Nogueirapis batistai, Nogueira & Ribeiro & Oliveira, 2020

Nogueira, David Silva, Ribeiro, Cristiano Feitosa & Oliveira, Marcio Luiz De, 2020, Redescription of Nogueirapis Moure, 1953 with two new species from the Amazon forest (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini), Zootaxa 4859 (1), pp. 138-150 : 140-142

Nogueirapis batistai sp. nov. Nogueira

Figures 04, 12, 13, 19, 24 and 26D

Diagnosis (worker): Mesopleuron and propodeum dark-brown to black (pale in other species). Clypeus with hairs of uniform length. Frons, mesoscutum and mesepisternum finely microreticulated, with rugose appearance (without microreticulations in other species, just pilligera puntation in N. mirandula , N. minor and N. costaricana ). N. batistai sp. nov. is easily distinguished from other species of the genus because its color is predominantly black, with the yellowish spots on the forehead and mesoscutum contrasting with the rest of the body. The body and forewing length is similar to N. butteli , but the metatibia is narrower, with its width similar to that of N. rosariae sp. nov. The punctation on the head is pilligerous, with rugose appearance ( Fig. 24 ) when compared to N. minor or N. butteli ( Figs. 21 and 23 ), and the mesoscutum is darkened as in N. mirandula and N. minor ( Figs. 7 and 9 ). The pilosity on the clypeus is uniform, without the presence of large setae, as found in N. minor which are about 2x or more the length of the hairs. N. batistai sp. nov. has the scutum-scutellar suture slightly rounded at the sides forming a slight angle when compared to N. minor or N. butteli having fully rounded sides, or N. rosariae sp. nov. it has well-defined angles and a slight widening in the median suture area, as occur in N. mirandula ( Fig. 26 ). N. batistai sp. nov. could be mistaken with some Plebeia species, as indicated by Wille (1964) and Moure & Camargo (1982), but the absence of step or ridge in the posterior area of the ventral surface of the metatibia in Nogueirapis species is an indication that these genera are not phylogenetically close ( Michener, 1990; Camargo & Pedro, 1992).

Coloration: Integument predominantly dark brown to black. Paraocular area with yellow spots 2x the diameter of the flagellum, not reaching the antennal socket or the upper edge of the eye. Clypeus yellow spotted in black near the tentorial pit and with a black line on basal border. Supraclypeal area yellow. Labrum and malar area yellow. Mandible yellow with apical border reddish, condyles black. Radicle yellow. Scape yellow with posterior surface dark brown. Pedicel dark brown. Pronotal lobe yellow. Mesoscutum dark brown with yellow lateral lines. Axilla yellow. Posterior border of scutellum yellow with a gap in the center. Propodeum with lateral yellow spot. Metepisternum yellow except very small brown band on anterior and upper part. Mesepisternum dark brown with yellow anteroventral band. Coxae and trochanters yellowish-brown. Meso and metabasitarsi dark brown with ventral surface yellowish-brown. The rest of tarsi yellowish-brown. Tegula, pterostigma and wing venation dark brown. Forewing slightly darker at apex. T1 yellowish-brown with apical third dark brown. T2 dark brown with basal third yellowish-brown. T3–T6 dark brown. T6 lighter than T5. S1 yellowish-brown. S2 yellowish-brown, dark brown on lateral sides. S3–S5 dark brown.

Punctation: Frons, mesoscutum and mesepisternum microrreticulate (with rugose appearance); mesepisternum with middle portion as dense as mesoscutum, with punctures becoming denser anteriorly and sparser posteriorly and ventrally; propodeum smooth and shiny with lateral sides rugose.

