Fidelia (Fideliopsis) hessei Whitehead & Eardley, 2003

Jessica R. Litman, Connal D. Eardley & Michael Kuhlmann, 2016, A new species of Fidelia Friese, 1899 (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae), with a key to the species of the genus, European Journal of Taxonomy 174, pp. 1-18 : 9-12

Fidelia (Fideliopsis) hessei Whitehead & Eardley, 2003

Figs 1 B, D, F, 2 B, D, 3 B, D, F

Holotype

SOUTH AFRICA: ♂, NCP, 29 km E of Port Nolloth, 29.18 ° S, 17.09 ° E, 18 Sep. 1983 ( SAM) (as designated by Whitehead & Eardley 2003), SAM-HYM-B001836 .

Other material examined (all specimens deposited in SAM unless otherwise noted)

NAMIBIA: 2 ♂♂, Klinghardt Mts, 27.38 ° S, 15.88 ° E, 19 Oct. 1974 .

SOUTH AFRICA: 2 ♀♀, 5 km S of Ratelfontein , 32.13 ° S, 18.63 ° E, 25 Oct. 1978; 3 ♀♀, 1 ♂, NCP, 27 km E of Port Nolloth , 29.3 ° S, 17.15 ° E, 18 Sep. 1983 ; 5 ♂♂, NCP, 27 km E of Port Nolloth , 29.283 ° S, 17.133 ° E, 25 Sep. 1982 ; 1 ♀, NCP , 30 km E of Port Nolloth, 29.3 ° S, 17.18 ° E, 2 Oct. 1981 ; 9 ♀♀, NCP, 36 miles Grass Flats , 29.38 ° S, 17.38 ° E, 0 4 Oct. 1980 ; 2 ♀♀, 1 ♂, NCP, 38 km N of Concordia , 29.27 ° S, 18.0° E, 20 Nov. 1980 ; 1 ♂, NCP, Brandkaros , 28.47 ° S, 16.68 ° E, 29 Sep. 1982 ; 1 ♂, NCP, Grasvlakte , 29.18 ° S, 17.42 ° E, 18 Sep. 1983 ; 3 ♀♀, NCP, Oograbies, 20 km E of Port Nolloth , 29.23 ° S, 17.13 ° E, 18 Nov. 1980 ; 11 ♀♀, 3 ♂♂, NCP, Wallekraal, Namaqualand , 30.38 ° S, 17.52 ° E, 1 Oct. 1950 ; 4 ♀♀, 2 ♂♂, WCP, 10 km N of Graafwater , 32.07 ° S, 18.6 ° E, 21 Oct. 1981 ; 1 ♀, WCP, 10 km N of Leipoldtville, 32.13 ° S, 18.52 ° E, 25 Oct. 1978 ; 1 ♀, WCP, 5 km E of Elands Bay , 32.28 ° S, 18.35 ° E, 0 8 Nov. 1978 ; 3 ♀♀, 1 ♂, WCP, 7 km N of Leipoldtville, 32.18 ° S, 18.5 ° E, 0 8 Nov. 1978 ; 1 ♂, WCP, Elands Bay, Baboon Point , 32.32 ° S, 18.32 ° E, 13 Nov. 1979 ; 1 ♂, WCP, Graafwater , 7 km N of Leipoldtville, 32.18 ° S, 18.5 ° E, 0 8 Nov. 1978 ; 1 ♂, WCP, Paleisheuwel, 32.39 ° S, 18.43 ° E, 0 1 Nov. 2001 ; 1 ♀, WCP, Paleisheuwel, 32.47 ° S, 18.72 ° E, 10 Nov. 1978 ; 3 ♀♀, 4 ♂♂, WCP, Paleisheuwel, 32.47 ° S, 18.72 ° E, 17 Nov. 1978 ; 3 ♀♀, WCP, Skurfkop station , 31.88 ° S, 18.63 ° E, 21 Oct. 1981 ; 5 ♀♀, 2 ♂♂, WCP, Skurfkop station , 31.88 ° S, 18.63 ° E, 25 Oct. 1978 ; 2 ♂♂, WCP, Skurfkop , 31.95 ° S, 18.62 ° E, 10 Nov. 1978 ; 1 ♀, NCP, 42 km S of Eeksteenfontein , 29 °06.869′ S, 17 ° 25.694 ′ E, 0 9 Oct. 2008 ( LPC) .

