Megachile (Pseudomegachile) flavipes Spinola 1838

Dorchin, Achik & Praz, Christophe J., 2018, Taxonomic revision of the Western Palaearctic bees of the subgenus Pseudomegachile (Hymenoptera, Apiformes, Megachilidae, Megachile), Zootaxa 4524 (3), pp. 251-307 : 297

Megachile (Pseudomegachile) flavipes Spinola 1838

Megachile flavipes Spinola 1838: 527 , ♀ ♂, [ Egypt]. See Casolari & Casolari-Moreno 1980 for a list of possible syntypes.

Megachile conficita Walker 1871: 48 , ♂, “ Cairo ” [ Egypt]. Synonymy in Alfken 1933: 56.

Megachile despecta Walker 1871: 48 , ♀ ♂, “Wâdy Gennèh; Wâdy Ferran” [?; Wadi Feiran, Sinai, Egypt]. Synonymy in Alfken 1933: 56.

Megachile inficita Walker 1871: 48 , ♂, “Wâdy Ferran” [Wadi Feiran, Sinai, Egypt]. Synonymy in Alfken 1933: 56.

Megachile rubripes Morawitz 1875: 107 , ♀, “prope Samarkand” [ Uzbekistan]. New Synonymy.

? Megachile squamigera Mocsáry 1879: 10 , ♀ ♂, “ Syria ” [ Syria or Lebanon]. Synonymy in Friese 1899: 143. See note below.

? Megachile flavipes var. turcestanica Friese 1898: 200 , ♀, “Asia centr. Nia 1350m ” [?]. See note below.

? Megachile flavipes var. fasciata Friese 1898: 200 , ♀, “Turcestania”. Preoccupied, not Megachile fasciata Smith, 1844 . See note below.

Chalicodoma flavipes meridoniale [as meridionalis] Pasteels 1970: 220, [sex not indicated but both males and females listed in material examined], “ Mauritanie, Aleg” [ Mauritania]. Types in BMNH. See note below.

Megachile (Pseudomegachile) persica Rebmann 1972: 1 , ♀ ♂, “O. Afghanistan, Prov. Nengrahar, Povolny & Tenora, (65), Jalabad, 17.iv. 66, 580m” [ Afghanistan]. Holotype ♂, MZMB, paratypes ♀ ♂ (MZMB, SMNK, SMFD, SMNS). New Synonymy.

Distribution: Northern Africa ( Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt incl. Sinai Peninsula), Middle East ( Israel, Syria, Turkey), Crete ( Greece), possibly Cyprus, Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Central Asia, Northern India.

Note: 1. The populations from Northern Africa ( Algeria to Egypt excluding the Sinai Peninsula) have fulvous metasomal vestiture ( flavipes ), those from Iran and Central Asia whitish-grey metasomal vestiture ( rubripes ). We do not recognize distinct subspecies as no structural character appears to differ between these two populations, and because some intergradation appears to occur between them across the Sinai Peninsula and southern Israel. Vestiture colour is similarly variable in other species of the flavipes species group such as M. cinnamomea .

2. The list of synonyms listed above is tentative and taken from other sources ( Friese 1899, Alfken 1933); those listed with a question mark appear particularly doubtful and we were not able to locate or examine the relevant type material. In particular, the original description of M. squamigera points to M. farinosa , that of M. flavipes var. turcestanica to M. tecta and that of M. flavipes var. fasciata to M. sanguinipes . For the latter two taxa described by Friese, specimens preserved in ZMHB and labelled as “type” are probably not syntypes based on the locality indicated on the label. The status of M. flavipes meridionalis requires further investigation.

Pollen hosts: All our observations ( Tunisia, Israel, Iran) of pollen-collecting females were made on Fabaceae ; this species is possibly oligolectic on Fabaceae .

Nesting biology: Nests of this species were found in various cavities (mud walls, stems); nests in stems included two cells arranged linearly and made of mud “moistened with water, apparently without using secretions” ( Alfken 1934, Ponomareva 1958).

Material examined: Type material: Paratype ♀ and ♂ of M. persica ( SMFD, SMNK)

