Anthidium eremicum Alfken, 1938

Kasparek, Max, 2021, Revision and description of three new species of the Palaearctic subgenus Gulanthidium of the wool carder bee genus Anthidium (Apoidea: Megachilidae: Anthidiini), Zootaxa 5040 (4), pp. 482-506 : 493-495

Anthidium eremicum Alfken, 1938

( Figs 1 , 2B , 6B, 6F , 7B , 8B , 9B, 9E , 10 )

Anthidium eremicum Alfken, 1938: 429 ( Palestine [non-Israel]: Jericho; male).—ZMB, examined.

Anthidium aleppense Mavromoustakis, 1954: 97–98 ( Syria, Aleppo: female).—Synonymy by Warncke (1980). Type in the Mavromoustakis collection of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nicosia ( Cyprus) ( Ministry of Agriculture, 1989), not examined.

Type material. HOLOTYPE (examined): Male , Palestine: Jericho, 06.v.1931, S. G. Bodenheimer leg. / TYPUS / AEX- IV / 25 Anthidium eremicum M. det. J. D. Alfken 1936 / Zool. Mus. Berlin / http://coll.mfn-berlin.de/u/e536ed (zmb142).

Additional material examined. JORDAN: 9♀, 16♂, Jordan valley, S. Shuna, 25.–26.iv.1996, Ma. & Mi. Hala- da leg. ( CMK). 1 ex. S of Jarash, E of Al Mastaba, Snizek leg. ( OLL).— PALESTINE: 1♂, M. Jericho, 06.v.1966 (? writing blurred), Centaurea / A. eremicum det. Dr. Warncke ( CMK).— 1♀, 2♂, Jericho, 8.v.1966 ( OLL).—TUR- KEY: Urfa prov.: 20km N Ceylanpınar, 18.vi.1981, K. Warncke leg. ( OLL).

Material not examined. PALESTINE: 3km N Jericho, 2.v., 6. v. and 8.v.1966 as A. aleppense ( Mavromoustakis, 1968) .— SYRIA: Salt Lake Es-Sabcha [Sabkhat al-Jabb u l] near Aleppo, 1.vi.1952, type of A. aleppense ( Mavromoustakis, 1954) . See also under distribution.

Diagnosis. The female is distinguished from all other species of the subgenus by a rounded omaulus (upper part angulate to lamellate in the other species) and laterally rounded to bulged T2–T5 (at least T3–T5 with lateral blunt or acute tooth in the other species). See Table 1 for further traits.

The male is characterised by the combination of a convex, shining S6 with lateral depressions (feature shared with A. occidentale , but median longitudinal furrow in A. rotundum and A. preoccipitale ), a semicircular T6 with a slightly truncate apical margin (feature shared with A. occidentale ; not truncate in A. rotundum ; conspicuously emarginate in A. anguliventre ) and reddish-brown terga with yellow bands (shared with A. occidentale ; black with yellow bands in A. rotundum and A. preoccipitale , and in most A. anguliventre ). Anthidium eremicum is thus very similar to A. occidentale , from which it differs by the elongate, almost crescent-shaped apex of the penis valve (in dorsolateral view), as compared to the triangular-shaped apex in A. occidentale . Clypeus in A. eremicum and A. occidentale with narrow impunctate or less punctate middle line, which is broad in A. anguliventre , A. rotundum , and A. preoccipitale .

Description. Female. 7–8 mm. Head: Clypeus ( Fig. 7B ) pale yellow, anterior and posterior margin straight; apical margin light brown transparent; impunctate, slightly elevated middle line, about half an antenna diameter wide; clypeus as long as 1.20–1.29 maximum width; mandible yellow with five dark brown teeth; a minute sixth tooth distal to the innermost one mostly present; supraclypeal and paraocular areas yellow; yellow maculation of the paraocular area tapering above antennal socket and becoming gradually reddish-brown; preoccipital ridge rounded, moderately concave in dorsal view ( Fig. 10A ); preoccipital band yellow and reddish-brown, confluent with entirely yellow gena; upper face black with white, adpressed pubescence; antenna reddish-brown, scape yellow beneath.— Mesosoma: Scutum black with reverse U-shaped yellow band on each side; scutellum and axillae yellow and widely rounded in dorsal view, with median scutellar impression; transparent posterior margin absent; base of scutellum reddish-brown; pronotal lobe yellow, lamellate; mesepisternum yellow, with dense pubescence; omaulus rounded; propodeal triangle finely roughened, with punctation at base, rugulose.— Metasoma: T1–T5 light brown with yellow discs; depressions semi-transparent, punctation reaching apical margins; T6 yellow, depressed in lateral view and with small, sting-wide median emargination at apex; with dark spot on each side next to the middle; T1–T3 rounded laterally, T4–T6 laterally slightly bulging (no teeth); hind tibia rounded; hind basitarsus with conspicuous carina.— Note: All specimens examined with brown or red-brown scutellum and terga. Specimens with black ground colour not seen (cf. note on A. anguliventre ).

