Anthidium (Proanthidium) minimum Pasteels, 1969

Kasparek, Max & Shebl, Mohamed A., 2025, Molecular evidence supports the recognition of two distinct species within Anthidium minimum Pasteels, 1969, from the Afro-Arabian zoogeographic region (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae), Zootaxa 5725 (2), pp. 267-278 : 270-275

Anthidium (Proanthidium) minimum Pasteels, 1969

Anthidium amabile Alfken, 1932 .— Alfken (1932): 102 –103. Junior primary homonym of Anthidium porterae var. amabile Cockerell, 1904 . See Niu et al. (2020).

Anthidium (Echinanthidium) amabile Alfken, 1932 .— Pasteels (1969a). Anthidium (Proanthidium) minimum Pasteels, 1969 .— Pasteels (1969b): 422 –423.

Anthidium (Proanthidium) minimum Pasteels, 1969 .—Synonymy with Anthidium amabile Alfken, 1932 proposed by Warncke (1980).

Anthidium (Proanthidium) amabile Alfken, 1932 .—Transferred to subgenus Anthidium ( Proanthidium) by Warncke (1980), see also note by Michener (2007).

Barcode Index Number (BIN): BOLD:AFD5082 (generated from DNA sequences from Oman and the United Arab Emirates).

Material. ALGERIA: Tamanrasset, 16 km NE (Guelta), Hoggar; 1 ♂, 1 ♀; 01.iv.1989; 1 ♀; 25.iii.1989.— Tamanrasset, 60 km E, Hoggar; 1500 m; 2 ♀, 1 ♂; 31.iii.1989; leg. M. Schwarz & K. Warncke; CMK and OLL (see also Aguib et al. 2010; Aguib 2014).—Guelta near Mount Ilamane, Hoggar; 1 ♂; 29.iii.1989; OLL.

EGYPT: Holotype female of A. amabile : Mansouriah [ 31.05°N 31.62°E]; 22.viii.1925; leg. R. Mabrouk (collection Ministry of Agriculture, Gizah) ( Alfken 1932).—Male paratype of A. amabile (“ allotype ”); 17.iv.1921; leg. Capt. R. J. Hayward; coll. Alfken according to Alfken (1932), now in ZMB (drawer photograph examined).— Friese (1898) reported a female and male of A. pulchellum Klug, 1832 from Egypt. It actually belongs to A. minimum ( ZMB, drawer photograph examined; see also Alfken, 1932).— Holotype of A. minimum : Aswan [= Assuan; 24.08°N 32.90°E]; 10.iii.1910; leg. Jacquet; SMF ( Pasteels, 1969b).

Additionally, Alfken (1932) reported the following material from Egypt: Kafr Hakim [ Gizeh governorate; 30.08°N 31.11°E] (also mentioned by Salem & El-Azab 2017); 1 ♀; 14.vii.1925; 1 ♀; 30.viii.1924; 1 ♀; 01.ix.1926 [OLL, examined]; 1 ♀; 22.vii.1925; 1 ♀; 7.–8.viii.1924; coll. R. Mabrouk.—Abu Rawasli [Abu Rawash = Abu Roasch = Aborawash; 30.04°N 31.09°E]; 1 ♂; 14.vii.1928; coll. M. Ali Soliman; 1 ♂; 30.vii.1927 [OLL, examined].— Kerdasah [ 30.01°N 31.10°E]; 1 ♂; 15.viii.1925; coll. R. Mabrouk.—Wasfia [interpreted as Wasfia, Ismailia; 30.58°N 32.16°E]; 1 ♀; 5.vii.1925; coll. R. Mabrouk.— Aswan [= Assuan; 24.08°N 32.90°E]; 1 ♀; 16.ix.1925; coll. M. Tawfik. Elshaier (2022) reported three specimens from this series in the collection of the Plant Protection Research Institute ( PPRI), Dokki ( Cairo). Another three specimens are deposited in the collection of ZMB. Drawer photographs of the ZMB material allowed assigning the material to A. minimum .

Luxor [ 25.68°N 32.63°E], 1958; leg. W. Pulawski; det. K. Warncke; SIZK (drawer photograph examined).— ibid. iii.1978, leg. F. D. Parker; CMK .— Kom Ombo [ 24.47°N 32.94°E]; 4 ♀; 16–18.ii.1958; leg. W. L. Puławski; OLL (examined).—Edfou [ 24.97°N 32.87°E]; 1 ♀ 2 ♂; 20–22.ii.1958; OLL (examined).—Meadi [= Al Maadi] [ 29.96°N 31.25°E]; 1 ♀; 20–22.ii.1958; leg. W. L. Puławski; OLL (examined) .— Assuan; 1 ♀; 05.x.1954; OLL (examined).— Shellal [ 24.05°N 32.88°E]; 1 ♀; 07.ii.1914; leg. Ebner; OLL (examined) .