Pubescence: Frons only with simple hairs (0.06 mm); some hair behind genal area with curved apex (0.28 mm); lateral area of antennal sockets with some hairs with three branches; simple hairs on labrum (0.16 mm) and simple setae on vertex (0.14 mm); simple hairs on coxae (0.10 mm: 0.23 mm: 0.25 mm = procoxa, mesocoxa and metacoxa, respectively); some hairs with curved apex on metacoxa; some hairs on trochanters with curved apex (0.1 mm: 0.14 mm: 0.19 mm = protrochanter, mesotrochanter and metatrochanter, respectively); femora with white simple hairs on basoventral face and with yellowish-brown short setae on apicodorsal face (0.08/ 0.07 mm: 0.13/ 0.05 mm: 0.03/ 0.07 mm = profemur, mesofemur and metafemur, respectively); metatibia with hair on corbicula (0.51 mm), almost as long as length of scape (there are two other long hairs on corbicula: 0.5 mm and 0.34 mm, the last hair is closest to the posterior border); posterior border of metatibia with black setae (0.2 mm); hairs of ventral surface of metatibia uniformly distributed posteriorly, leaving just a very narrow margin glabrous; basitarsi with yellowish-brown simple setae (0.24 mm: 0.17 mm: 0.19 mm = probasitarsus, mesobasitarsus and metabasitarsus, respectively); mesoscutum with erect setae (0.06 mm) 2x length of decumbent setae (0.03 mm); propodeal triangle glabrous; lateral sides of propodeum with long and simple hairs (0.19 mm, some of them with curved apex), short simple hairs (0.03 mm) and branched hairs (0.04 mm); hairs with more branches around the propodeal spiracle (0.08 mm); lateral mesepisternum with erect hairs (0.1 mm) and decumbent hairs (0.03); inferior half of mesepisternum with long and simple hairs (0.27 mm); metepisternum with decumbent and simple hairs or with one branch (0.05 mm); scutellum with simple hairs (0.24 mm) on dorsal surface and simple and branched hairs (0.12 mm) on posterior surface; pronotal lobes with long and simple hairs (0.07 mm) and short branched hairs (0.03 mm); T1 and T2 almost glabrous, with more visible setae on lateral sides of T2 (0.06 mm) and T3 (0.05 mm); simple setae on T4 (0.04 mm), T5 (0.06 mm) and T6 (0.06 mm: 0.12 mm = disc and lateral area, respectively); Sterna with simple hairs (0.17 mm: 0.19 mm: 0.16 mm: 0.12 mm: 0.11 mm = length of S1, S2, S3, S4 and S5, respectively).

Structures: Length of compound eyes 4.28x width; inner orbits of compound eyes concave, slightly converging downward; interorbital distance shorter than the length of compound eye (1.14 mm: 0.93 mm: 1.14 mm: 0.92 mm = length of compound eye and upper, median and lower interorbital distances respectively); malar area linear (0.06 mm), its length less than half width of flagellum; clypeus length slightly less than half its width (0.36 mm: 0.83 mm = length and width of clypeus respectively), clypeus gently convex in lateral view; interalveolar distance slightly shorter than diameter of antennal sockets, and much shorter than alveolorbital distance (0.16 mm: 0.26 mm: 0.17 mm = interalveolar and alveolorbital distance, and diameter of antennal socket respectively); frons slightly depressed along median line; vertex slightly convex, without postocellar carina; interocellar distance almost 1.4x ocellorbital distance (0.26 mm: 0.18 mm = interocellar and ocellorbital distance); posterior margin of head strongly concave without preoccipital carina; scape length about 6x its width (0.59 mm: 0.1 mm); pedicel slightly smaller than the ninth flagellomere (0.1 mm: 0.13 mm); anterior border of pronotum slightly concave; scutellum paraboloid, slightly projected backward; length of propodeal spiracle 4.4x its width (measure from inner border); metatibia subtriangular with posterior distal margin slightly angulated; length of hind tibia 2.5x its width (1.34 mm: 0.52 mm); metabasitarsus 2.1x longer than broad (0.66 mm: 0.31 mm) and with posterior angle not projected downward; vein separating first and second submarginal cells (Rs) relatively well defined, with a failure in the center, that separating second and third (2 nd rs-m) virtually absent. Other measures are available in table 1.

