Abstract
A new species of the carpenter bee genus Xylocopa Latreille (Xylocopinae: Xylocopini) is described and figured from two localities in southern Saudi Arabia. Xylocopa (Koptortosoma) sarawatica Engel, sp. n. is a relatively small species similar to the widespread X. pubescens Spinola, but differs in the extent of maculation in males, setal coloration of both sexes, and male terminalia. A revised key to the species of Xylocopa in Saudi Arabia is provided.
Highlights
The genus Xylocopa Latreille (Xylocopinae: Xylocopini) comprises approximately 375 species of large, robust bees, superficially resembling bumble bees (Apinae: Bombini), that are distributed throughout the world (Michener 2007)
The new species from Saudi Arabia belongs to the diverse and widespread subgenus Koptortosoma Gribodo, a group that was once split into several different subgenera (e.g., Hurd and Moure 1963)
Over the last half of the 20th century, these other subgeneric units were gradually synonymized with Koptortosoma
Summary
The genus Xylocopa Latreille (Xylocopinae: Xylocopini) comprises approximately 375 species of large, robust bees, superficially resembling bumble bees (Apinae: Bombini), that are distributed throughout the world (Michener 2007). During recent collecting in southern Saudi Arabia we have encountered small individuals of Xylocopa superficially resembling the larger and more widespread Xylocopa (Koptortosoma) pubescens Spinola (treated in an earlier work as X. aestuans (Linnaeus) (Hannan et al 2012), a species with which it has been comingled: e.g., Lieftinck 1964). (Arecaeae) elsewhere in Saudi Arabia (Hannan et al 2012), and the former was found nesting in C. procera at sites near the type locality for the species described It is hoped that continued hunting for the new species in the Al-Baha or ‘Asir Regions might eventually recover nests and immature stages of this smaller Arabian Xylocopa
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