OMAN: Ad Dakhiliyah, nr. Shuwasi ( 23.25°N 58.10°E) ; 1 ♀; 1.vi.2016; NHMUK ( No. 010819648). — 20 km SE Sur , 22.45°N 59.62°E; 2 ♂; 21.iii.2022; leg. M. Halada; CMK.— 30 km SE Seeb, 5 km S Bidbid , 23.36°N 58.14°E; 1 ♂; 23.iii.2022; leg. M. Halada; CMK.— Al Batinah pr. Al Lajal , 23.50°N 57.93°E; 1 ♀; 03.iv.2013; leg. J. Halada; CMK.— 3 km N Nizwa , 22.95°N 57.54°E; 1 ♂; 10.iii.2022; leg. Ch. Schmid-Egger ( CSE) . – UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (UAE): Ain Al Waal, Al Ain, Jebel Hafeet, 24.07°N 55.75°E; 2 ♀; 05.iii.2023; leg. H. Roberts; CMK.— Sharja, Nudayti, Wadi Wurayan , 25.38°N 56.30°E; 2 ♀; 18.iii.2015; leg. J. Halada; CMK.—Jebel Hafeet, 24.07°N 55.75°E; 1 ♂; 11–19.iii.2009; leg. Ch. Schmid-Egger; CMK.— Wadi Madhah , W Murba , 25.27°N 56.27°E; 1 ♀; 13.iii.2008; leg. M. Hauser; CMK. — Wadi Shawka , 25.13°N 56.02°E; 1 ♂; 15.iii.2008; leg. A. v. Harten; CMK.— Wadi Wurayah [ 25.38°N 56.31°E] ; 1 ♀; 12–14.iv.2005; leg. T. Pape ; 1 ♂; 22.i.2006; leg. C. Tourenq ( DEI) .— Wadi Maidaq [ 25.18°N 56.07°E]; 1 ♂; 04–15.ii.2006; leg. A. v. Harten ( DEI) .— Wadi Maidaq [ 25.23°N 55.87°E]; 1 ♂; 4–15.ii.2006 ( CSE) .— Wadi Safad [ 25.23°N 56.35°E], 1 ♂; 13.iii.2008; leg. M. Hauser ( CSE) .

Taxonomy. Cockerell (1904) described Anthidium porterae var. amabile . According to Article 45.6.4 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature ( ICZN), a name established before 1961 using the term “variety” remains available. Consequently, A. amabile Alfken, 1932 must be considered preoccupied and should be replaced ( Niu et al. 2020). Warncke (1980) treated A. minimum Pasteels, 1969 , originally described as a distinct species by Pasteels (1969b), as a junior synonym of A. amabile Alfken. Therefore , A. minimum Pasteels, 1969 becomes the next available name for A. amabile Alfken, 1932 . Examination of the holotype of A. minimum Pasteels confirmed the synonymy with A. amabile Alfken proposed by Warncke (1980).

Diagnosis. See under Anthidium amandum .

Description. A detailed description of both sexes has been provided by Alfken (1932) and Pasteels (1969). See also Figs 1–2 . The colour morphs are identical with those described in A. amandum .

Distribution. The species occurs from northern Oman and the United Arab Emirates westward across Egypt to Algeria. Within Egypt, it is distributed along the Nile River from Upper Egypt to the delta. In Algeria, it has been documented in the Hoggar Mountains of the central Sahara, but has not been reported from the comparatively wellstudied Mediterranean region.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Faces of the males of A. amandum, Kasparek sp. n. (A) and Anthidium minimum Pasteels, 1969 (B).

FIGURE 2. Anthidium amandum, Kasparek sp. n. (upper row, A-C) and Anthidium minimum Pasteels, 1969 (lower row, D- F). Note the yellow uninterrupted tergal bands in A. amandum (upper row), and the lateral bands, contiguous medially, in A. minimum (lower row). There are three colour morphs in both species: Scutum and scutellum black (A, D), scutum black, scutellum red-brown (B, E), and scutum and scutellum red-brown (C, F). A–E males, F female.