Colletes niui Rameshkumar and Sardar, 2025

Sardar, Sayan, Angmo, Spalzin, Stobdan, Tsering, Chauhan, Archana & Rameshkumar, A., 2025, Bees of the genus Colletes Latreille (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Colletidae) from Ladakh, India, with description of a new species, Journal of Natural History 59 (21 - 24), pp. 1725-1741 : 1734-1738

Colletes niui Rameshkumar and Sardar sp. n.

( Figures 5–6 )

Type. Holotype: ♂, INDIA, Ladakh , Kargil, 34.5531°N, 76.1393°E, 16 June 1973, sweep net, Khanna – coll. NZC.

Diagnosis

Colletes niui belongs to the Colletes albomaculatus species group based on the rounded head with the ocello-ocular space slightly depressed, malar space short (0.5× mandibular basal width), pronotal lobes expanded laterally with an acute spinous apex, coarsely punctured scutellum with a nearly vertical posterior surface and T1 with strong dense punctures.

Within this group, C. niui is most closely related to C. dorsalis Morawitz, 1888 . Males of C. niui can be clearly distinguished from C. albomaculatus (Lucas, 1849) by the malar space 0.5× the basal width of mandible (0.4‒0.3× the basal width of mandible in C. albomaculatus ), lobe of S7 broad basally and tapering apically, uniformly hairy throughout (same width along the entire length with a row of bristles along the outer margin in C. albomaculatus ) and the short reduced gonostylus similar to C. dorsalis Morawitz, 1888 (gonostylus elongated in C. albomaculatus ). Males of C. niui differ from C. dorsalis in having the malar space 0.5× the basal width of mandible (less than 0.5× the basal width of mandible in C. dorsalis ), scutum posteriorly with sparse punctures (punctures dense in C. dorsalis ), scutellum coarsely punctate posteriorly (sparsely punctate in C. dorsalis ), hind basitarsus 4.5× longer than wide (5× longer than wide in C. dorsalis ), T1 uniformly punctured (punctures dispersed in C. dorsalis ), lobe of S7 widest basally, uniformly hairy throughout (narrowed at base in C. dorsalis , widest slightly before mid-length).

Description. Male: Body length 8 mm; integument black, except brown on tegula posteriorly, veins, tibial spurs, S2–S5 medially, mandible reddish brown in middle third. Pubescence pale fulvous on head, mesosoma and metasoma, mesosoma devoid of any black hairs, coxae, trochanters and femora with erect long plumose hairs, tibiae and tarsi with pale bristles, tergites with apical hair bands, T1 with sparse long hairs ( Figure 5 (A)).

Head: Punctures strong and dense throughout, except ocello-ocular region near the lateral ocelli, gena adjacent to the ocular margin and malar space devoid of punctures ( Figure 5 (B)); F1 1.2× as long as broad, F2 1.5× as long as F1; supra clypeus with a minute tubercle; clypeus slightly elevated in profile, apical margin feebly concave; labrum with a median longitudinal depression; facial fovea narrow, broadly rounded apically ( Figure 5 (C)); malar space 0.5× as long as basal width of mandible.

Mesosoma: Pronotal collar strongly expanded anterolaterally, nearly spinose, apex acute ( Figure 5 (D)); scutum with punctures strong, dense on anterior half, becoming sparse posteriorly with interspace measuring at least one puncture diameter; scutellum with strong and dense punctures; metanotum coarsely rugose, anterior dorsal and posterior vertical surface by transverse median elevation; propodeum laterally rugose; mesepisternum densely punctuate, punctures smaller near scrobe, larger below; scrobe with very few scattered punctures; hind basitarsus 4.5× as long as broad ( Figure 5 (E)).

Metasoma: T1 with dense, evenly spaced punctures; T2 onwards punctures smaller ( Figure 5 (F)); S2–S3 with fine, sparse punctures; S5 with punctures dense throughout; S6 with scattered fine punctures on apical half ( Figure 6 (A)); S7 with each lobe densely hairy all over, broad basally, margins subparallel along the basal half, outer margin converging along the apical half, apex rounded ( Figure 6 (B)); gonocoxite broad, appearing trapezoidal in dorsal view ( Figure 6 (C)); gonostylus reduced, short, triangular ( Figure 6 (D)).

Female. Unknown

Floral association. Unknown.

Distribution. India: Ladakh (2500m above msl).

Etymology. This species is named after Dr Ze-Qing Niu, Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China, for his continuous contributions to the bee taxonomy of Asia.

Figures

Figure 5. Colletes niui sp. n., male: (A) habitus, lateral view (scale bar: 1 mm); (B) head, frontal view (scale bar: 1 mm); (C) facial fovea (scale bar: 0.5 mm); (D) pronotal collar (scale bar: 0.5 mm); (E) hind basitarsus (scale bar: 0.5 mm); (F) tergites 1 and 2 (scale bar: 1 mm).

Figure 6. Colletes niui sp. n., male: (A) sternum 6 (scale bar: 1 mm); (B) sternum 7 (scale bar: 1 mm); (C) genital capsule, dorsal view (scale bar: 1 mm); (D) genital capsule, lateral view (scale bar: 0.5 mm).