Sphecodes distinctus Meyer, 1925

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 distinctus Meyer, 1925 Figures 46-52

Sphecodes distinctus Meyer, 1925: 11, ♂ (holotype: ♂, Annam, Laos [Vietnam]; HNHM, examined, Fig. 52 ).

Diagnosis.

This species is similar to Sphecodes formosanus Cockerell, 1911 in having weakly developed tyloids, a densely punctate mesoscutum (close to areolate) and metasomal terga, but it differs in having a smaller body size (6.5-8.5 mm versus 9-10 mm), number of hamuli (seven or eight versus ten), and usually more developed tyloids (covering sometimes to basal 1/4-1/3 of distal flagellomeres compared to at most 1/5 in S. formosanus ). Females of S. takaensis Blüthgen 1927, S. howardi and S. binghami are structurally and sculpturally close to the male of S. distinctus and it is possible that one of these is the unknown female for S. distinctus .

Descriptive notes.

Wings with weak yellow-brownish darkening; hind wing with the angle between basal (M) and cubital (Cu) veins almost 80°, costal margin with seven or eight hamuli. Lateral preoccipital carina present. Male. Total body length 6.5-8.5 mm (Fig. 46 ). Head transverse (Fig. 47 ), ca. 1.2 times as wide as long; vertex elevated with distance from top of head to upper margin of lateral ocellus approximately an ocellar diameter as seen in frontal view; antennae (Fig. 51 ) reach posterior margin of mesoscutum, F2 1.6-1.7 times as long as wide, remaining flagellomeres 1.2-1.3 times as long as wide; tyloids semicircular across basal 1/7-1/3 of flagellar surfaces; face and vertex finely areolate-punctate; face (below and above the antennal sockets) and gena with adpressed white pubescence obscuring integument. Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum coarsely and densely punctate (Fig. 48 ), mostly with confluent punctures, but medially with interspaces approximately a puncture diameter; propodeal triangle (metapostnotum) roughly reticulate-rugose. Metasomal terga (Fig. 49 ) coarsely punctate (20-25 μm / 1-3); marginal zone on T1 finely punctate (impunctate along posterior margin); remaining marginal zones impunctate; T1-T4 and T5 basally red; gonocoxite dorsally without impression; gonostylus as shown in Fig. 50 . Female unknown.

Material examined.

Thailand: 13 ♂♂, Nan, MaeCharim NP Eingang, 18°36'N, 100°58'E, 10-24.V.2012, E. & J. Holzschuh (OLBL/PCMS).

Published records.

Meyer 1925: 11 (Vietnam); Ascher and Pickering 2019 (Vietnam).

Distribution.

*Thailand, Vietnam.

Remarks.

Annam (type locality of S. distinctus ) is actually located in Vietnam, not Laos as Meyer (1925: 11) pointed out.

Figures

Figures 46 - 52. Sphecodes distinctus Meyer, male 46 Habitus, lateral view, holotype 47 head, frontal view 48 mesosoma, dorsal view 49 T 1 - T 3, dorsal view 50 genitalia, dorsal view 51 antennae, lateral view 52 holotype labels. Scale bars: 1.0 mm (46 - 49, 51), 0.5 mm (50).