taxonID	type	description	language	source
D80B87EEFFE3FFB859D0FCD64339F957.taxon	materials_examined	Material. HOLOTYPE: Male; SAUDI ARABIA: Jizan r., 3 km E Al Madayah [16.77 ° N 42.77 ° E]; 22. ii. 2024; leg. M. Halada; CMK. — PARATYPES: 1 ♂; same data as holotype; CMK. — Madinah, Badr Hunayn [23.79 ° N 38.80 ° E]; 1 ♀; 30. iii. 2025; leg. M. Halada; CMK. — Madinah, 40 km SW Al Hinakiyah [24.69 ° N 40.12 ° E]; 3 ♀ 4 ♂; 28. iii. 2025; leg. M. Halada; CMK. — Makkah, 25 km SE Mecca [21.23 ° N 39.95 ° E]; 1 ♀; 07. iv. 2025; leg. M. Halada; CMK. — OMAN: nr. Taww village [23.49 ° N 57.95 ° E]; 1 ♂; 03. iii. 2018; NHMUK 010819723. — Samed Ashan, Asswareej [22.82 ° N 58.15 ° E]; 1 ♂; 05. i. 2017; leg. Ali Al-Jahdhami; NHMUK. — Yalooni [Jalooni] [19.56 ° N 57.06 ° E]; 1 ♂; 14. xii. 1992; CMK. — Ash Sharqiyah Jaalan Bani Bu Ali [21.28 ° N 59.40 ° E]; 1 ♂; 15. iv. 2013; leg. J. Halada; CMK. — Dhofar, 35 km N Thumrait, Hanfit [17.98 ° N 54.01 ° E]; 2 ♂; 21. ix. 2023; leg. Ch. Schmid-Egger; CSE. — Dschanub asch-Scharqiyya, 20 km S Al Ashkharah, beach [21.69 ° N 59.48 ° E]; 1 ♀; 13. i. 2025; leg. S. Hopfenmüller; CMK. — 10 km N Rustaq Ash Shibika [23.54 ° N 57.46 ° E]; 1 ♂; 09. iii. 2022; leg. Ch. Schmid-Egger; CSE. — Dhaufur Thumrait, 35 km N KF Desert Farm [17.97 ° N 54.00 ° E]; 3 ♀; 21. ix. 2023; leg. W. H. Liebig; CSE. — YEMEN: Wadi Dawar NW Mukallah [15.15 ° N 48.43 ° E]; 2 ♀ 1 ♂; 20. x. 2005; leg. J. Halada; CMK. — SE Sunak, Saywun [15.68 ° N 48.86 ° E]; 1 ♂; 10. x. 2005; leg. J. Halada; CMK. Other material examined: SUDAN: “ G. R. S. Medani ” [= Gezira Research Station Medani] [14.39 ° N 33.54 ° E]; 1 ♀; 28. iv. 1976; leg. Mrs. Kisha; NHMUK (Ent. Coll. C 30846 / C. I. E. Coll. A. 3907). Diagnosis. This species is similar to A. minimum, but can be distinguished in both sexes by the presence of uninterrupted yellow tergal bands. In contrast, A. minimum exhibits lateral tergal bands that are slight interrupted medially. The junction where these two bands meet in A. minimum appears as a narrow, light reddish-brown line accompanied by a small, red-brown wedge-shaped incision on the anterior side — most clearly visible on tergite 2 (T 2). Anthidium amandum is further distinguished from A. minimum by yellow legs, at most some black maculation on the inner face of the tibiae, while the legs of A. minimum have yellow legs with extensive red-brown and black maculation. No species-level differences were observed in the male genitalia or the shape of sternum 8 (S 8) (see Fig. 3). Description. The species occurs in three distinct colour morphs, distinguishable by the ground colour of the mesosoma. Type A: both scutum and scutellum black; Type B: scutum black, scutellum red-brown; Type C: both scutum and scutellum red-brown. Female: Total length: 7 – 8 mm. Intertegular distance: 1.8 – 2.2 mm; marginal cell length: 1.2 – 1.4 mm. — Head: Clypeus, lower paraocular area, narrow upper paraocular stripe along eye orbit, supraclypeal area, gena, and preoccipital area yellow; remainder black or red-brown. Mandible yellow, teeth brown; 7 - 10 teeth (5 large and variable number of small teeth). Antenna light reddish-brown; scape yellow beneath. — Mesosoma: Scutum black or red-brown, finely punctate; boomerang-shaped anterolateral yellow band; scutellum and axillae crescent-shaped, swollen; yellow with black or red-brown base of scutellum. Legs yellow. — Metasoma: T 1 - T 5 with broad bicoloured red-brown and black depressions, very finely punctate, punctures almost to apical margin; depressions narrow laterally, longer medially; yellow tergal bands on disc uninterrupted. T 6 yellow, with narrow translucent lamella and apical string incision. Ventral scopa silvery-yellow. Male: Total length: 7 – 8 mm. Intertegular distance: 1.9 – 2.3 mm; marginal cell length: 1.2 – 1.6 mm. — Head: Clypeus, lower paraocular area, narrow upper paraocular stripe along eye orbit, gena and preoccipital area yellow; upper paraocular stripe merged