Sphecodes sikkimensis Bluethgen , 1927

Astafurova, Yulia V., Proshchalykin, Maxim Yu. & Schwarz, Maximilian, 2020, New and little-known species of the genus Sphecodes Latreille (Hymenoptera, Halictidae) from Southeast Asia, ZooKeys 937, pp. 31-88 : 31

Sphecodes sikkimensis Bluethgen, 1927

Sphecodes sikkimensis Blüthgen, 1927: 54, Fig. 12a , ♀ (syntypes: ♀♀, Sikhim [India], 6.97., Rungit Tal, 1000', Coll. Bingham; ZMHB, examined).

Diagnosis.

This species differs noticeably from other described Oriental species with a lateral preoccipital carina by a combination of large total body length (12-15 mm) and the greatest number (12-15) of hamuli (other large oriental species are usually at most 12 mm in length and have hind wings with at most eleven or twelve hamuli).

Descriptive notes.

Wings with strong brownish darkening and metallic violet lustre; hind wing with the angle between basal (M) and cubital (Cu) veins ca. 80°, costal margin with 12-15 hamuli. Female. Total body length 12-15 mm. Head transverse, 1.25 times as wide as long; vertex elevated with the distance from top of head to upper margin of a lateral ocellus ca. two lateral ocellar diameters as seen in frontal view; labrum short, semi-oval, 0.45 times as long as basal width; face and ocello-ocular area areolate-punctate; paraocular areas and gena with sparse pubescence not obscuring integument. Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum areolate-punctate (50-100 μm). Propodeal triangle (metapostnotum) coarsely reticulate-rugose; mesepisternum reticulate-rugose. Metasoma red, coarsely and densely punctate (ca. 25 μm), sparser on T1. Marginal zone impunctate, except T1 with fine punctures (ca. 10 μm); pygidial plate dull, 1.2 times as wide as metabasitarsus. Male unknown.

Material examined.

Laos: 1 ♀, Prov. Hua Phan, Phou Pan, Umg. Ort Ban Saleui, 20°13'N, 103°59'E, 1350-1900 m, 28.IV.2012, C. Holzschuh (OLBL/PCMS); Myanmar: 1 ♀, Nam Tamai, 3000 ft, 9.I.1931, F. Kingdon Ward (NHMUK 013380357).

Distribution.

*Laos, *Myanmar, NE India, China (Guangdong).

Figures

Figures 12 - 16. Sphecodes biroi Friese, female, paralectotype 12 head, frontal view 13 vertex, dorso-lateral view 14 mesosoma, dorsal view 15 metasoma, dorsal view 16 labels. Scale bars: 1.0 mm (12, 14, 15), 0.5 mm (13).