AFRICAN AND SOUTHEAST ASIAN CHALICODOMA (HYMENOPTERA: MEGACHILIDAE): NEW SUBGENUS, NEW SPECIES, AND NOTES ON THE COMPOSITION OF PSEUDOMEGACHILE AND LARGELLA

A new subgenus, Lophanthedon subg. nov., is described and figured for five species of distinctive Southeast Asian bees in the genus Chalicodoma Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau (Megachilinae: Megachilini). Two new species of the subgenus Pseudomegachile Friese from Africa, Chalicodoma (Pseudomegachile) strangei sp. nov., and C. (P.) gibbsi sp. nov., and one of the subgenus Largella Pasteels from Malaysia, C. (Largella) donbakeri sp. nov., are described and figured. The subgenus Neochalicodoma Pasteels, consisting of the two African species C. pseudolaminata Pasteels and C. pseudocincta Pasteels, is synonymized with Pseudomegachile (syn. nov.). Chalicodoma pseudocincta, is newly placed in synonymy with C. (P.) scindularia (Buysson), syn. nov. The morphological diversity of Pseudomegachile is briefly discussed in an attempt to highlight useful characters for recognizing natural species groups and inferring floral hosts. Revised diagnoses as well as information on the species composition of Largella and Pseudomegachile are provided.