Bathanthidium (Manthidium) binghami ( Friese, 1901 )

Sardar, Sayan, Kasparek, Max, Rameshkumar, A. & Kazmi, S. I., 2021, Four species of anthidiine bees (Apoidea: Megachilidae) new to India, The Canadian Entomologist (e 7) 154 (1), pp. 1-10 : 7-8

4. Bathanthidium (Manthidium) binghami ( Friese, 1901)

( Fig. 6 )

Anthidium fraternum Bingham (1897) (nec. Pérez 1895): 495, ♀.

Diagnosis. Male. Length 5.8 mm ( Fig. 6A, B ). Mandible tridentate, yellow, but teeth and margins dark brown; clypeus entirely maculated; maculation on paraocular area extending up to below of antennal socket ( Fig. 6C ); vertex and pre-occipital area immaculate. Mesosoma black; the anterior surface of fore-tibia and basitarsus with yellow maculation; apex of the middle tibia with yellow spot; arolia present; wings fuscohyaline, becoming darker along marginal cell. T1 immaculate, maculation on T2–T5 interrupted medially ( Fig. 6D ), T6 with large maculation ( Fig. 6E ).

Materials examined. 1 ♂, India, West Bengal, Buxa Tiger Reserve, 22 miles, East Damanpur , 26.6177° N, 89.5605° E, sweeping net, 27.iii.2019, A. Rameshkumar (NZC Regn.: 26027/H3) .

Floral association. No record.

Distribution in Asia. India (new record), Burma ( Bingham 1897), Thailand ( Friese 1925), Laos ( Pasteels 1969), China ( Wu 1962).

Comments. The distribution of the genus Bathanthidium and its species in India was erroneously cited by Michener (2000, 2007) and was subsequently followed by Gupta (2003) in ‘An annotated catalogue of the bee species of the Indian region’ and also by Niu et al. (2019a). The error was also highlighted by Soh et al. (2016). This first wrong Indian record was probably based on a misinterpretation of the habitat of Megachile steloides and of Anthidium binghami ( Friese 1901; Fig. 7 ). Hence, we believe that our report of Bathanthidium binghami represents the first confirmed record from India.

Figures

Fig. 6. Bathanthidium binghami ♂: A, habitus, dorsal view; B, habitus, lateral view; C, head, frontal view; D, metasoma, dorsal view; and E, tergites T5–T7. Scale bars measure 0.5 mm.

Fig. 7. Clipping from Friese (1901, p. 224) showing the distribution of Anthidium binghami.