Nomia formosa Smith, 1858

Wood, T. J., Risch, S., Orr, M. C. & Hogan, J. E., 2025, An illustrated type catalogue of the bee species collected by Alfred Russel Wallace and described by Frederick Smith from Southeast Asia (Hymenoptera: Apoidea), European Journal of Taxonomy 1028, pp. 1-144 : 51-53

30. Nomia formosa Smith, 1858

Fig. 31

Nomia formosa Smith, 1858a: 5–6 , ♀ ♂.

Type material examined

Lectotype

INDONESIA • ♀; Mak. [Makassar, Sulawesi]; [ 2 Sep.–18 Dec. 1856]; OUMNH, ENT-HYME 2789-01 ( lectotype indicated by Baker 1993, de facto lectotype designated by Pauly 2009).

Paralectotype

INDONESIA • 1 ♂; Mak. [ Makassar , Sulawesi]; [ 2 Sep.–18 Dec. 1856]; OUMNH, ENT-HYME2789-02 .

Type locality

Not explicitly stated by Smith, but Celebes [= Sulawesi].

Notes

Baker (1993: 200) wrote the following:

“Smith described formosa from an unspecified number of specimens of both sexes from ‘Celebes’ [Makasar district]. He later (1860: 132) recorded it from Bachian and Malacca, noting: ‘The male of this species is distinguished by having two acute spines on the postscutellum’. Here he was obviously confusing it with a species of Hoplonomia , later (1875: 58) described, from an unspecified number of specimens of both sexes, from ‘Celebes; Java; Morty Island’, as quadridentata [see 5.32-11].

Of four specimens standing as formosa under Smith’s arrangement of Saunders’ collection, in UMO, one ♂ and one ♀ with Wallace’s label ‘Mak.’ [white disc] and Smith’s label ( ♀ only) ‘ Nomia formosa [rule] Smith’ are Curvinomia , but differ from Smith’s description in that the tergal fasciae are now yellow (traces of blue on posterior terga in ♂: these fasciae are, however, as seen in long series of other Curvinomia , liable to postmortem change), and in that the apex of tibia III is not now pale testaceous (again probably due to ageing).

Two ♂♂, one with Wallace’s label ‘Mak.’ and Smith’s label ‘ Nomia formosa Smith’ (virtually identical with his label on the ♀ and probably contemporary), the other ‘This species is erroneously given as the ♂. of N. formosa in insects of Batchian [i.e., Smith, 1860 [rule] New sp.’ [unrecognized hand], are Hoplonomia quadridentata (Smith) , q.v.

Smith’s ♀ has now been labelled as LECTOTYPE of formosa . Of the two ♂ syntypes with Wallace’s label ‘Mak.’, that conspecific with this ♀ has been labelled as paralectotype, the Hoplonomia as a misidentified syntype, of formosa . The Hoplonomia ♂ without data, of uncertain origin, has been labelled as of no type status”.

Pauly (2009: 159) noted Baker’s lectotype, and therefore acted as the first publisher of this designation.

Current status

Curvinomia formosa (Smith, 1858) ( Pauly 2009) .

Distribution

Indonesia ( Sulawesi) ( Pauly 2009).