Additional material: ALGERIA: Hoggar , Tamanrasset 1400m 20km E, 30.3.1989, M. Schwarz leg. ; CYPRUS: Limassol [several specimens in OLML, possibly doubtful since no date or collector information are given]; EGYPT: 10km N Suez 30°03N 32°34E, 22.4.2000, C. Schmid-Egger leg. ; Al-Minufiyah, El-Shohada, Kafr Hegazi 30°35N 30°49E 10m, 21.5.2011, M. Shebl leg. ; Aswan, Nilufer , 20.9.1992, C. Schmid-Egger leg. ; Cairo, 9– 20.5.1978, K. M. Guichard leg. ; Ismailia, 16.6.1941, K. U. Clarke leg. ; Ismailia, El Qantara, Gharb, Al Masaid 30°49N 32°18E, 18.5.2011, M. Shebl & S. Kamel leg. ; Kafr el Zaiyat 30°49’N 30°49’E 16m, 21.5.2011, M. Shebl leg. ; Kairo und Umgebung , 3.1935, A. Nadig leg. ; Kom Oshime , 2.4.1983, K. M. Guichard leg. ; Luxor, A.3.1988, W. Schlaefle leg.; Luxor, 4.1914, leg.; Sharkia, Houssania, Bahr Elbaker 30°55N 32°07E 2m from Nest , 3.5.2011, M. Shebl & S. Kamel leg. ; Sinai, W Hibran , 19.5.1978, Kugler leg. ; South Sinai Ras Sudar 29°36’N 32°47’E 136m, 28.6.2011, M. Shebl & S. Kamel leg. ; Suez Ahmed Hamdy Tunnel 30°02’N 32°34’E 4m, 11.5.2011, M. Shebl & S. Kamel leg. ; Suez, Shalloufa 30°06N 32°31E 4m, 11.5.2011, M. Shebl & S. Kamel leg. ; Tel el Kebir , 20, 29.5.2005, J. G. Rozen & S. M. Kamel leg. ; Tel el Kebir 30°32'02 N 31°49' 48E, 18.5.2004, J. G. Rozen leg. ; GREECE: Kreta, Heraklion, Malia 100m, 17.6.1976, K. Warncke leg. ; Kreta, Malia Sumpf Heraklion , 18.6.1976, K. Warncke leg. ; INDIA: Hissar , 4.3.1984, F. D. Parker leg. ; IRAN: 15km W Esfahan, 18.7.1966 ; Kalameh, Road Busher-Shiraz 28°55'38 N 51°26' 44E, 3.6.2009, Sedivy, Praz & Monfared leg. ; Teheran Prov. Highway Teheran- Qom 60 km S Teheran, 26.5.2009, Sedivy, Praz & Talebi leg. ; Teheran, T. Modares Univ., Agricult. Campus 35°44'33 N 51°09' 49E, 28.5.2009, Sedivy, Praz & Talebi leg. ; Zein Abad , 30.5.2012, L. Dehghan leg. ; ISRAEL AND PALESTINE: 2km N ' En Yahav 30°40'39 N 35°14' 17E, 29.4.2010, Sedivy & Praz leg. ; 3km E Ashalim 30°58'25 N 34°40' 33E, 27.4.2010, Sedivy & Praz leg. ; 5 km S Jericho , 16.6.1970, Bytinski-Salz leg. ; Basalt Canyon park 1.7km NE Bet She'an 32°30’32’’N / 35°31’11’’E - 208m, 9.6.2011, A. Dorchin leg. ; Beer Sheva , 1.6.1965, W. Schlaefle leg. ; Eilat , 9.6.1965, W. Schlaefle leg. ;` En Harod Meuhad 32°33'32 N 35°23' 19E, 9.6.2011, A. Dorchin leg. ;` En Qelet Nahal Perat NR 2.2km NW Mizpe Yeriho 31°50'07 N 35°22' 41E - 22m, 1.5.2013, A. Dorchin leg. ; Hazeva , 5.6.2007, Y. Hollander leg. ; Hazeva , 9.5.2007, Y. Mandelik leg. ; Iddan , 8.5.2007, I. Lalzar leg. ; Jericho , 19.7.1976, A. Freidberg leg. ; Jericho , 26.5.1943, Bytinski-Salz leg. ; Nahal Hazezon 900m S Mizpe Shalem 31°33’32’’N / 35°23’52’’E - 364m, 5.5.2012, A. Dorchin leg. ; Nahal Zin , 8.5.2007, M. Turki leg. ; Peza'el NR 3.2km W Peza'el 32°03'04 N 35°24' 11E - 15m, 4.8.2013, A. Dorchin leg. ; Revivim , 6.6.1965, W. Schlaefle leg. ; Sappir , 5.7.2007, I. Lalzar leg. ; Sede Boker , 7.9.1972, Kaplan leg. ; Tiberias , 12.7.1945, Bytinski-Salz leg. ; OMAN: Ad Dakhiliyah Pr. Al Hamra env. 23°05N 57°19E 670m, 5.4.2013, J. Halada leg. ; Al Batinah pr. Al Lajal 170m 23°30N 57°56E, 3.4.2013, J. Halada leg. ; Al Batinah pr. Wadi Awf env 630m 23°14N 57°26E, 4.4.2013, J. Halada leg. ; Al Hamra 23°06'37 N 57°17' 35E, 5.3.2008, D. Michez & S. Patiny leg. ; Al Kharma 22°48'46 N 57°59' 53E, 1.3.2008, D. Michez & S. Patiny leg. ; Ar Rustaq 23°25'23 N 57°26' 01E, 8.3.2008, D. Michez & S. Patiny leg. ; Ash Sharqiyah Jaalan Bani Bu Ali 21°17N 59°24E 65m, 15.4.2013, J. Halada leg. ; Birkat al Mauwz 22°55'02 N 57°40' 33E, 1.3.2008, D. Michez & S. Patiny leg. ; Nakhl, Hubrah 23°23'11 N 57°47' 26E, 8.3.2008, D. Michez & S. Patiny leg. ; Sur 22°30’39'' N 59°25’19'' E 47m, 1.3.2008, D. Michez & S. Patiny leg.; SAUDI ARABIA: Riyadh, W Hanifa , 21.3.1980, K. M. Guichard leg. ; TUNISIA: 10km SE Foum Tataouine 32°51N 10°30E, 25.3.2001, C. Schmid-Egger leg. ; Tataouine, Yekhzer SE Tataouine, 23.4.2012, C. Praz leg. ; TURKEY: 48km NW Silifke Köselerli W bank Göksu River , 19.7.1998, C. Schmid-Egger leg. ; UZBEKISTAN: Bukara 39°45'N 64°28'E, 2.6.2008, C. Praz & A. Khamraev leg. ; Korhezm 25km S Khiva, 26.5.2008, C. Praz & I. Abdullaev leg. ; Korhezm Khiva 41°22’60°21’, 27.5.2008, C. Praz & I. Abdullaev leg.