Male. 7–8 mm. Head: Anterior and posterior margin of clypeus straight; clypeus densely punctate, somewhat less dense at base and along middle line; posterior margin smooth; mandible yellow with three strong teeth; supraclypeal area and lower paraocular area yellow; narrow yellow or light reddish-brown band along inner orbit of eye in upper paraocular area; preoccipital ridge rounded; vertex with yellow preoccipital band, confluent with yellow gena; inner side of band light reddish-brown (reaching upper eye); face including lower paraocular area and clypeus with long, white, largely adpressed pubescence; antenna reddish-brown.— Mesosoma: Scutum black with dense punctation and broad L-shaped anterolateral yellow band; thin yellow longitudinal stripe next to the middle; scutellum and axillae widely rounded in dorsal view, overhanging propodeum; scutellum with median posterior depression; yellow, with anterior light brown maculation; mesepisternum yellow, with dense white pubescence; propodeal triangle matt yellow, punctate posteriorly.— Metasoma: Terga with yellow bands, depressions light brown; punctation almost reaching posterior margins; T4 laterally slightly bulged, T5 with small tooth, T6 with large tooth; disc of T6 bulged posteriorly on both sides; T7 semicircular with apical margin shallowly emarginated medially ( Figs 8B , 9B ); sterna yellow, apical margins with white pubescence; apical margin of S5 widely emarginate; S6 semicircular, shining, with deep, round and conspicuously darker lateral depression ( Fig. 9E ).— Legs: Yellow, inner side dark brown; hind basitarsus with inconspicuous longitudinal carina, often hidden under white pubescence.— Hidden sterna and genitalia: See separate chapter.

Distribution. Endemic to the Levant: Jordan and Palestine ( Fig. 12 ). A record from Syria needs confirmation (see taxonomic note). Güler et al. (2014) reported the species from the Antalya and Burdur provinces of Turkey. Determination is based on females only and needs confirmation. Salem & El-Azab (2017) listed the species for Egypt without giving further details. Israel is sometimes included in the distribution (e.g. Grace, 2010), although the base seems to be in all cases the type locality which is situated in Palestine. The distribution map in Discover Life of Ascher & Pickering (2020) shows many records from an area extending from Morocco over the Levant to Central Asia. For most records, no sources are available. Some records likely refer either to A. flavissimum sp. nov. ( Afghanistan) or to A. occidentale sp. nov. ( Morocco). Dunford et al. (2014) listed A. eremicum for Afghanistan, referring to an older version of Discover Life.

Biology. All specimens examined were collected in April and May. Mavromoustakis (1968) collected his A. aleppense in Jordan, where it was flying to Centaurea (Asteraceae) .

Taxonomic note. Mavromoustakis (1954) compared his female A. aleppense from Syria neither with A. anguliventre nor with A. eremicum , and Warncke (1980) came to the conclusion that A. aleppense is a junior synonym of A. eremicum . As long as the type could not be examined, I provisionally share this assessment, although the description available ( Mavromoustakis, 1954) does not completely rule out the possibility that the specimen is actually a reddish-brown A. anguliventre . On the other hand, the male of A. aleppense , which was described later by Mavromoustakis (1968) based on material from Jordan, should be clearly regarded as conspecific with A. eremicum .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Comparison of the hidden sterna S7 (A) and S8 (B) and the apices of the penis valves in dorsolateral view (C) in four species of Anthidium, subgenus Gulanthidium.

FIGURE 2. Male genitalia of four species of Anthidium (Gulanthidium) in dorsal view: A. A. anguliventre; B. A. eremicum; C. A. occidentale sp. nov.; D. A. rotundum.

FIGURE 6. Habitus dorsal of four species of Anthidium, subgenus Gulanthidium. Upper row females, lower row males. A + E. Anthidium anguliventre; B + F. A. eremicum; C + G. A. occidentale sp. nov.; D + H. A. rotundum.

FIGURE 7. Faces of the females of Anthidium anguliventre (A), A. eremicum (B), A. occidentale (C), and A. rotundum (D).

FIGURE 8. Apical terga of the male of five species of Anthidium, subgenus Gulanthidium: A. Anthidium anguliventre; B. A. eremicum; C. A. occidentale sp. nov.; D. A. preoccipitale sp. nov.; E. A. rotundum.

FIGURE 9. Male of Anthidium, subgenus Gulanthidium. Apical terga (upper row) in dorsal and sternum 6 (S6) in ventral view. A + D. Anthidium anguliventre; B + E. A. eremicum and A. occidentale; C + F. A. preoccipitale and A. rotundum.

FIGURE 10. Schematic view of the head in the species of Anthidium, subgenus Gulanthidium. A. Lateral view; B. Dorsal view.

FIGURE 12. Distribution of A. eremicum, A. flavissimum sp. nov., A. occidentale sp. nov., and A. preoccipitale sp. nov.