Eremaphanta popovi Michez, 2006

Michez, Denis & Patiny, Sébastien, 2006, Review of the bee genus Eremaphanta Popov 1940 (Hymenoptera: Melittidae), with the description of a new species, Zootaxa 1148 (1), pp. 47-68 : 56-57

Eremaphanta popovi Michez sp.nov.

Type Material. 1♂ holotype, 6♂ paratypes, Turkmenistan, Orta­Kuyu [40°42’N 57°30’E], 23.V.1953, leg. Arens, ZISP. Original labelling (label with black ink printed on white paper): Orta­Kuyu 23.V.1953 Arens [in Cyrillic] .

Additional material. 1♂, Turkmenistan, Orta­Kuyu [40°42’N 57°30’E], 23. V.1953, leg. Arens, SEMK. 1♀, Kazakhstan, desert of Kysylkum, Dyusebay [42°24’N 66°58’E], determined as E. vitellina by Morawitz, ZISP. The head of the specimen is missing. However, several morphological characters support its identification as E. popovi . Both sexes have a yellow metasoma and terga with apical hair bands (see diagnosis and description). This combination of characters is unique in Eremaphanta .

Etymology. Named in honour of V. V. Popov who described the genus.

Differential diagnosis. ♀ and ♂. Close to E. minuta . Body mainly yellow. Head about as long as wide. Terga with apical hair bands.

Diagnosis ( Fig. 5 ). ♀ and ♂. Legs yellow. T1 ­ T5 yellow, with white apical hair bands. ♀. Mesepisternum with upper part yellow, lower part black. Mesoscutum black. Pronotum yellow. ♂. Head nearly as long as broad. Genal area , dorsal half of face and propodeum yellow. Flagellum dorsally brownish, ventrally yellowish. Pronotum brown in the middle; margins yellow. Hind margin of Bt 3 and F3 with small reddish spots at the base of hairs .

Description. ♀. Head. Unknown. Mesosoma. Length = 2,3mm. Maximal width = 1,5mm. Pronotum, upper part of mesepisternum, scutellum, metanotum and propodeum yellow; Mesoscutum and lower part of mesepisternum black. Mesoscutum and mesepisternum with short white appressed hairs. Scutellum, metanotum and propodeum with white erect hairs. Propodeal triangle hairless. Mesoscutum, scutellum and metanotum smooth, shiny, weakly punctate. Propodeum in profile with horizontal and vertical surfaces subequal. Propodeal triangle minutely rugose with a median groove. Legs. Integument yellow. Scopa on outer surface of Tb3 and Bt3; with conspicuous reddish spots at the base of hairs. Keirotrichia on inner surface of Tb3 and Bt3. Wings. Tegula yellow and transparent. First submarginal cell twice as long as the second. Stigma large, transparent, about as long as costal margin of marginal cell; up to three times as long as prestigma. Second abscissa of Rs straight. Jugal lobe 2/3 to 3/4 as long as vannal lobe. Metasoma. Length = 3,3mm. Maximal width = 1,6mm. Terga yellow; disc glabrous. T 1­ T 5 with white apical hair bands. Sterna glabrous. Margin of terga and sterna straight. Pygidial plate flat, hairless, transparent, triangular; apex briefly truncated and dorsally curved. Prepygidial and pygidial fimbria absent. ♂ ( Fig. 5 ). Length (vertex– T 7): 5,3mm. ♂. Head. Length = 1,5mm. Maximal width = 1,8mm. Integument black, but mandible base, labrum, malar area and clypeus yellow. Flagellum dorsally brown, ventrally yellow. Labrum with long white apical hairs. Clypeus, face and genal area covered with white short appressed hairs. Vertex with white erect hairs. Labial palpus as long as glossa; shorter than prementum, maxillary palpus and galea. Galea with short setae on the outer margin, tapering, narrowly rounded. Mandibles without pre­apical tooth. Malar space shorter than A2. Face and vertex smooth and shiny, with few weak punctures. Flagellum four times as long as scape. A3 shorter than A4. A3 broader than long. A4 as long as broad. A5­A12 longer than wide. Mesosoma. Length = 2mm. Maximal width = 1,6mm. Mesoscutum, mesepisternum, propodeum and propodeal triangle black. Pronotum, apical and basal margin of scutellum and metanotum yellow. Mesoscutum and mesepisternum with white short appressed hairs. Scutellum and metanotum glabrous. Propodeum with white erect hairs. Propodeal triangle hairless. Mesoscutum, mesepisternum, scutellum and metanotum smooth and shiny, with few weak punctures. Propodeum in profile with horizontal and vertical surfaces subequal. Propodeal triangle large, shiny, minutely rugose with a median groove; apical area smooth. Legs. Integument yellow, with long white setae. External margin of Bt3 and F3 with small reddish spots at the base of hairs. Tarsal claw simple. Basitarsus narrower than femur. Wings. Venation similar to that of female. Metasoma. Length = 2,8mm. Maximal width = 1,5mm. Terga yellow except basal half of T 1 brownish. T 1 with few white erect hairs basally. Disc of T 2­ T 5 glabrous. T 1­ T 5 with white apical hair bands. S1­S5 with white apical hair bands, longer medially. S1­S4 with premarginal line strongly emarginate. S6­S8 and genitalia as in Fig. 5 .

Distribution ( Fig. 11c ). Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.

Floral choices and phenology. Unknown.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Eremaphanta popovi sp. nov., male; a. Sternum 6 (scale=200µm); b. Apical view of sternum 8 (scale=40µm); c. Volsella (scale=40µm); d. Lateral view of sternum 8 (scale=100µm); e. Dorsal view of gonostylus (scale = 100µm); f. Lateral view of genitalia (scale = 100µm).

FIGURE 11. Specific distribution; a. Distribution of Eremaphanta dispar and E. zhelochovtsevi; b. Distribution of E. fasciata, E. iranica and E. vitellina; c. Distribution of E. convolvuli, E. minuta and E. popovi.