Megachile (Callomegachile) faceta Bingham, 1897

Chatthanabun, Nontawat, Ascher, John S., Pinkaew, Nantasak, Thanoosing, Chawatat, Traiyasut, Prapun & Warrit, Natapot, 2020, Resin bees of genus Megachile, subgenera Callomegachile and Carinula (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae) from Thailand with description of a new species, ZooKeys 997, pp. 95-144 : 95

Megachile (Callomegachile) faceta Bingham, 1897 Figs 6 , 7 , 8

Megachile faceta Bingham, 1897: 486. Female syntype (NHMUK, examined) Pegu Hills, Myanmar.

Megachile faceta rufojugata : Cockerell, 1931: 2.

Chalicodoma (Callomegachile) faceta : Michener, 1965: 191.

Diagnosis.

Female can be recognized by its black medium body size (12-14 mm); vertex and pronotum covered with fulvous hairs; propodeal triangle and T1-T4 with tuft white hairs on lateral edges; apical margin of T5 with white hair band but interrupted at median (Fig. 7a ); apical margin of clypeus with two small tubercles (Fig. 7c ); mandibles five teeth with two stout apical teeth at apex and three small teeth basally; labrum rectangle with rounded corners (Fig. 7d ); vertex with median carina (Fig. 7e ); white scopa except black at apical area. Male is similar to female except mandible three teeth; labrum rectangular with shallow impression at median (Fig. 8d ).

Literature records.

India. Khasia Hills ( Cockerell 1911); Myanmar. Pegu Hills [as Bago Yoma], Tanintharyi Region [as Tenasserim] ( Bingham 1897); Taiwan. Sauter ( Cockerell 1911). An iNaturalist image shows four females among a group of bees photographed at Hin Tung, Mueang District, Nakhon Nayok Province (credit: scottyastro 2015).

Material examined.

Female syntype. Myanmar. "Type; B.M. TYPE HYM. 2011 17. a.; Megachile faceta Bingh. Female, Type; Pegu Hills, Burma, 11-87, Bingham Coll; Col. C. T. Bingham 96-30; NHMUK 013379842"; Thailand. Bangkok Province: 1♀, Pom Prap Sattru Phai district, Khlong Mahanak subdistrict, Sapan Kaw, 18-VII-1971, coll. Sudthida (leg. NC and NW). Chiang Mai Province: 13♂, Mueang district, Mae Hia subdistrict, Mae Hia Agricultural Research, Demonstrative and Training Center, 18°45'51.1272"N, 98°55'39.6192"E, Alt. 232 m, 19-VII-2015, coll. Warrit et al. (leg. NC and NW). Nakhon Pathom Province: 1♀, Kamphaeng Saen district, Kamphaeng Saen subdistrict, Kasetsart University, Kamphaeng Saen Campus, 02-IX-2010, coll. Pakkawat (leg. NC and NW). Nakhon Sawan Province: 2♀, Mae Wong Natural Park, 28-VI-2015, coll. V. Sivayyapram (leg. NC and NW). Surat Thani Province: 1♀, Phanom district, 8°54'35.9460"N, 98°31'37.9590"E, Alt. 118.68 m, 27-I-2018, coll. Warrit et al. (leg. NC and NW).

Comments.

The similar Megachile (Callomegachile) facetula Cockerell, 1918, described from Sandakan, Sabah, Borneo, should be looked for in Thailand, but we have not been able to confirm any records. Megachile strupigera Cockerell, 1922, from Canton (now Guangzhou in Guandong) in southern China is likely a junior synonym of M. faceta based on our examination of images of its type in the NMNH, whereas Wu (2006) placed it in the leafcutter subgenus Amegachile Friese, 1909. Multiple species of leafcutter bees present in the region including Thailand closely resembles M. facetula in color pattern, so all identifications must be considered structural characters as well.

Figures

Figure 6. Thai distribution of Megachile (Callomegachile) faceta.

Figure 7. Megachile (Callomegachile) faceta Bingham, 1897, female a dorsal view b lateral view c oblique view of clypeal margin d frontal view of mandible and labrum e dorsal view of median carina at vertex f lateral view of metasoma and scopa g dorsal view of metasoma.

Figure 8. Megachile (Callomegachile) faceta Bingham, 1897, male a dorsal view b lateral view c frontal view d dorsal view of mandible and labrum e frontal view of T 7 f ventral view of metasomal sterna g dorsal view of S 8 h S 5 i T 7 j dorsal (left) and ventral (right) views of penis.