New genera of meliturguline bees from Saudi Arabia and Persia, with notes on related genera and a key to the Arabian fauna (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae)

• Main Authors: Michael S. Engel, Abdulaziz S. Alqarni, Mohamed A. Shebl, Jennifer C. Thomas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Pensoft Publishers 2019-04-01
• Series: Journal of Hymenoptera Research
• Online Access: https://jhr.pensoft.net/article/32561/download/pdf/

A new genus of melitturgine bees (Panurginae: Melitturgini) is described and figured from central Saudi Arabia. Belliturgula najdica Engel, gen. et sp. n., is similar in several respects to the genus Flavomeliturgula Patiny in that both have a greatly elongate glossa that is longer than the face and is truncate apically. The former differs in the greatly elongate and flattened first labial palpomere, the remaining palpomeres unmodified, the greatly protuberant clypeus, and long labrum lacking dense setal patches, among other traits. In addition, remarks are made on the composition of Flavomeliturgula, with Meliturgula deserta Warncke (Iran, Pakistan), removed to Khuzimelissa Engel, gen. n., resulting in the new combination Khuzimelissa deserta (Warncke), comb. n. Khuzimelissa differs from Flavomeliturgula by the unmodified labial palpomeres (lacking the elongate first three labial palpomeres of the latter genus), the acute glossa (broadly truncate in the latter), glossa shorter than head length (greater than head length in the latter), the abundant, white, squamiform setae of the mesoscutum (sparse, erect setae in the latter), cleft pretarsal claws (simple in the latter), presence of metasomal setal bands (lacking in the latter), and apically emarginate pygidial plate (acutely rounded in the latter). The species of Flavomeliturgula are organized into three subgenera, including Koreshomelissa Engel, subgen. n., and Freyamelissa Engel, subgen. n., and these may eventually warrant generic status once phylogenetic work on the tribe has been completed. A key to the Arabian genera of Panurginae is provided, along with an augmented key to the genera of subtribe Meliturgulina.