A taxonomic revision of the southern African leaf-cutter bees, Megachile Latreille sensu stricto and Heriadopsis Cockerell (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Megachilidae).

The five southern African subgenera of Megachile with recessed cutting edges between their teeth are revised. The entire group comprises 37 valid species, two of which are new: Megachile (Eutricharaea) gobabebensis sp. n. and Megachile (Eutricharaea) goegabensis sp. n. Other species are: Megachile (Amegachile) fimbriata Smith, Megachile (Amegachile) nasalis Smith, Megachile (Amegachile) bituberculata Ritsema, Megachile (Eutricharaea) afra Pasteels, Megachile (Eutricharaea) aurifera Cockerell, Megachile (Eutricharaea) barbata Smith, Megachile (Eutricharaea) basalis Smith, Megachile (Eutricharaea) bucephala (Fabricius), Megachile (Eutricharaea) cyanescens Friese, Megachile (Eutricharaea) eurymera Smith, Megachile (Eutricharaea) familiaris Cockerell, Megachile (Eutricharaea) konowiana Friese, Megachile (Eutricharaea) meadewaldoi Brauns, Megachile (Eutricharaea) muansae Friese, Megachile (Eutricharaea) pachyceps Friese, Megachile (Eutricharaea) regina Friese, Megachile (Eutricharaea) salsburyana Friese, Megachile (Eutricharaea) venusta Smith, Megachile (Eutricharaea) wahlbergi Friese, Megachile (Heriadopsis) whiteana Cameron, Megachile (Paracella) admixta Cockerell, Megachile (Paracella) barkeri Cockerell, Megachile (Paracella) chrysopogon Vachal, Megachile (Paracella) curtula Gerstaecker, Megachile (Paracella) edwardsi Friese, Megachile (Paracella) filicornis Friese, Megachile(Paracella) frontalis Smith, Megachile (Paracella) malangensis Friese, Megachile (Paracella) pilosella Friese, Megachile (Paracella) semierma Vachal, Megachile (Paracella) ungulata Smith, Megachile (Platysta) khamana Cockerell. Of the 78 new synonymies fimbriata vulpecula Pasteels is M. fimbriata; volkmanni ventrifasciata Strand is M. nasalis; sjoestedti var. rubripedana Strand is M. tuberculata; gratiosa Gerstaecker,concinna Smith, marusa Cameron, robertiana Cameron, venustella Cockerell, umbiloensis Cockerell and acallognatha Cockerell are M. venusta Smith; latimetatarsis Strand and rozenii Pasteels are M. basalis Smith; semifulva Friese and planatipes Cockerell are M. bucephala (Fabricius); seclusiformis Cockerell is M. salsburyana Friese; flava Friese and rhodoleucura Cockerell are M. eurymera Smith; luteola Pasteels and stellensis Pasteels are M. familiaris Cockerell; nasutula Brauns, coelostoma Cockerell, and nitidicauda Cockerell are M. barbata Smith; venustoides Strand, venustella zambesica Cockerell and pondonis Cockerell are wahlbergi Friese; okanjandica Strand and vittatula Cockerell are cyanescens Friese; leucospilura Cockerell is M. muansae Friese; cordata Smith,tardula Cameron, ekuivella Cockerell, krebsiana Strand, rhodesica Cockerell, natalica Cockerell, masaiella Cockerell, chromatica Cockerell, gratiosella Cockerell, rhodesica haematognatha Cockerell, mackieae Cockerell,flammicauda Cockerell, venusta var. semiflava Cockerell, rufulina Cockerell, rufosuffusa Cockerell, melanura Cockerell, asarna Cockerell, capiticola Cockerell, heteroscopa Cockerell, capiticola Cockerell and chrysognatha Cockerell are M. frontalis Smith; boswendica Cockerell, rubrociliata Pasteels and rufisetosa Pasteels are M. pilosella Friese; apiformis Smith is M. ungulata Smith; stellarum Cockerell, laticeps Friese, malangensis mamalapia Pasteels, obesa Pasteels and ovatomaculata Pasteels are M. malangensis Friese; flavibasis Cockerell,heterotricha Cockerell, candidicauda Cockerell, candidigena Cockerell, candidicauda spinarum Cockerell, neliCockerell, albofilosa Cockerell, discretula Cockerell, rubeola Pasteels and meesi Pasteels are M. chrysopogon Vachal; lydenburgiana Strand, aliceae Cockerell, pretoriaensis Pasteels and pycnocephala Pasteels are M. semierma Vachal; benitocola Strand and granulicauda Cockerell are M. curtula Gerstaecker; and spatulicornis Pasteels is M. edwardsi Friese. Brief descriptions are provided for all the species, as are their distributions in southern Africa, known host plants and parasites. Keys for the identification of the species are also given.