Osmia (Nasutosmia) longipalpa, Müller, 2022

Müller, Andreas, 2022, New Moroccan bee species of the tribe Osmiini (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Megachilidae), Zootaxa 5188 (3), pp. 233-263 : 256-258

Osmia (Nasutosmia) longipalpa spec. nov.

Holotype. MOROCCO: Marrakesh-Safi : Tachguelt , Ijoukak, Tizi-n-Test, 1200–2100 m, 21.4.2009, ♀ (leg. A. Müller). Deposited in the Entomological Collection of ETH Zurich.

Paratypes. MOROCCO: Marrakesh-Safi : Tachguelt , Ijoukak, Tizi-n-Test, 1200–2100 m, 21.4.2009, 1♂ (leg. A. Müller). Deposited in the Entomological Collection of ETH Zurich .

Diagnosis. The 5–5.5 mm long new species differs from the other two representatives of the subgenus Nasutosmia by the distinctly longer proboscis. In O. longipalpa , the second segment of the labial palpus has almost the same length as the compound eye and is about 2.3x as long as the first segment ( Fig. 57–59 ), whereas in O. corniculata (Zanden) and O. nasuta Friese , the second segment of the labial palpus is at most two thirds as long as the compound eye and usually less than 2x as long as the first segment. The female further differs from O. corniculata by the medioapically projecting rather than emarginate labrum and from O. nasuta by the black rather than yellowish tibial spurs of the hind leg.

Description. FEMALE ( Fig. 57 ): Body length 5.5 mm. Head: Head 0.97x as long as wide. Distance between lateral ocellus and preoccipital margin 1.8x as long as ocellar diameter. Maximum width of genal area 0.7x as long as maximum width of compound eye. Labrum medioapically projecting and lateroapically edged resulting in more or less trifid apical margin. Mandible four-toothed and completely black. Clypeus with narrow medioapical tubercle, which is directed at right angles to the clypeal surface, about as long as high and longitudinally keeled; ventral side of tubercle with two narrow tufts of yellowish hairs. Face sparsely beset with long and whitish hairs except for paraocular area, which is densely covered with appressed white pilosity. Proboscis of medium length; second segment of labial palpus 0.98x as long as compound eye and 2.3x as long as first segment ( Fig. 57, 59 ). Antennal segments 1–4 black and 5–12 brown on anterior side; segment 3 1.1x as long as wide and 2x as long as segment 4, segments 4–11 shorter than wide and segment 12 1.4x as long as wide. Mesosoma: Parapsidal line linear. Punctation of scutum, scutellum and mesepisternum dense with interspaces rarely reaching diameter of one puncture except for lower part of mesepisternum, where punctation is slightly less dense. Basal area of propodeum polished except for very narrow transversal zone at its base, which is finely striate. Pilosity of mesosoma whitish. Tegula dark brown to black and almost impunctate except for its densely and very finely punctured anterior and inner margin. Stigma and veins of fore wing predominantly dark brown to black. Tibial spur of fore leg apically extended into rather long tip, which is about 1.5x as long as basally wide. Tibial spurs of hind leg black and apically curved upwards at angle of about 30; inner spur about 0.4x as long as maximum inner length of tibia of hind leg. Pilosity of inner surface of basitarsus of hind leg yellowish-white. Metasoma: Punctation of tergal discs 1–4 basally and laterally rather dense with interspaces rarely exceeding diameter of one puncture and medially more scattered with interspaces reaching diameter of one and a half to two punctures. Punctation of terga 5–6 dense with interspaces rarely reaching diameter of one puncture. Marginal zones of terga 1–3 medially impunctate and with interrupted white hair bands. Marginal zones of terga 4–5 densely and finely punctured and with uninterrupted white hair bands. Tergum 6 covered with sparse and short appressed whitish pilosity. Scopa white.

MALE ( Fig. 58 ): Body length 5 mm. Head: Head 0.93x as long as wide. Distance between lateral ocellus and preoccipital margin 1.6x as long as ocellar diameter. Maximum width of genal area 0.6x as long as maximum width of compound eye. Apical margin of labrum rounded. Mandible two-toothed and of black colour except for dark reddish-brown preapical zone. Clypeus medioapically slightly projecting, distinctly bent upwards and weakly three-toothed; ventral side of this median projection with two narrow tufts of yellowish hairs. Face covered with long and dense whitish pilosity, which is erect to suberect on frons, supraclypeal area and clypeus and appressed on paraocular area. Proboscis of medium length; second segment of labial palpus 0.97x as long as compound eye and 2.3x as long as first segment ( Fig. 58 ). Antennal segments 1–4 black and 5–13 brown on anterior side; antennal segment 3 1.1x long as wide and 1.5x as long as segment 4, segments 4–12 shorter than wide and segment 13 1.4x as long as wide. Mesosoma: Parapsidal line linear. Punctation of scutum, scutellum and mesepisternum dense with interspaces rarely reaching diameter of one puncture. Basal area of propodeum polished except for very narrow transversal zone at its base, which is finely striate. Pilosity of mesosoma whitish. Tegula dark brown to black and almost impunctate except for its densely and very finely punctured anterior and inner margin. Stigma and veins of fore wing predominantly dark brown to black. Tibial spur of fore leg apically extended into rather long tip, which is 1.5–2x as long as basally wide. Tibial spurs of hind leg dark brown and apically curved upwards at angle of about 30; inner spur about 0.4x as long as maximum inner length of tibia of hind leg. Metasoma: Punctation of tergal discs 1–6 rather dense with interspaces rarely exceeding diameter of one puncture except medially, where punctation may be slightly more scattered. Marginal zones of terga 1–4(5) with white hair bands, which are medially interrupted on terga 1–2. Tergum 6 with transverse preapical thickening, its apical margin rounded and laterally with short triangular tooth. Tergum 7 predominantly orange coloured, of roughly triangular shape and medioapically prolonged into narrow tip. Apical margin of sternum 1 straight. Apical margin of sternum 2 evenly rounded. Sternum 3 with shallow median emargination, which is about half as wide as entire sternal width and densely beset with long, yellowish and inwardly directed hairs.

Distribution. Known so far only from the type locality in the southernmost Marrakesh-Safi region in southern Morocco.

Pollen hosts. The only pollen load available consisted of pollen of Lotus (Fabaceae) ( Tab. 1 ).

Nesting biology. Unknown.

Etymology. The species epithet refers to the long labial palpi of both sexes (longus = lat. long).

Figures

FIGURES 57–66. Osmia (Nasutosmia) longipalpa: 57: Female, 58: Male, 59: Labial palpi of female. Protosmia (Nanosmia) curviseta: 60: Female, 61: Labial palpi of female. Protosmia (Nanosmia) magna: 62: Female, 63: Male, 64: Vertex between compound eye and lateral ocellus of female, 65: Terga 5–6 of male, 66: Sterna 1–6 of male.