Queen: Unknown.

Male: Unknown.

Etymology: The epithet is homage to Dawis Nogueira Batista, father of the first author.

Material examined: Holotype: Worker ( INPA): 1025 / Brasil, Amazonas, S. Gabriel da Cachoeira, Serra do Imeri / Pedra. 910m, -65,496 / 0,489, 03.x.2005. R. L. Dias.

Paratypes (12 workers): BRAZIL, Amazonas: 1 ( INPA): 663 / Brasil, Amazonas, S. Gabriel da Cachoeira, Serra da Neblina / Cuiabixi. 1085m, -65,975 / 0,780, 28.viii.2005. R. L. Dias. 1 ( INPA): 482 / Brasil, Amazonas, S. Gabriel da Cachoeira , Serra da Neblina / Cuiabixi. 1085m, -65,975 / 0,780, 17.viii.2005. R. L. Dias. 1 ( INPA): idem expect ′′483′′. 1 ( INPA): 1560 / Brasil, Amazonas, S. Gabriel da Cachoeira , Serra da Neblina / Cachoeira. 125m, -65,936 / 0,665 06.ix.2005. R. L. Dias. 1 ( INPA): 65 / Brasil, Amazonas, S. Gabriel da Cachoeira , Serra da Neblina / Bebedouro Novo. 890m, -65,971 / 0,747, 31.viii.2005. R. L. Dias. 1 ( MZSP): 1533 / Brasil, Amazonas, S. Gabriel da Cachoeira , Serra da Neblina / Bebedouro Novo. 890m, -65,971 / 0,747, 14.viii.2005. R. L. Dias. 1 ( INPA): idem except ′′1534′′. 1 ( INPA): 642 / Brasil, Amazonas, S. Gabriel da Cachoeira , Serra da Neblina / Mãu-Auau. 1330m, -65,980 / 0,799, 27.viii.2005. R. L. Dias. 1 ( MPEG): 946 / Brasil, Amazonas, S. Gabriel da Cachoeira , Serra do Imeri / V. Jacu. 1140m, -65,490 / 0,498, 07.x.2005. R. L. Dias. 1 ( RPSP): idem except ′′948′′. 1 ( INPA): idem except ′′949′′ . Roraima: 1 ( INPA): Brasil: Roraima, Serra Pacaraima , BV-8 27.viii-1987 / J. A. Rafael, Elias Binda, A. L. Henriques / Armadilha de Malaise .

Figures

FIGURE 26. Dorsal view of mesonotum of species of Nogueirapis Moure, 1953, with detail to escutum-escutelar suture between axillae. A: Nogueirapis minor (Moure & Camargo, 1982). B: Nogueirapis mirandula (Cockerell, 1917). C: Nogueirapis butteli (Friese, 1900). D: Nogueirapis batistai sp. nov. E: Nogueirapis rosariae sp. nov..

FIGURES 21–25. Integumental surface of the head of species of Nogueirapis Moure, 1953. 21: Nogueirapis minor (Moure & Camargo, 1982). 22: Nogueirapis mirandula (Cockerell, 1917). 23: Nogueirapis butteli (Friese, 1900). 24: Nogueirapis batistai sp. nov. 25: Nogueirapis rosariae sp. nov. Scale bar: 0.05 mm.

FIGURES 6–15. Body of species of Nogueirapis Moure, 1953 in lateral and dorsal view respectively for each species. 6, 7: Nogueirapis minor (Moure & Camargo, 1982). 8, 9: Nogueirapis mirandula (Cockerell, 1917). 10, 11: Nogueirapis butteli (Friese, 1900). 12, 13: Nogueirapis batistai sp. nov. 14, 15: Nogueirapis rosariae sp. nov. Scale bar: 1 mm.