg orange; inner spur about half as long as length of hind basitarsus and straight except for its apex, which is bent upwards at an angle of about 30°. Metasoma: Punctation of tergal discs rather dense with interspaces reaching the diameter of one to two punctures, of marginal zones slightly less dense. Terga 1–4 with whitish pilosity (but worn specimen!), which is erect on discs and forms rather weak hair bands on marginal zones of terga 3–4. Terga 5–6 with appressed whitish pilosity ( Fig. 13 ). Apical margin of tergum 6 medially rounded and laterally with short tooth ( Fig. 13 ). Tergum 7 two-toothed and (almost completely) hidden under tergum 6 ( Fig. 13 ). Sterna 1–2 medioapically slightly emarginate (Fig. 14). Sternum 3 with distinct median emargination, which is about one fourth as deep as wide, half as wide as total sternal width and densely fringed with yellowish-red hairs (Fig. 14). Sterna 4–5 with very weak medioapical emargination, which is ciliated with short yellowish hairs on sternum 5 (Fig. 14). Sternum 6 prolonged into a short triangular projection (Fig. 14). Gonoforceps billhook-like and apically widened (Fig. 14). Penis valve parallel-sided over most of its length (Fig. 14).

Distribution. Known so far only from two localities in the Souss-Massa region of southwestern Morocco.

Pollen hosts. The only two pollen loads available consisted of pollen of Loteae ( Fabaceae ) and small amounts of an unknown hexacolpate pollen type (Tab. 1).

Nesting biology. Unknown.

Etymology. The scientific name refers to the diagnostic spine (lat. “spina”) arising from the base of the female middle leg coxa.

Figures

FIGURES 8–13: Osmia (Hemiosmia) spinicoxa spec. nov.. 8: Female. 9: Erect spine arising from posterior side of female middle leg coxa. 10: Trochanter of female middle leg. 11: Anterior side of trochanter of female hind leg. 12: Male genitalia. 13: Male terga 6–7. 14: Male sterna 1–6.