New and little-known species of the genus Sphecodes Latreille (Hymenoptera, Halictidae) from Southeast Asia

Abstract

The available information about the cleptoparasitic bees of the genusSphecodesin Southeast Asia is summarized. Thirty-one species are currently known from this area. Four new species are described:Sphecodes discoverlifeiAstafurova & Proshchalykin,sp. nov.(Laos),S. engeliAstafurova & Proshchalykin,sp. nov.(Laos, Vietnam),S. ilyadadariaAstafurova,sp. nov.(Indonesia), andS. pseudoredivivusAstafurova & Proshchalykin,sp. nov.(Laos). Nine species are newly recorded from South East Asia:S. chaprensisBlüthgen, 1927 (Laos),S. howardiCockerell, 1922 (Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand),S. kershawiPerkins, 1921 (Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand),S. laticepsMeyer, 1920 (Thailand, Vietnam),S. montanusSmith, 1879 (Laos),S. sauteriMeyer, 1925 (Laos),S. sikkimensisBlüthgen, 1927 (Laos, Myanmar),S. simlaensisBlüthgen, 1924 (Laos), andS. turneriCockerell, 1916 (Laos). Based on type specimens, new synonymies have been proposed forSphecodes kershawiPerkins, 1921 =S. javanensisBlüthgen, 1927,syn. nov.;S. simlaensisBlüthgen, 1924 =S. simlaellusBlüthgen, 1927,syn. nov.;S. laticepsMeyer, 1920 =S. biroi mariaeCockerell, 1930,syn. nov.Lectotypes are designated forSphecodes biroiFriese, 1909,S. simlaellusBlüthgen, 1927, andS. laticepsMeyer, 1920. The female ofSphecodes sauteriMeyer, 1925, and the male ofS. turneriCockerell, 1916 are described for the first time.