with preoccipital stripe in type B and C (separate in type A). Ground colour as scutum (per colour type). Antenna red-brown, scape yellow beneath. Clypeus trapezoid. Mandible yellow with three strong teeth. Face with long white hair, obscuring underlying structure (Fig. 1). Pronotal lobe with high anterior lamella. — Mesosoma: As in the female. Yellow longitudinal stripe next to the midline present in light individuals. — Metasoma: As in the female with black, dark brown and / or light red-brown depression and yellow disc. T 6 yellow with lateral acute projections and a broad, translucent semi-rectangular median projection. T 7 projecting, widely rounded, with translucent lamella. S 6 semicircular with low lateral projection. S 8 with truncate, median apical projection, obliquely sloping laterally (Fig. 3). Penis valves with strong, horn-like projections (Fig. 3). Genetic analysis (Table 1). In the phylogenetic tree, the clade groups with Anthidium, Subgenus Proanthidium, and is sister to A. minimum (Fig. 4). The haplotype network confirms the distinctiveness of these two taxa, with no intermediate haplotypes (Fig. 5). The overall genetic distance (intergroup distance using the Tajima – Nei model) between these two taxa is 3.31 %, with within-group distances of 0.54 % in A. amandum and 0.35 % in A. minimum. Derivation nominis. The specific epithet amandum is derived from the Latin gerundive of amare, meaning “ worthy of being loved ” or “ beloved. ” It serves as a reference to Anthidium amabile (a name with a very similar meaning), which was previously used for a closely related sibling species. However, the latter name was found to be a junior homonym and thus rendered invalid under the rules of zoological nomenclature. Distribution. This species is found along the southeastern flank of the Arabian Peninsula, ranging from Oman through Yemen to southern Saudi Arabia. Its range also extends westward to Sudan in Africa (Fig. 6).	en	Kasparek, Max, Shebl, Mohamed A. (2025): Molecular evidence supports the recognition of two distinct species within Anthidium minimum Pasteels, 1969, from the Afro-Arabian zoogeographic region (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). Zootaxa 5725 (2): 267-278, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5725.2.5, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5725.2.5
D80B87EEFFE2FFB359D0F8CD47D6FEC6.taxon	materials_examined	Material. ALGERIA: Tamanrasset, 16 km NE (Guelta), Hoggar; 1 ♂, 1 ♀; 01. iv. 1989; 1 ♀; 25. iii. 1989. — Tamanrasset, 60 km E, Hoggar; 1500 m; 2 ♀, 1 ♂; 31. iii. 1989; leg. M. Schwarz & K. Warncke; CMK and OLL (see also Aguib et al. 2010; Aguib 2014). — Guelta near Mount Ilamane, Hoggar; 1 ♂; 29. iii. 1989; OLL. EGYPT: Holotype female of A. amabile: Mansouriah [31.05 ° N 31.62 ° E]; 22. viii. 1925; leg. R. Mabrouk (collection Ministry of Agriculture, Gizah) (Alfken 1932). — Male paratype of A. amabile (“ allotype ”); 17. iv. 1921; leg. Capt. R. J. Hayward; coll. Alfken according to Alfken (1932), now in ZMB (drawer photograph examined). — Friese (1898) reported a female and male of A. pulchellum Klug, 1832 from Egypt. It actually belongs to A. minimum (ZMB, drawer photograph examined; see also Alfken, 1932). — Holotype of A. minimum: Aswan [= Assuan; 24.08 ° N 32.90 ° E]; 10. iii. 1910; leg. Jacquet; SMF (Pasteels, 1969 b). Additionally, Alfken (1932) reported the following material from Egypt: Kafr Hakim [Gizeh governorate; 30.08 ° N 31.11 ° E] (also mentioned by Salem & El-Azab 2017); 1 ♀; 14. vii. 1925; 1 ♀; 30. viii. 1924; 1 ♀; 01. ix. 1926 [OLL, examined]; 1 ♀; 22. vii. 1925; 1 ♀; 7. – 8. viii. 1924; coll. R. Mabrouk. — Abu Rawasli [Abu Rawash = Abu Roasch = Aborawash; 30.04 ° N 31.09 ° E]; 1 ♂; 14. vii. 1928; coll. M. Ali Soliman; 1 ♂; 30. vii. 1927 [OLL, examined]. — Kerdasah [30.01 ° N 31.10 ° E]; 1 ♂; 15. viii. 1925; coll. R. Mabrouk. — Wasfia [interpreted as Wasfia, Ismailia; 30.58 ° N 32.16 ° E]; 1 ♀; 5. vii. 