Megachile braunsiana Friese.

Fig. 18–19

Megachile braunsiana Friese, 1903: 279, female lectotype (here designated) (ZMHB) Mozambique and Angola; Pasteels 1965: 397

Discussion. This species was described by Friese (1903) from two females from Delagoa Bay, Mozambique, and Angola. Only the latter has been studied and is here designated as the lectotype. It is not the same as sinuata, as indicated by Pasteels (1965) or aurivilli, as suggested by Baden on a label on the lectotype.

Diagnosis. Female. Vestiture on head mostly black, mesosoma, including legs, mostly white, with black intermixed on scutum, T1 white; T2 white laterally, black mesally; T3 orange laterally, black mesally; T4–T6 orange (Fig. 18c–d). Lengths: face 2.8 mm; scutum 2.5 mm; forewing 9.5 mm; body 12.7 mm. Structure. Clypeus three times as wide as long, convex and punctuate above, concave and glabrous below, weakly tuberculate ventrolaterally, ventral edge distinctly concave mediolaterally, pointed medially (Fig. 18c); clypeocellus: clypeus 1:0.5; scopal hairs blunt and thickened distally.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution (Fig. 19). In southern Africa this species is known from a few localities in Mozambique and the north-eastern region of South Africa.

Material examined. Type material. Female lectotype of Megachile braunsiana: ‘ Angola Afr– occ, Megachile braunsiana female Fr. 1900 Friese det., Type, Zool. Mus. Berlin, Coll. Friese, Creightonella aurivilli del Baden’, in ZMHB.

Additional material. South Africa. Nelspruit [25.28S 30.58E], xi.1921 (1 female, NCSA); Mara [23.06S 29.24E], 18.iii.1975, R. Watmough (1 female, NCSA); Buffelspoort [25.52S 27.23E], iii.1975, R. Watmough (2 females, SANC).