Megachile tuberculata, Smith, 1857

58. Megachile clotho Smith, 1860 View in CoL

Fig. 57

Megachile clotho Smith, 1860b: 134 View in CoL , ♀.

Type material examined

Holotype

INDONESIA • ♀; Bac. [Bachian]; [ 21 Oct. 1858 – 13 Apr. 1859]; OUMNH, ENT-HYME2815 .

Other material examined

INDONESIA • 1 ♀; Sulawesi, Palpo; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 1 ♀; Sulawesi, Lake Poso, Pendolo ; 650 m a.s.l.; 1–28 Feb. 1950; C.J.H. Franssen leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 1 ♀; Sulawesi, Bonta ; 40 m a.s.l.; 1 Mar.–30 Apr. 1949; C.J.H. Franssen leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 2 ♀♀; Sulawesi, Malakadji ; 700 m a.s.l.; 1–30 Jun. 1949; C.J.H. Franssen leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 1 ♀; Sulawesi, Boku ; 1200 m a.s.l.; 1–31 May 1949; C.J.H. Franssen leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 1 ♂; Sulawesi, Makassar ; 1–31 Sep. 1949; C.J.H. Franssen leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 1 ♂; Sulawesi, Mt Klabat , 15 km ESE Manado; 5 Dec. 2000; S. Risch leg.; S. Risch det.; SRC • 1 ♂; Moluccas, Ambon ; 1–31 Jan. 1962; A.M.R. Wegner leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 1 ♀; Moluccas, Ambon ; 3 Oct. 1966; A.M.R. Wegner leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 1 ♀; Moluccas, Ambon ; 1–30 Oct. 1950; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 1 ♀; Moluccas, Ambon ; 1–30 Oct. 1949; M.A. Lieftinck leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 1 ♀; Moluccas, Ambon ; 18 Oct. 1963; A.M.R. Wegner leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 1 ♀; Moluccas, Ceram ; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 1 ♀; Moluccas, NW Moluccas, Majau Isl. ; 7 Nov. 1943; A.M.R. Wegner leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 1 ♀; Moluccas, Halmahera, Goa-Plains ; 50–100 m a.s.l.; 9–12 Sep. 1951; A.M.R. Wegner leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 1 ♀; Moluccas , S-Batjan [Bacan]; 0 m a.s.l.; 1 Jun.–31 Jul. 1953; A.M.R. Wegner leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 1 ♀; Moluccas, Misool, Fakal ; 0–75 m a.s.l.; 8–20 Sep. 1948; M.A. Lieftinck leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 1 ♂, 9 ♀♀; Moluccas, Obi, Laiwui ( Isl. ); 1–31 Sep. 1953; A.M.R. Wegner leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 3 ♀♀; Moluccas, Obi, Laiwui ( Isl. ), 1 Sep.–30 Oct. 1953; A.M.R. Wegner leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 4 ♂♂, 8 ♀♀; Moluccas, West Obi, Kasowari ; 0–50 m a.s.l.; 1 Aug.–31 Sep. 1953; A.M.R. Wegner leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 1 ♀; Moluccas, West Obi, Kasowari ; 18 Aug. 1953; A.M.R. Wegner leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 2 ♀♀; Moluccas, West Obi, Kasowari ; 17 Aug. 1953; A.M.R. Wegner leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Moluccas, NW Obi ( Desa ) Angggai ; 0–50 m a.s.l.; 1–30 Oct. 1953; A.M.R. Wegner leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 35 ♂♂, 13 ♀♀; Moluccas, Obi Isl. ; 1 Feb.–31 Sep. 1953; A.M.R. Wegner leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 1 ♀; Moluccas, Buru, Waprea ; 24 Jun. 1959; A.M.R. Wegner leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 1 ♂, 24 ♀♀; Moluccas, Buru, Baluvalu ; 9–28 Jun. 1959; A.M.R. Wegner leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 31 ♀♀; Moluccas, Buru, Wamlana ; 31 May–7 Jun. 1959; A.M.R. Wegner leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 8 ♀♀; S New Guinea, Upper Digul River ; 1 Jun.–31 Aug. 1959; B. Monolphus leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 2 ♂♂; NW New Guinea, Sorong ; 28 Aug.–6 Nov. 1948; M.A. Lieftinck leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 1 ♂, 3 ♀♀; NW New Guinea, Sorong ; 8 Jul.–14 Aug. 1949; M.A. Lieftinck leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 1 ♂; West Papua, Saoka ; 19 Mar. 1957; G.F. Mees leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 2 ♀♀; Papua, Kawakit ; 10–12 Nov. 1959; N.N.G. Expedition; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 1 ♀; West Papua, Garrian [Gariau] on Lake Jamoer [Lake Jamur]; 7 Dec. 1957; L.D. Brongersma leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 1 ♀; Papua, Mindiptana ; 1–31 Jul. 1959; Benno leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH • 1 ♀; West Papua, Ajamaroe ; 10 Jun. 1952; L.D. Brongersma and W.J. Roosdorp leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH .

PAPUA NEW GUINEA • 1 ♀; Doa , 75 km W of Port Moresby; 17 Jul. 1962; R. Straatman leg.; S. Risch det.; RMNH .

Type locality

Bachian [= Bacan].

Notes

In the material examined, we give here only specimens matching the dark-winged form, i.e., M. clotho . We treat M. clotho as a junior synonym of M. tuberculata , see Section 9, and examined specimens displaying yellow wings (i.e., M. tuberculata ) are listed under that species.

Baker (1993: 214) wrote the following:

“( C. clotho represents the eastern, black-winged form of tuberculatum: see Section 1.4.2.1.)

Three ♀♀ standing as clotho in the UMO type collection are labelled:-

a) ‘Gilolo’ [white disc] and ‘ Megachile Clotho. Sm’ [blue paper].

b) ‘M’ [Morty; white disc], ‘ Megachile Clotho. Smith. ’ [white paper], ‘ Megachile clotho Sm. Mitchell - 1956’ and ‘ Lectotype O.U.M.’ [redmargined disc]. False type.

c) ‘Bac.’ [white disc] and ‘ Megachile clotho Smith’.

In this instance ( cf. supra, lachesis ) Mitchell’s labelling is inacceptable because the specimen concerned did not come from the type locality and in fact could not have been before Smith when his description was drafted: Allen did not collect on Morty until late 1860. Specimen (c) must be recognized as the HOLOTYPE of clotho and it has been labelled accordingly. It is in poor condition: the greater part of the R mandible has been broken off, the R flagellum and the apical segments of tarsus L II lost. Specimens (a) and (b) have been labelled as of no type status”.

The specimen indicated by Baker was not labelled as holotype; this has now been rectified.

Baker (1993: 20–22) dealt with variation in the wing colour of Megachile tuberculata (yellow-winged; Fig. 8C) and of Megachile clotho (dark-winged, Fig. 57B). The two type specimens are structurally identical, with only wing colouration and geographical provence allowing separation, with M. tuberculata found to Borneo and Java, and M. clotho found from Sulawesi and the Philippines to Papua New Guinea, i.e., broadly showing separation along the Wallace Line. We agree with Baker that M. clotho is only a form of M. tuberculata syn. nov., and formally publish this synonymy.

Current status

Megachile ( Callomegachile) tuberculata Smith, 1857 syn. nov.

Distribution

India, Bhutan, Thailand, Malaysia (Peninsula, Borneo), Singapore, Indonesia ( Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, North Maluku, Maluku, Papua s. lat.), Philippines, Papua New Guinea ( Baltazar 1966; Baker 1993; Ascher et al. 2022; Ascher & Pickering 2024; current study).