A new Palearctic genus of melectine bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae)

Title Variants

Alternative: New genus of Melectini

Related Titles

Series: American Museum novitates, no. 3392

By

Rightmyer, Molly G.

Engel, Michael S.

Type

Book

Material

Published material

Publication info

New York, NY American Museum of Natural History c2003

Notes

Caption title.

"February 19, 2003."

Thyreomelecta, new genus, is described for seven species of the cleptoparasitic bee tribe Melectini (Apinae). The genus is most similar to Thyreus but differs notably in the structure of the mesoscutellum and the length of the first metasomal segment. Thyreomelecta is distinguished from other melectines and is considered to include the following species: Thyreomelecta bidentata (Kirby), new combination (eastern Turkmenistan and western Afghanistan (likely also eastern Iran)); T. dimidiatipuncta (Spinola), new combination (southern Mediterranean from eastern Libya to eastern Iraq); T. kirghisia, new species (Kyrgyzstan); T. merviensis (Radoszkowsky), new combination (eastern Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan (new record)); T. paucimaculosa (Alfken), new combination (Tajikistan); T. propinquua (Lieftinck), new combination (North Korea west to Manchuria); and T. siberica (Radoszkowsky), new combination (southeastern Siberia). Thyreomelecta merviensis, previously known only from a single, headless male, is here recorded from a second, completely preserved male and the terminalia are figured. The little available information on the biology and immature stages of Thyreomelecta is briefly presented. A key to the Eastern Hemisphere genera of Melectini is provided as well as a preliminary key to the species of Thyreomelecta.

Subjects

Bees , Classification , Melectini , Thyreomelecta

Call Number

QL1 .A436 no.3392 2003

Language

English

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1206/0003-0082(2003)392<0001:ANPGOM>2.0.CO;2
OCLC: 51783584