Anthidium libanicum Kasparek, 2025

Kasparek, Max & Boustani, Mira, 2025, Genetic and multivariate morphometric analyses unveil cryptic diversity in sympatric populations of the Mediterranean wool carder bee, identified as Anthidium undulatum Dours, 1873 (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae: Anthidiini), Arthropod Systematics & Phylogeny 83, pp. 75-92 : 75-92

Anthidium libanicum Kasparek sp. nov.

Figures 6 , 7

Type material.

HOLOTYPE: LEBANON: male, North Lebanon: Hadath el Jebbe, Road to Wadi al Fouar (34°12’47.9’’N 35°55’30.9’’E), 1553 m; 22. viii. 2018; M. Boustani leg. (CMK: mbou 249; ABABX 247-21 ) . — PARATYPES: LEBANON: 1 ♂; Beqaa: Hadath (34°00’38.1’’N 35°59’01.1’’E), 1441 m; 7. vii. 2019; M. Boustani leg. ( CMK: mbou 135; ABABX 250-21 ) . – 1 ♀, North Lebanon: Harissa, Al Jawar (34°11’36.0’’N 35°55’25,9’’E), 1765 m; 28. vi. 2017; M. Boustani leg. ( CMK: mbou 254; ABABX 058-20 ) . – 4 ♂; North Lebanon: Tannourine, Harissa El Jawar (34°11’36.2’’N 35°55’26.1’’E), 1736 m; 11. vii. 2018; M. Boustani & J. Jabbour ( CMK: mbou 250-253; ABABX 421-22 , ABABX 453-22 , ABABX 452-22 , ABABX 451-22 ) . – 1 ♂; North Lebanon: Tannourine el Tahta, Mar Boutros Church (34°12’34.8’’N 35°54’01.3’’E), 1207 m; 27. vi. 2019; M. Boustani leg. ( OLL: mbou 133: ABABZ 093-23 ) . – 1 ♂; North Lebanon: Tannourine El Tahta, Saint Peter Church (34°12’34.70’’N 35°54’01.20’’E), 1155 m; 27. vi. 2019; X. van Achter leg. (coll. M. Boustani: mbou 132; ABABX 422-22 ) . – 1 ♂; North Lebanon: Tannourine, Wadi Ain el Raha (34°12’34,5’’N 35°54’01,1’’E), 1618 m; 29. vi. 2017; M. Boustani leg. ( CMK: mbou 247: ABABZ 092-23 ) .

Non-type material (examined).

LEBANON: 1 ♀; Beqaa: Jord Aarsal (34°06’27.0’’N 36°25’26.4’’E), 1975 m; 11. vii. 2019; M. Boustani leg. ( CMK: mbou 137; ABABZ 091-23 , DNA not retrieved) . – 1 ♂; North Lebanon: Tannourine Cedars (34.20°N 35.92°E); 25. vi. 2006; N. Nemer leg. ( CMK: mbou 248) . – 1 ♂; North Lebanon: Harissa, Al Jawar (34°11’36.0’’N 35°55’25,9’’E), 1765 m; 28. vi. 2017; M. Boustani leg. (coll. M. Boustani: mbou 246) . Note: Specimens with barcode sequence have been assigned as type material. Specimens not barcoded are classified as non-type material.

Barcode Index Number.

BOLD: AEH 0696.

Diagnosis.

The species is characterized in both sexes by a combination of several characters. The body size is on average smaller than in A. undulatum and A. wahrmani (average length of the marginal cell 1.67 [1.53–2.10] mm in 11 males, compared to 2.14 [1.67–2.16] mm in 7 males of A. wahrmani and 3.05 [1.46–2.15] mm in 38 males of A. undulatum ), the color of the body maculations is pale yellow (bright yellow in the other two species), the transition between the black ground color and yellow band on T 1 and T 2 is rusty (sometimes additionally with some inconspicuous, blurred rusty maculation within the yellow band) (rusty transition zone absent in the other two species), relatively narrow anterolateral yellow band on scutum (broader in the other two species), and a black antennal scape (red-brown in A. wahrmani ; black or yellow in A. undulatum ).

Genetically, A. libanicum differs from A. undulatum and A. wahrmani at seven different nucleotide sites in the DNA sequence of the COI gene: 124, 184, 328, 433, 451, 515, 565, and 625 (see Table 3 for details).

Description.

