Colletes aragorn, Kuhlmann & Goergen, 2025

Kuhlmann, Michael & Goergen, Georg, 2025, The bee genus Colletes Latreille, 1802 (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Colletidae) in West Africa, Zootaxa 5661 (2), pp. 249-260 : 253-254

Key to the Colletes species of West Africa

Females

The female of C. aragorn sp. nov. is unknown.

1 Antennal flagellum ventrally brown to blackish ( Fig. 4E ); T2 medioapically distinctly depressed with clearly defined, truncated premarginal line ( Fig. 4F ); T1 and T2 apically with conspicuous transverse band of orange appressed hairs, contrasting with the lighter hair of the rest of the metasoma ( Fig. 3E , 4F )...................................... C. microdontus Cockerell

- Antennal flagellum ventrally bright yellowish ( Figs 4A, C ); T2 medioapically either not or only slightly depressed, without or only with weakly defined premarginal line ( Figs 4B, D ); T1 and T2 without conspicuous transverse band of orange appressed hairs, not contrasting with white to cream-colored pilosity of the rest of the metasoma ( Figs 3A, C , 4B, D ).............. 2

2 Malar area longer than width of the base of the mandible; clypeus densely and finely punctate ( Fig. 4C ).................................................................................................... C. diodontus Benoist

- Malar area about ½ as long as width of the base of the mandible; clypeus sparsely and coarsely punctate ( Fig. 4A ).......................................................................................... C. bytinskii Noskiewicz

Figures

FIGURE 3. Colletes bytinskii Noskiewicz, 1955. A. Female, habitus, lateral view. B. Male, habitus, lateral view. C. diodontus Benoist, 1958. C. Female, habitus, lateral view. D. Male, habitus, lateral view. C. microdontus Cockerell, 1937. E. Female, habitus, lateral view. F. Male, habitus, lateral view.

FIGURE 4. Colletes bytinskii Noskiewicz, 1955 female. A. Head. B. Metasomal terga T1 and T2. C. diodontus Benoist, 1958 female. C. Head. D. Metasomal terga T1 and T2. C. microdontus Cockerell, 1937 female. E. Head. F. Metasomal terga T1 and T2.