A new species of the cleptoparasitic bee genus Thyreus from northern Yemen and southwestern Saudi Arabia (Hymenoptera, Apidae).

Michael Engel,Abdulaziz Alqarni,Mohammed Hannan

doi:10.3897/zookeys.428.7821

Michael Engel, Abdulaziz Alqarni + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.428.7821

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Journal: ZooKeys	Publication Date: Jul 23, 2014
Citations: 5	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: American Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas

Abstract

A new species of cleptoparasitic bee of the genus Thyreus Panzer (Apinae: Melectini) is described and figured from northern Yemen and southwestern Saudi Arabia. Thyreus shebicus Engel, sp. n. is a relatively small species superficially similar to the widespread and polytypic species T. ramosus (Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau) and T. ramosellus (Cockerell) but more closely allied to various African forms on the basis of the male genitalia. The species is distinguished from its congeners on the basis of coloration pattern, male hind leg structure, and particularly male terminalia.

Highlights

The cleptoparasitic bee genus Thyreus Panzer is one of the more remarkable of Old World lineages
The specific epithet refers to the ancient kingdom of Sheba, realm of the Queen of Sheba and the people of Tubba’, and likely consanguineous with the Sabaeans who occupied several of those areas in the southwest of the Arabian Peninsula in which the species here has been taken
At first glance the new species could be confused with the widespread T. ramosus and, despite some of the difficulties with Lieftinck’s (1968) key, will generally run to that taxon if the ventral longitudinal carina of the male metafemur is ignored

Summary

Introduction

The cleptoparasitic bee genus Thyreus Panzer is one of the more remarkable of Old World lineages. Species are frequently variable and sometimes even cryptically similar to regionally close taxa, making the group a bane of melittologists. A comprehensive monograph of the group is available (Lieftinck 1962, 1968), it remains a serious challenge to confidently identify several species, those numerous taxa superficially similar to presumably widespread species such as Thyreus ramosus (Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau) (e.g., Straka and Engel 2012). Recognizing the value of descriptive science (Grimaldi and Engel 2007), the species is described and compared with its close congeners as an effort to improve the concepts and circumscription of cleptoparasitic bees in the Arabian Peninsula (Engel 2011; Gonzalez et al 2013), and to encourage melittologists in the region to seek further material along with its host

Material and methods

Discussion