Taxonomic revision of the southern African bee genus Sphecodopsis Bischoff, 1923 (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Nomadinae)
Abstract
The southern African bee genus Sphecodopsis Bischoff, 1923 is revised and 30 species are described as new for science, bringing the total number of species in this genus to 44: S. acuta sp. nov. ♀, S. albomaculata sp. nov. ♂, S. angulata sp. nov. ♀, S. aquifolia sp. nov. ♀, S. atra sp. nov. ♀, S. atricapillata sp. nov. ♀♂, S. bifida sp. nov. ♀, S. catastropha sp. nov. ♀, S. chaotica sp. nov. ♀, S. chrysea sp. nov. ♂, S. corona sp. nov. ♀♂, S. crassipunctata sp. nov. ♀, S. directa sp. nov. ♀, S. felix sp. nov. ♀♂, S. fimbriata sp. nov. ♀, S. keiskiensis sp. nov. ♀, S. leliefonteinensis sp. nov. ♀, S. magna sp. nov. ♀♂, S. microscopica sp. nov. ♀, S. minuta sp. nov. ♂, S. nana sp. nov. ♂, S. nigra sp. nov. ♂, S. obscura sp. nov. ♀♂, S. parvula sp. nov. ♀, S. regina sp. nov. ♀♂, S. roggeveldensis sp. nov. ♀, S. rufipes sp. nov. ♀♂, S. subtilis sp. nov. ♀♂, S. tenera sp. nov. ♀♂, S. vicfalls sp. nov. ♀. The species status of Sphecodopsis leonis (Cockerell, 1933) sp. rev. is restored, and the previously unknown males of S. capensis (Friese, 1915) and S. vespericena Eardley, 1997 are described for the first time. Sphecodopsis argyrura (Cockerell, 1933) is treated as a nomen dubium. Within Sphecodopsis seven species groups are recognised and redefined. All available species are imaged and included in a key to facilitate their identification.
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