Female. 8 mm. – Head: Black with pale yellow clypeus and lower paraocular area (reaching beyond the antennal socket), preoccipital band extending across vertex and malar area and reaching mandibular area; preoccipital band in contact with the eye only in the lower malar area; clypeus slightly convex, with the highest point in the center; densely punctate laterally, less dense and coarser punctures along the midline; anterior margin almost straight, posterior rim straight and smooth; mandible yellow with dark brown teeth; three large teeth and in between them approximately 10 minute teeth (number slightly variable); antennal scape and pedicel black, flagellum mostly reddish brown (darker on the upper side than on the lower side). – Mesosoma: Black; pale yellow anterolateral band on scutum; scutellum as seen from above with margin more or less transverse, angled forward toward axillar margin; posterolateral margin transparent lamellate; scutellum posteriorly with pale yellow band; axilla pale yellow. – Metasoma: T 1 – T 5 with narrow, pale yellow transversal band; broader laterally than medially; T 6 pale yellow with black outer margin and a black wedge-shaped incision; transition between black ground color and yellow band rusty on T 1 and T 2, sometimes additionally with some inconspicuous, blurred rusty maculation on the yellow band; femora and tibiae yellow with some black on the inner face; basitarsi covered with dense felt-like pubescence.

Male. 8–9 (10) mm. – Head: Yellow maculation similar to female; yellow maculation of paraocular area reaches middle of upper half of eye; preoccipital band variable, sometimes reaching only upper one third or upper half of eye. – Mesosoma: As female. – Metasoma: Coloration of T 1 – T 5 as in female; apical margin of T 6 medially protruding; T 6 with lateral hooked extension; outer margin of T 7 as seen from above widely rounded with transparent sides and a deep, almost semi-circular emargination.

Variation. The material from Lebanon includes one male of a light morph. While the general characters agree with those of A. libanicum , the ground color of the metasomal sterna and terga is dark reddish brown (not black), the color of the anterior vertical side of T 1 light reddish brown (not dark reddish brown). The body size is significantly larger than the other males examined. It has, e. g., a marginal cell length of 2.2 mm, as compared to an average length of 1.60 mm for the remaining specimens (N = 8, only barcoded material). The affiliation of this specimen with A. libanicum was confirmed by the genetic barcoding sequence.

Habitat and floral relationships.

Anthidium libanicum was collected visiting flowers of Ononis natrix , O. spinosa ( Fabaceae ) and Stachys distans ( Lamiaceae ). The species was collected in both humid Mediterranean and steppic semi-arid habitats (Figs 11 , 13 ). The localities included clearings of oak and cedar woods, scrublands with karstic outcrops and Lamiaceae patches, and degraded roadsides lined with Ononis spp. bushes.

Distribution.

Endemic to Lebanon. It was found in clearings of oak (1.000 –1.400 m a. s. l.) and cedar woods (1.400 –1.800 m a. s. l.) on the western slopes of the Mount Lebanon chain, and semi-arid steppes on the eastern slopes of the same mountain chain (1.400 m a. s. l.). It was also found on the peak of the Anti-Lebanon mountain chain near the Syrian border in the Oro-Mediterranean steppe (1.900 m a. s. l.). The lower altitudes were not heavily sampled, and the species could well have a larger distribution than reported (Fig. 2 ).

Figures

Figure 2. Distribution of the members of the Anthidium undulatum species group. Black dots refer to materials examined and literature data. The large dots refer to specimens identified by genetic barcoding (green: A. undulatum; red: A. libanicum sp. n.; blue: A. wahrmani stat. nov.).

Figure 6. Haplotype network of Anthidium undulatum s. l. Minimum spanning network based on the barcoding fragment of the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene. Each sequenced haplotype is represented by a circle, the size of which is proportional to its overall frequency in the dataset. Hatch marks on the branches are used to indicate the number of mutations between two different haplotypes.

Figure 7. Results of a Discriminant Function Analysis (DFA) of six morphometric parameters of the head and the wing of the males of three species of the Anthidium undulatum s. l. (N = 19). Only material whose species identity has been previously confirmed by genetic barcoding was used.

Figure 11. Habitat of Anthidium libanicum sp. n. in Jord Aarsal in the Anti-Lebanon Mountains, Lebanon, at 1.975 m a. s. l.

Figure 13. Mountainous habitat in Harissa al Jawar, North Lebanon, in which Anthidium wahrmani and A. libanicum sp. n. were found to occur sympatrically.