Sphecodopsis carolinae Eardley, 2007

Figs 99–100

Sphecodopsis carolinae Eardley, 2007: 195–196, holotype ♂ (type locality: near Grasberg [N of Nieuwoudtville], South Africa) (SANC), examined.

Diagnosis

The female paratype of S. carolinae was not available for study but was described by Eardley (2007: 196). The male of S. carolinae can be separated from that of all other species of the genus by the combination of the following characters: metasoma at least partially red (Fig. 99B); fore legs usually black (Fig. 99A); head and mesosoma with short white hair (Fig. 99C–D); mesoscutum densely, coarsely and deeply punctate, matt or slightly shiny (Fig. 99D); propodeum shagreened and matt, just like the metapostnotum, covered only with white hair (Figs 99E, 100B); genitalia elongated and narrow (Fig. 100C).

Additional material examined (2 specimens)

SOUTH AFRICA • 2 ♂♂; N Cape, Fynbos, 2 km W of Nieuwoudtville, near Grasberg; 31°21′05″ S, 19°05′49″ E; 742 m a.s.l.; 23 Aug. 2003; KT leg.; RCMK .

Description

Female

See Eardley (2007: 196).

Male

BODY LENGTH. 6.5 mm.

HEAD. Head wider than long. Vertex slightly rounded, ocelli highest point. Integument black, except part of mandibles red or reddish-brown. Face covered with short, white hair, mixed with short, black hair. Face with dense (i=0.25–0.5 d) and fairly fine, but deep punctation (Fig. 99C). Surface between punctures matt. Antenna black.

MESOSOMA. Integument black, tegula yellow. Mesoscutum matt. Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum densely (i =0.25–0.5 d) and fairly finely but deeply punctate (Fig. 99D). Propodeum and metapostnotum matt (Fig. 99E). Mesoscutum, mesoscutellum and mesepisternum sparsely covered with short, yellowish-white hair (Fig. 99D). Metanotum and propodeum sparsely covered with short, white hair, metapostnotum glabrous (Fig. 99D–E).

WINGS. Yellowish; wing venation brown and stigma brown to dark brown (Fig. 99A).

LEGS. Integument black. Coxa, trochanter and femur sparsely covered with short, white hair. Tibia and tarsi covered with short, white hair (Fig. 99A).

METASOMA. Integument of T1 basally black, T2 red, T3–T7 to a variable extent red, from completely red to completely black. T1–T2 with few short, white hair, from T3 increasingly more and longer hair (Fig. 99B). T5 and T6 disc covered with long, golden hair. T7 covered with short, yellowish-white hair and longer golden hair (Fig. 99F).

TERMINALIA. Genitalia (Fig. 100C–D), S7 (Fig. 100A) and terminal plate of S8 (Fig. 100B) as illustrated.

Distribution

Only known from the Kamiesberg Mts and the vicinity of Nieuwoudtville (Eardley 2007).

Host bees

Unknown.

Seasonal activity

August–September (Eardley 2007).