Megachile (Chalicodoma) parietina (Geoffroy, 1785)

Megachile (Chalicodoma) parietina (Geoffroy, 1785) View in CoL – Belg. sp. nov.

Figs 5 View Fig , 11 C View Fig

SHORT DESCRIPTION: Females from this large Megachile species (14-18 mm) can only be confused with a small Xylocopa species because of its iridiscent blue wings and entirely black body. They however have orange scopa on the underside of the abdomen. Males look different. They have long brown to yellow hairs on T1 to T3, the thorax and all tarsi.

DISTRIBUTION IN EUROPE: Common throughout southeastern Europe ( SCHEUCHL, 2006). No record from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg ( HERRERA MESÍAS & WEIGAND, 2021) or the Netherlands ( REEMER, 2018, www.waarneming.nl), but has been found in the rest of our neighbouring countries.

EU RED LIST STATUS: Least concern (LC) ( NIETO et al., 2014)

ORIGIN OF RECORDS:

- LIÈGE PROVINCE. Welkenraedt; 1♀; 28.vi.2011; leg. D. Moonen; det. J. D’Haeseleer, W. Vertommen, D. De Grave - Fig. 11 C View Fig .

COMMENTS:

- Although this is already an old observation, the species was only recently discovered when our third author was checking the observations with pictures of X. violacea (Linnaeus, 1758) on the website waarnemingen.be.