Two new species of the South African endemic bee genus Rediviva Friese (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Melittidae)
Author
Kuhlmann, Michael
text
Zootaxa
2012
3517
71
78
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.282611
8f5d39d6-2868-4450-9916-60927d898188
1175-5326
282611
Rediviva steineri
sp. nov.
(
Figs 1
a–d, 5)
Diagnosis.
The female of
R. steineri
can be separated from the other
Rediviva
species of the summer rainfall region (including
R. whiteheadi
) by a combination of the following characters: malar space short (
Fig. 1
b), T1–2 black (
Fig. 1
d), foreleg elongate, much longer than midleg and with tarsal pilosity orange-brown (
Fig. 1
a), scopa orange, prepygidial fimbria bicoloured, dorsally blackish and laterally orange.
FIGURE 1.
Rediviva steineri
sp. n.
, female. a. lateral view; b. head; c. scutum and scutellum; d. metasoma (dorsal view). Scale bar: 1 mm.
In the key to the
Rediviva
species of the summer rainfall region of eastern
South Africa
and
Lesotho
(
Whitehead
et al
. 2008
)
R. steineri
runs to
R. pallidula
Whitehead & Steiner
but it can easily be distinguished from that species by the bicoloured, laterally orange prepygidial fimbria (laterally whitish in
R. pallidula
) and the abundant appressed orange hairs that form apical tergal hair bands (white tergal hair bands in
R. pallidula
) and cover the discs of T2–3 (few white erect hairs in
R. pallidula
) (
Fig. 1
d).
Description. Female.
Bl = 12.0–13.0 mm. Head. Head wider than long. Integument black except tips of mandible partly dark reddish-brown. Face sparsely covered with long, whitish-grey to brown, erect hairs (
Fig. 1
b). Clypeus convex in profile, apically impunctate; medially covered with large punctures that become gradually smaller and denser towards the upper end; surface between punctures shiny (
Fig. 1
b). Malar area medially narrow, almost linear. Antenna black, ventrally dark reddish-brown. Mesosoma. Integument black. Mesoscutal disc between punctures smooth and shiny; disc densely (i = 0.5–1.0d) and finely punctate (
Fig. 1
c). Mesoscutum, scutellum, metanotum, mesepisternum and propodeum covered with long orange-brown erect hairs, on the disc of mesoscutum a few black hairs intermixed. Wings. Yellowish-brown; wing venation dark brown. Legs. Foreleg long, 11.0–12.0 mm (femur–claw) (
Fig. 1
a). Integument black, tibia and tarsi partly red-brown. Vestiture orange, scopa orange, sometimes with black hairs on the apical half of the hind basitarsus. Metasoma. Integument black. T1 anteriorly with a few long erect orange hairs (
Fig. 1
d); T2–T3 covered with long appressed orange hairs on T4 intermixed with black hairs; apical tergal hair band missing on T1, on T2–T4 broadly orange (
Fig. 1
d). Prepygidial fimbria dorsally black, laterally orange, pygidial fimbria orange-brown to black. T1 impunctate, polished and shiny, T2–T4 superficially and minutely punctate, shiny (
Fig. 1
d).
Male.
Unknown.
Type
material
(
3 specimens
).
Holotype
, female, “South Afr., C.P., Farm Doornbosch, 3224AA [
24°10'E
32°10'S
], elev.
1580m
,
30 Mar 1988
, K. Steiner 2114 /
Diascia capsularis
1146
/ SAM-HYM-B
010631
” (
SAMC
).
Paratypes
: 1 Ƥ,
South Africa
, Mountain Zebra National Park, 3225AB [
25°20'E
32°10'S
],
1580m
,
24.iii.1988
, K. Steiner /
Diascia capsularis
/ SAM-HYM-B
010632
(
SAMC
); 1 Ƥ,
South Africa
, ca.
8km
NW of Molteno, 3126AD [
26°25'E
31°20'S
],
1680m
,
25.iii.1988
, K. Steiner /
Diascia capsularis
/ SAM-HYM-B
010633
(
RCMK
).
Etymology.
This species is dedicated to Kim Steiner who in collaboration with the late Vin Whitehead is one of the pioneers investigating plant-pollinator interactions in oil-collecting
Rediviva
bees and their host plants.
General distribution.
Higher grounds west of the Drakensberg Mountains in the northern part of the Eastern Cape Province (
Fig. 5
).
Floral hosts.
All specimens were collected on
Diascia capsularis
(Scrophulariaceae)
.
Seasonal activity
(first–last observations). III.