Six new species of Kelita Sandhouse, 1943 (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Apidae) from Northern Chile
Abstract
Six new species of the cleptoparasitic nomadine genus Kelita Sandhouse, 1943 are described from Chile, north of the Tropic of Capricorn, an area where no species of the genus were previously known. All are from the nominate subgenus. The new species are: Kelita cephalalgia sp. nov., K. tignamar sp. nov., K. cocai sp. nov., K. fontis sp. nov., K. keithsheldoni sp. nov. and K. chugchug sp. nov. These are rare bees, known only from one to five specimens despite this area having been surveyed for bees intensively between 1998 and 2017. I diagnose, describe and illustrate each species and provide a key for their identification. A Chilean occurrence of K. (Spinokelita) argentina Rozen, 1997 is noted.
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