NEW OR LITTLE KNOWN BEES OF JAPAN (HYMENOPTERA, APOIDEA). III. PASITES ESAKII, A GENUS AND SPECIES NEW TO JAPAN

Abstract

The bee genus Pasites is recorded from Japan for the first time. Pasites esakii, which has been treated as one of the subspecies of P. maculatus Jurine, is raised to the species rank. Pasites esakii is thought to be parasitic on Pseudapis mandschurica (Hedicke), formerly included in the genus Nomia. ln the early autumn of 1980, one of the authors, Nagase, was lucky enough to collect three female specimens of Pasites together with a number of male and female specimens of its probable host bee species Pseudapis mandschurica (Hedicke), at Kanoya City, Kagoshima Pref., Kyushu. This is the first discovery of Pasites from Japan. The species was later identified as Pasites maculatus esakii Popov et Yasu-matsu described from N. E. China (then called Manchuria). However, this is regarded as a distinct species as stated below. Pasites esakii Popov et Yasumatsu, new status Pasites maculatus esakii Popov et Yasumatsu, 1935, Mushi, 8 : 101. The original description of esakii states that this is based on three female specimens collected at Dairen (Dalny), and the male is unknown. However, the holotype deposited in the collection of Kyushu University is a male, not female. * Contribution from the Entomological Laboratory, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University , Fukuoka (Ser. 3, No. 93).