Tapinotaspoides septentrionalis, Melo, Gabriel A. R. & Aguiar, Antonio J. C., 2008

Melo, Gabriel A. R. & Aguiar, Antonio J. C., 2008, New species of Tapinotaspoides (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Tapinotaspidini), Zootaxa 1749, pp. 53-61 : 57-58

Tapinotaspoides septentrionalis sp.n.

( Figs. 8–15 )

Tapinotaspoides sp.; Gonzalez & Ospina (2006): 90.

Comments and diagnosis. Within Tapinotaspoides , T. septentrionalis sp.n. resembles T. flavifrons sp.n. in the yellow clypeus of the males, but differs in lacking other yellow marks and in having sparse and mostly black pubescence on the clypeus. The female is easily distinguished from other Tapinotaspoides by the reddish orange pubescence on the hind tibia ( Fig. 10 ). In T. rufescens , the other species with reddish pubescence on the hind leg, the reddish hairs are present on the basitarsus and apex of the tibia. Males and females present the tergal integument dull ( Fig. 11 ) due to microsculpture of very fine transverse reticulation. This species is also distinct by the pubescence on tergal margins: in the male, T1-T4 with marginal bands of white hairs laterally (very reduced in T1) and T5 with a complete band of white hairs ( Fig. 11 ); in the female, marginal lateral bands of plumose hairs on T2 and T4 mostly white, and on T3 mostly black with a narrow stripe of white hairs apically.

Tapinotaspoides septentrionalis sp.n. is the smallest species in the genus, with about 9 mm in body length. It exhibits an isolated distribution in savannas and xeric areas of northwestern Venezuela and northern Colombia. Recently, González & Ospina (2006) reported an unidentified species of Tapinostapoides from Bolívar, in northern Colombia. Although we had not examined their material, it is likely to be T. septentrionalis sp.n. judging from the locality and habitat data.

Distribution: COLOMBIA: Bolívar; Magdalena. VENEZUELA: Guárico.

Description. Holotype male. Body length: 9.4 mm. Integument color. Mostly black, except for large yellow portion of clypeal disc ( Fig. 9 ) and almost entirely yellowish white posterior surface of last flagellomere; anterior surface of F1-F2 dark reddish brown; fore distitarsus reddish brown and apical mid and hind tarsomere brown. Pubescence. Mostly black; white on lower two-thirds of clypeus, lower half of paraocular area and adjacent to antennal alveolus, lateral portion of gena, posterior margin of pronotal lobe, posterior margin of outer surface of fore tibia and basitarsus, basal two-thirds of outer surface of hind tibia. T1-T4 with narrow marginal bands of white plumose hairs laterally, on T6 marginal band of white hairs complete ( Fig. 11 ); S2-S5 with well-developed marginal fringe, pubescence varying from white laterally to dark brown in the middle. Clypeus with numerous erect long black setae, longest setae about 0.6 mm in length; scape with numerous long setae, ca. 0.13–0.4 mm in length. Mesoscutum with dense very short plumose black hairs (velvet-like in appearance), intermingled with sparse simple setae (ca. 0.12–0.15 mm in length); scutellum with dense plumose hairs intermingled with numerous simple erect setae, ca. 0.3–0.4 mm in length; mesepisternum with numerous long finely plumose hairs. Integumental sculpture. Punctures mostly very fine and sparse (ca. 4–5 pd); mesoscutum and scutellum with denser punctation (ca. 2–4 pd); mesepisternum with very sparse fine punctures (> 5 pd); metaposnotum with dense fine punctures (ca. 1–2 pd); terga with dense and very fine transverse reticulation. Structure. Fore basitarsus slender, its posterior margin slightly curved. Ratio of head length to width: 0.75 (2.1:2.8); clypeus: width, 0.8, length, 1.3; ratio of lower interocular distance to upper interocular distance: 0.89 (1.33:1.49); scape: maximum width, 0.27, length, 0.66; length of F1-F3: 0.31, 0.19, 0.27; F2 diameter: 0.23; maximum T2 width: 2.56; fore wing length (including tegulae): 8.91.

Paratype female. Body length: 9.0. Integument color. Mostly black, except for reddish brown apical half of F1 and entire F2, dark brown F3-F10 and apical tarsomeres. Pubescence. Mostly black, except for white finely plumose hairs on clypeus, parocular area and gena; posterior margin of outer surface of fore tibia with whitish plumose hairs and of mid tibia with reddish brown hairs; hind tibial scopa reddish orange ( Fig. 10 ). Marginal lateral bands of plumose hairs on T2 and T4 mostly white, on T3 mostly black with a narrow stripe of white hairs apically; T5 with a few whitish long plumose hairs laterally. Marginal bands of plumose hairs on terga: almost absent on T1 (except for a small patch with white and black hairs); on T2-T4, occupying less than one-third of the margin laterally; on T5, brush-like and occupying entire margin. Fringes of specialized hairs on S2-S4 mostly dark brown to black, except for a few lateral whitish hairs on S5. Integumental sculpture. Similar to male, except by coarser and denser punctures on clypeus; fine punctures on mesoscutum, scutellum and metaposnotum denser (ca. 1–2 dp). Structure. Ratio of head length to width: 0.75 (2.26:3.03); clypeus: width, 1.63, length, 0.72; ratio of lower interocular distance to upper interocular distance: 0.97 (1.67:1.71); scape: maximum width, 0.25, length, 0.84; length of F1-F3: 0.45, 0.13, 0.13; F2 diameter: 0.23; fore wing length (including tegulae): 8.16.

Type Material. Holotype ɗ ( AMNH) labeled: “ COLOMBIA: Dept.\ Magdalena\ Valledupar\ VII-11-13- 1968 " "Borys Malkin\ Collector". Paratypes, COLOMBIA: 7 ɗ, 4 & ( AMNH, DZUP), same data as holotype; VENEZUELA: 1 ɗ, 1 & ( MNHP), "MUSEUM PARIS \ VENEZUELA \ ÉTAT DE GUARICO\ LA CRUZ-RUVIERA\ M. GRISOL 1925" "DÉCEMBRE" " Tapinotaspoides \ ( Tapinotaspoides ) sp.\ det. G. Melo 1994".

Figures

FIGURES 8 – 11. Tapinotaspoides septentrionalis sp. n. 8 – 9 and 11, male holotype. 8, Habitus, lateral view. 9, Head, frontal view. 10, Female paratype (Colombia, Magdalena, Valledupar), habitus, lateral view. 11, Male holotype, metasoma, dorsal view.

FIGURES 12 – 15. Tapinotaspoides septentrionalis sp. n. (paratype from Colombia, Magdalena, Valledupar), male terminalia. 12, Sternum 7, ventral view. 13, Sternum 8, ventral view. 14, Genitalia, dorsal view. 15, Same, ventral view. Scale bar: 0.2 mm.