Note

The SAM database lists the date of collection for five male Fidelia hessei as “ 1982 /04/ 25 ”. A close look at the handwritten label on the specimens strongly suggests, however, that the labels do not read “ 25. iv. 1982 ” but rather “ 25.ix. 1982 ”. Given the difficulty in reading the labels on these specimens, and given the total absence of other specimens of F. hessei during the fall months, we consider these specimens to have been collected in September and not April.

Description

Female

MEASUREMENTS. BL = 11–12 mm; Iw = 4 mm.

HEAD. Broader than long. Integument on head and base of clypeus black. Clypeus apically dark to yellow brown. Clypeus minutely, superficially punctate from base to apex. Mandible yellow with two red teeth, upper tooth longer than lower. Head covered in dense white pilosity. Clypeus convex, flattened medially. Antennal scape and pedicel dark red-brown. Dorsally, antennal flagellum dark red-brown basally, becoming yellow-brown apically. Ventrally, flagellum yellow.

MESOSOMA. Integument black. Mesosomal disc densely, minutely punctate. Pilosity dense, shaggy, white to pale yellow, sometimes longer on mesopleuron and scutellum. Wings colorless to pale yellow, venation light brown, papillate beyond veins.

LEGS. Dark red-brown basally, becoming paler yellow-brown apically. Forecoxa, trochanter and femur covered in white pilosity. Foretibia and foretarsus covered in golden pilosity. Pilosity on forebasitarsus long, shaggy – length of hairs at posterior base of basitarsus approximately twice as long as width of basitarsus at its base ( Fig. 1 D). Mid and hind coxa, trochanter and femur covered in short white pilosity. Midtibia, midtarsus and hind tibia covered in longer, denser white to white-yellow pilosity. Hind basitarsus with long yellow-brown hairs on dorsal and ventral edges; dorsal hairs longer than ventral.

METASOMA. Integument black on tergal discs, tergal margins transparent, light brown to yellow. Pilosity shaggy white to yellow-white, with pilosity on tergal discs often erect, while pilosity on tergal margins lies flat ( Fig. 1 B). Longer tufts of hair present laterally on T 1 –T 6, with pilosity on T 6 longer, with lateral tufts almost reaching apex of pygidial plate. Outline of pygidial plate triangular, with flattened apex in dorsal view ( Fig. 1 F). Pygidial plate variable in color, from dark yellow to brown. Integument of sterna red-brown. Hairs on metosomal scopa white.

Male

MEASUREMENTS. BL = 10–12 mm; Iw = 2.5–4 mm.

Same as for female except as follows:

HEAD. Integument on head and clypeus entirely dark brown to black.

MESOSOMA. Pilosity white.

LEGS. Forecoxa, trochanter and femur dark brown. Foretibia and foretarsus yellow. Pilosity on forelegs entirely white. Pilosity on forebasitarsus long at base, approximately four times as long as width of forebasitarsus at its base. Mid and hind legs and all segments dark brown except apex of basitarsus and tarsal segments. Pilosity on mid and hind legs white, except on hind basitarsus, where ventral fringe of hairs is yellow white.

METASOMA. T 7 dark brown to black. Protuberance at base of T 7 usually weakly elevated, making a shallow angle with respect to surface of tergum. Half-moon shaped protuberance on S 2 strongly elevated, usually visible through pilosity on ventral metasoma. S 7 with two apicolateral processes ( Fig. 3 B); each process broader, more strongly sclerotized, and more densely hairy than in F. whiteheadi Litman & Kuhlmann sp. nov. Length of each process on S 7 approximately one-half as long as length of central disc of sternum ( Fig. 3 B). S 8 narrows gradually in posterior third, such that width of apex is approximately one-third of width of base of sternum ( Fig. 3 D). S 8 without paraspiculae ( Fig. 3 D). Gonostylus distinctly broader and basal outer edge more sharply angled ( Fig. 3 F) than in F. whiteheadi Litman & Kuhlmann sp. nov.

General distribution

Winter rainfall area of western and northwestern South Africa ( Fig. 4).

Floral hosts

Grielum grandillorum [sic; we interpret this as Grielum grandiflorum ], Grielum sinuatum , Grielum sp., and Neuradopsis sp. (Whitehead & Eardley 2003).

Seasonal activity

One period of activity per year, from September to November.