Megachile leachella cretica Praz, new subspecies

Type material.

Holotype ♀ (Fig. 44), Greece • Kreta [Crete], Ackerbrachen N Kournas See; 30m a.s.l; 35°20.239'N, 24°16.766'E; 4.vi.2012; V. Mauss leg.; (CPCN).

Paratypes (Suppl. material 1): 16♀ 6 ♂. Greece • ♀; Anatoli [Crete]; 11.vi.2005; Le Goff leg.; G. Le Goff Coll. • ♀; Crete Armeni (N. Rethimnis); 27.vii.2007; Le Goff leg.; Unique identifier: GBIFCH00265014; CPCN • ♀; Crete, Paleochora Camping; 0m a.s.l.; 20.x.2011; A. Müller leg.; Unique identifier: GBIFCH00264819; CPCN • ♀; Crete, Paleochora Camping; 0m a.s.l.; 13.x.2011; A. Müller leg.; Unique identifier: GBIFCH00265010; CPCN • ♀; Crete, Paleochora Camping; 0m a.s.l.; 20.x.2011; A. Müller leg.; Unique identifier: GBIFCH00265011; DNA extraction number 536; BOLD: 14514-C03; CPCN • ♀; Crete, Paleochora Camping; 0m a.s.l.; 13.x.2011; A. Müller leg.; Unique identifier: GBIFCH00265012; CPCN • ♀; Crete, Paleochora Camping; 0m a.s.l.; 20.x.2011; A. Müller leg.; A. Müller Coll. • ♀; Crete, Paleochora Camping; 0m a.s.l.; 13.x.2011; A. Müller leg.; A. Müller Coll. • ♀; Crete, Sougia, Tamarix; 0m a.s.l.; 14.x.2011; A. Müller leg.; Unique identifier: GBIFCH00264820; CPCN • ♀; Kreta Spili; 6.x.1993; F. Amiet leg.; Unique identifier: GBIFCH00265047; CPCN • ♀, 2♂; Kreta [Crete], Agia Galini; 5.x.1993; F. Amiet leg.; F. Amiet Coll. (NMBE) • ♂; Kreta [Crete], Berghang W von Amoudhari; 35°11.926'N, 24°04.396'E; 800-1100 m a.s.l.; 8.vi.2012; V. Mauss leg.; Unique identifier: GBIFCH00265018; CPCN • ♂; Kreta [Crete], S Stomio Phrygeana an Küste; 35°19.35'N, 23°33.04'E; 10 m a.s.l.; 10.vi.2002; A.W. Ebmer leg.; Unique identifier: GBIFCH00265016; CPCN • ♀; Kreta [Crete], S. Kallikratis Kulturland, obere Olea-Zone; 35°14.34'N, 24°15.38'E; 700 m a.s.l.; 6.vi.2002; A.W. Ebmer leg.; Unique identifier: GBIFCH00265013; CPCN • 2♀, ♂; Kreta [Crete], Spili; 6.x.1993; F. Amiet leg.; F. Amiet Coll. (NMBE) • ♀; Kreta [Crete], Vai 10m Phoenix th-Zone, an Thymus; 35°15.08'N, 26°15.39'E; 25.iv.2001; A.W. Ebmer leg.; Unique identifier: GBIFCH00265015; CPCN • ♂; Kreta [Crete], W Levka Ori N Vigia, Felssteppe; 35°21.50'N, 23°49.13'E; 750-800 m a.s.l.; 7.vi.2002; A.W. Ebmer leg.; Unique identifier: GBIFCH00265017; CPCN • ♀; Kreta [Crete], Umg. Von Loutro; 35°11.926'N, 24°04.396'E; 10 m a.s.l.; 7.vi.2012; V. Mauss leg.; V. Mauss Coll. • 2 ♂; Graecia Kriti; Iraklio Rodià; 12.vi.1996; leg. Scaramozzino; Max. Schwarz Coll. (OLML) • ♂; Graecia Kriti; Iraklio Matala; 15-17.vi.1996; leg. Scaramozzino; Max. Schwarz Coll. (OLML) • ♀; Kreta; Matala, Korno-Beach, Sand; 21.10.1996; leg. Stefan Tischendorf; S. Tischendorf Collection.

Distribution.

Restricted to the Island of Crete, Greece.

Description.

Female: highly similar to southern populations of the nominal subspecies, differs as follows: apical tergal fringes snow white (Figs 35, 44), as in most southern European populations of the nominal subspecies; spots of white hairs of disc of T6 reduced to two well-separated spots (Fig. 35), a condition otherwise not frequently observed in M. leachella . Terga 2-6 laterally with numerous erect dark hairs; such dark hairs are present in the UK, in Central Europe and on Sardinia and Corsica, but not elsewhere (e.g., in Greece, Turkey), where dark hairs are restricted to T5-6. Vertex and scutum covered with black hairs intermixed with light hairs. Vertex punctation particularly coarse and sparse (Fig. 42), similar to or even coarser than in the UK (Fig. 40) or central European populations, but unlike in southern Europe, where the vertex punctation is comparatively small and dense (cf. Figs 41, 43). Punctation on disc of T4 comparatively dense (Fig. 38), on average denser than in other populations (Fig. 37), except in M. leachella densipunctata ssp. nov. from Cyprus (Fig. 39). There is however considerable variation in this character in M. leachella sensu lato and the condition observed in Crete is within the observed range of variation in the species. Megachile leachella cretica ssp. nov. shows a combination of characters present in southern European (in particular the snow white vestiture) and central or northern European populations (dark hairs laterally on the terga, coarse punctation on the vertex).

Male: nearly identical to the nominal subspecies (Fig. 46); the front tarsal segments 2-4 are more consistently orange, approaching the condition observed in M. leachella densipunctata ssp. nov. (cf. Fig. 52) (usually at least partly dark brown in other populations of M. leachella; Figs 48, 49, 51); the preapical process of the gonostylus (Fig. 56) appears to be slightly shorter on average than in the nominal subspecies (Fig. 54), but only few males were available for study.

Etymology.

The subspecies epithet refers to the geographic distribution of this taxon, which is probably restricted to the Island of Crete.