Notes on some palaearctic and oriental Systropha,with descriptions of new species and a key to the species (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Halictidae)

An annotated list of the palaearctic and oriental species of the genus Systropha Illiger, 1806, includes additional records for some less well-known species. A lectotype is designated for Systropha hirsuta Spinola, 1839. Systropha christae Warncke, 1992, is synonymized with S. hirsuta. Systropha androsthenes and S. diacantha, spp. n., are described from the Gulf States. A key for the separation of the males is given.     

Rediscovery of Disepyris semiruber (Kieffer) (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) in Southern Africa,with first description of the male

Holepyris semiruber Kieffer is redescribed and illustrated based on freshly collected specimens. Holepyris semiruber var. striatipleura Kieffer is considered a colour variant of this species and therefore a junior synonym of H. semiruber syn. nov. This species is transferred to Disepyris, D. semiruber (Kieffer) comb. nov., based on the possession of a short 2r-rs&Rs vein in the fore wing and presence of long flat spine-shaped setae on the outer (posterior) surface of the protarsi. The male is described for the first time from new specimens collected in South Africa. This species is recorded for the first time from Namibia and Zimbabwe. All photographs are available on www.waspweb.org.     

Diversity and life-history traits of wild bees (Insecta: Hymenoptera) in intensive agricultural landscapes in the Rolling Pampa,Argentina

The decline of bees is a major concern due to their vital role in pollinating many crops and wild plants. Some regions in South America, and especially the Pampas, are amongst those parts of the world where stressors of bee populations have been little studied. The Pampas has been intensively transformed for agriculture, being presently one of the most productive areas of agricultural commodities in the world. Here, we aim to provide first insights on the taxonomic and functional composition of bee assemblages in the Rolling Pampa, the most intensively managed part of the Pampas. Soybean (herbicide-tolerant genetically modified varieties) is the predominant crop in this region. Bees were sampled with coloured pan traps. Sampling points were located on field margins in either the cropped or the semi-natural grassland area of a farmland site devoted to annual cropping. A total of 2384 individuals were caught, representing 33 taxa [mainly (morpho)species]. The subgenus Lasioglossum (Dialictus) largely dominated captures (78% of the total abundance) and was relatively abundant in the entire study area, suggesting that some species are likely to reach their ecological requirements in cropped areas. No-till fields and field margins may provide large areas for these below-ground nesting species, while their polylectic food preferences allow them to collect pollen on a wide range of plant species, among them possibly soybean. On the contrary, the richness and the abundance of other taxa were higher in the semi-natural area than in the cropped area. Among them, above-ground nesting or oil-collecting species, which have more specialised nesting and floral requirements, were highly associated with the semi-natural area. Our findings highlight the large dominance of L. (Dialictus) species in this highly intensively managed landscape, and the urgent need of preserving semi-natural habitats to maintain species-rich and functionally diverse bee communities in the Pampas.     

Revision of the subfamily Cardiochilinae Ashmead, 1900 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in Egypt,with new records and a new species

In the present study, the subfamily Cardiochilinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is revised. This study is based on specimens deposited in Egyptian repositories. Many of them were collected during Priesner’s trips to Gebel Elba (extreme south-west of Egypt). The subfamily Cardiochilinae is represented in Egypt by 11 species in three genera, Bohayella Belokobylskij, 1987 (one species), Cardiochiles Nees, 1819 (three species) and Schoenlandella Cameron, 1905 (seven species). The cardiochiline species C. pseudofallax Telenga, 1955 and S. deserta (Telenga, 1955) are recorded here as new records in the fauna of Egypt. The females of previously known male C. weidholzi Fischer, 1958, S. acrenulata (Fischer, 1958) and S. obscuriceps (Fischer, 1958) as well as the male of the previously known female S. glabra (Fischer, 1958) are described. Schoenlandella pseudoglabra sp. nov. is also described and illustrated.

www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C134A1AA-81F6-4661-9C7B-12A7CAE08F67     

First record of Monobrachium parasitum Mereschkowsky, 1877 (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) from Brazil,in the tropical southwestern Atlantic,and its implication for bipolarity concepts

Project HABITATS was recently initiated in the Campos Basin (20.5–24° S), state of Rio de Janeiro, to assess biological impacts of petroleum exploration and exploitation on the continental shelf and slope of Brazil. Among species discovered in benthic samples from the area is the hydroid Monobrachium parasitum Mereschkowsky, 1877, occurring in an epibiotic association with the pelecypod mollusc Mendicula ferruginosa (Forbes, 1844): this is the first report of an association between the two species. Monobrachium parasitum has always been reported from cold waters, and is generally considered bipolar. This report records the occurrence of M. parasitum at lower latitudes, where they have seldom been collected: it is also the first account of this species from South America and the southwestern Atlantic. Moreover, the bathymetric distribution of M. parasitum is extended to a depth of 998 m. No previous records exist of hydroids from the Brazilian continental slope.     

Distribution of the Pacific coconut mealybug,Dysmicoccus cocotis (Maskell) and of a new related species on coconut in southern Asia (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Pseudococcidae)

A new species of mealybug from southern Asia, Dysmicoccus finitimus sp. nov., is described. It has often been confused with D. cocotis (Maskell), to which it is closely related. Both species are common on coconut and often occur in sufficient numbers to cause growers concern. D. cocotis is known from a wide area of Micronesia, Polynesia and Melanesia, but it is not known to occur west of the Federated States of Micronesia in the north and Fiji in the south. There are no records of D. cocotis from the Solomon Islands or Papua New Guinea, despite extensive collecting on coconut in these territories. D. finitimus is confined to southern India, Sri Lanka, Cocos (Keeling) Islands and peninsular Malaysia. There are no records yet of the new species from Indonesia.