Colletes Latreille, 1802

Zabel, Tina & Kuhlmann, Michael, 2023, Taxonomic revision of the southern African Colletes fasciatus species group (Hymenoptera: Colletidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 899, pp. 1-96 : 5-6

Colletes Latreille, 1802

The Colletes fasciatus species group

The C. fasciatus species group was first defined by Kuhlmann (2007) and is unique within the genus because some females of this species group exhibit a scopa reduction ( Kuhlmann 2006). A total of 37 species are now recorded, all endemic to the GCFR of South Africa and southwestern Namibia, of which 25 species (including two here newly synonymized taxa) were already revised by Kuhlmann (2007). The C. fasciatus species group can be delineated based on the following set of morphological characters ( Kuhlmann 2007): both sexes have an oval-shaped metasoma, with T1 slightly shortened, almost regularly rounded anteriorly, and the widest part approximately in the middle of T2. The surface of the metasoma often has a bluish shine and the discs of male terga are densely covered with long, erect hairs. In almost all males the tip of T7 is narrowly rounded and often slightly protruding (except C. fuscitergus sp. nov, C. inornatus Cockerell, 1946 , C. testaceipes Friese, 1909 ), the hind basitarsus is modified (broadened, curved or crested) (except C. abnormis Kuhlmann, 2007 , C. fuscitergus , C. genalis Friese, 1909 , C. karooensis Kuhlmann, 2007 , C. longitarsus sp. nov., C. testaceipes Friese, 1909 ). Furthermore, almost all males show modifications of the gonostylus and the wings of the penis valves (e.g. elongate, reduced, broadened) (except C. fuscitergus , C. genalis ), extremely so in some species. Many males also have elongate antennae and swollen femorae and mid tibiae. In females the protuberance of clypeus in profile is at least ¾ of the eye width (except C. gessi Kuhlmann, 2007 and less pronounced in C. carolinae sp. nov., C. fabiani sp. nov., C. kogelbergensis sp. nov.). The clypeus is strongly and regularly convex, except in C. gessi , and in C. cyanonitidus Kuhlmann, 2007 it has a slight longitudinal, median depression.

Species of the Colletes fasciatus species group

Since the relationships of the species are not known, they are listed in alphabetical order.