1925; coll. R. Mabrouk. — Aswan [= Assuan; 24.08 ° N 32.90 ° E]; 1 ♀; 16. ix. 1925; coll. M. Tawfik. Elshaier (2022) reported three specimens from this series in the collection of the Plant Protection Research Institute (PPRI), Dokki (Cairo). Another three specimens are deposited in the collection of ZMB. Drawer photographs of the ZMB material allowed assigning the material to A. minimum. Luxor [25.68 ° N 32.63 ° E], 1958; leg. W. Pulawski; det. K. Warncke; SIZK (drawer photograph examined). — ibid. iii. 1978, leg. F. D. Parker; CMK. — Kom Ombo [24.47 ° N 32.94 ° E]; 4 ♀; 16 – 18. ii. 1958; leg. W. L. Puławski; OLL (examined). — Edfou [24.97 ° N 32.87 ° E]; 1 ♀ 2 ♂; 20 – 22. ii. 1958; OLL (examined). — Meadi [= Al Maadi] [29.96 ° N 31.25 ° E]; 1 ♀; 20 – 22. ii. 1958; leg. W. L. Puławski; OLL (examined). — Assuan; 1 ♀; 05. x. 1954; OLL (examined). — Shellal [24.05 ° N 32.88 ° E]; 1 ♀; 07. ii. 1914; leg. Ebner; OLL (examined). OMAN: Ad Dakhiliyah, nr. Shuwasi (23.25 ° N 58.10 ° E); 1 ♀; 1. vi. 2016; NHMUK (No. 010819648). — 20 km SE Sur, 22.45 ° N 59.62 ° E; 2 ♂; 21. iii. 2022; leg. M. Halada; CMK. — 30 km SE Seeb, 5 km S Bidbid, 23.36 ° N 58.14 ° E; 1 ♂; 23. iii. 2022; leg. M. Halada; CMK. — Al Batinah pr. Al Lajal, 23.50 ° N 57.93 ° E; 1 ♀; 03. iv. 2013; leg. J. Halada; CMK. — 3 km N Nizwa, 22.95 ° N 57.54 ° E; 1 ♂; 10. iii. 2022; leg. Ch. Schmid-Egger (CSE). – UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (UAE): Ain Al Waal, Al Ain, Jebel Hafeet, 24.07 ° N 55.75 ° E; 2 ♀; 05. iii. 2023; leg. H. Roberts; CMK. — Sharja, Nudayti, Wadi Wurayan, 25.38 ° N 56.30 ° E; 2 ♀; 18. iii. 2015; leg. J. Halada; CMK. — Jebel Hafeet, 24.07 ° N 55.75 ° E; 1 ♂; 11 – 19. iii. 2009; leg. Ch. Schmid-Egger; CMK. — Wadi Madhah, W Murba, 25.27 ° N 56.27 ° E; 1 ♀; 13. iii. 2008; leg. M. Hauser; CMK. — Wadi Shawka, 25.13 ° N 56.02 ° E; 1 ♂; 15. iii. 2008; leg. A. v. Harten; CMK. — Wadi Wurayah [25.38 ° N 56.31 ° E]; 1 ♀; 12 – 14. iv. 2005; leg. T. Pape; 1 ♂; 22. i. 2006; leg. C. Tourenq (DEI). — Wadi Maidaq [25.18 ° N 56.07 ° E]; 1 ♂; 04 – 15. ii. 2006; leg. A. v. Harten (DEI). — Wadi Maidaq [25.23 ° N 55.87 ° E]; 1 ♂; 4 – 15. ii. 2006 (CSE). — Wadi Safad [25.23 ° N 56.35 ° E], 1 ♂; 13. iii. 2008; leg. M. Hauser (CSE). Taxonomy. Cockerell (1904) described Anthidium porterae var. amabile. According to Article 45.6.4 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN), a name established before 1961 using the term “ variety ” remains available. Consequently, A. amabile Alfken, 1932 must be considered preoccupied and should be replaced (Niu et al. 2020). Warncke (1980) treated A. minimum Pasteels, 1969, originally described as a distinct species by Pasteels (1969 b), as a junior synonym of A. amabile Alfken. Therefore, A. minimum Pasteels, 1969 becomes the next available name for A. amabile Alfken, 1932. Examination of the holotype of A. minimum Pasteels confirmed the synonymy with A. amabile Alfken proposed by Warncke (1980). Diagnosis. See under Anthidium amandum. Description. A detailed description of both sexes has been provided by Alfken (1932) and Pasteels (1969). See also Figs 1 – 2. The colour morphs are identical with those described in A. amandum. Distribution. The species occurs from northern Oman and the United Arab Emirates westward across Egypt to Algeria. Within Egypt, it is distributed along the Nile River from Upper Egypt to the delta. In Algeria, it has been documented in the Hoggar Mountains of the central Sahara, but has not been reported from the comparatively wellstudied Mediterranean region.	en	Kasparek, Max, Shebl, Mohamed A. (2025): Molecular evidence supports the recognition of two distinct species within Anthidium minimum Pasteels, 1969, from the Afro-Arabian zoogeographic region (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae). Zootaxa 5725 (2): 267-278, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5725.2.5, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5725.2.5
