Chilicola (Oroediscelis) ashei Dumesh and Packer, 2019

Packer, Laurence & Dumesh, Sheila, 2019, Fifteen new species of Chilicola (Oroediscelis) (Hymenoptera: Colletidae: Xeromelissinae) with illustrated keys to the males and females of the subgenus, Zootaxa 4559 (1), pp. 1-56 : 7-9

Chilicola (Oroediscelis) ashei Dumesh and Packer , new species

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( Figs. 1, 4 , 12–16 , 91 )

Diagnosis. The male of C. ashei can be differentiated from all other species of C. ( Oroediscelis ) by the shape of the process on S4, which is long, straight and gradually increasing in depth from close to the base to close to the apex, and the complete (un-notched) apex. With one exception, other species with a long process have it parallel-sided, narrowing towards the apex or increasing in depth only close to the apex. The exception is C. benoistiana , which has the process similar in shape to that of C. ashei , but with a notch in both lateral and ventral views, as well as an apical spine on the inner surface; C. benoistiana is also much smaller (body size 6.0– 6.9 mm).

Description. Male: Length 9.8 mm; forewing length 6.9 mm, head width 2.0 mm.

Head: as long as wide, 50:50. Clypeus with transversely oval apical yellow marking, paraocular area yellow medially to just above anterior tentorial pit. Clypeus, supraclypeal area and lower paraocular area punctures distinct, dense, i=0.25–1d, sparser apically on clypeus and lower paraocular area and medioapically on supraclypeal area; frontal area deeply alveolate-punctate, striato-punctate between lateral ocellus and compound eye. Clypeus with strong longitudinal depression except absent basally and apically. Malar space less than half as long as wide (7:17); lower ocular tangent below middle of clypeus; longest hairs on face 3 MOD; genal beard with hairs 3.5 MOD posteriorly. First flagellar segment subequal in length to second on anterior surface (13.5:13) but longer on posterior surface (16:13); F2 and F3 with one subapical seta almost as long as succeeding flagellomere and a second approximately 0.75X as long. Mesosoma: pronotum finely, densely punctate; mesoscutum and mesoscutellum punctures distinct, mostly i=0.5–1d, with a few larger interspaces on discs; metanotum irregularly punctate, i=0.25–4 d; mesepisternum irregularly punctate, i=0.25–2 d; metepisternum impunctate. Metepisternum longitudinally striate above, wrinkled below; metapostnotum almost as long as mesoscutellum (24:26), with fine, longitudinal, irregular, mostly straight striae; lateral surface of propodeum coarsely imbricate; weakly longitudinally striate above with sparse, shallow, effaced punctures. Longest hairs of mesosoma 3 MOD, on metanotum; longest hairs on mesoscutum ~2 MOD. Stigma shorter than marginal cell on wing margin (42:57), distal stigmal perpendicular slightly apical to first submarginal crossvein. Metatrochanter flattened, shiny and glabrous ventrally. Metafemur with posteroventral margin sharp. Metatibia more than 3 X as long as greatest depth, 80:25, which is at apex of apical tooth of posterior crest; subapical brush incomplete; bare area of ventral surface shining, without microsculpture; posterior crest mostly straight, ending in a strong, narrowly rounded tooth; anterior crest unevenly rounded. Metabasitarsus shorter than remaining tarsomeres combined (58:74), ventral process at basal 1/4, strongly developed, semicircular; anterior process basal to midlength of tibia, apex of anterior process approximately rectangular.

Metasoma: somewhat shiny, microsculpture weak. Punctures bimodal in size with small ones less abundant; density differing among terga, on T1 and T 4 i =1–2 d, on T2, T3 and T 5 i =1–4 d (most of T6 and T7 hidden in sole specimen), apical impressed areas shiny, lacking microsculpture, punctures small. Apicolateral patches of white, hairs on T1–T4, hair plumose on T1 and T2. S1 longest hairs anteriorly, 3 MOD, but hairs generally long throughout; S2 longest hairs anterolaterally, <3 MOD; S3 with few apicolateral erect hairs <2 MOD; S4 long hairs posterolaterally, <3.3 MOD; S5 long hairs laterally, 4 MOD, apical fringe of robust setae absent but with weak fringe of plumose hairs laterally; S6 hair tuft large <2 MOD. S2 and S3 with weak sublateral bosses; processes of S4 long, ~3.5 MOD, slightly divergent in ventral view; in profile, dorsal and ventral surfaces straight, diverging from close to base almost to apex, shallowest ~0.6MOD, deepest 1.1 MOD, apex obliquely truncate, dorsal angle rounded, sides approximately right angular, ventral angle sharp acute ~40°; S5 with shallow, irregularly shaped sublateral depressions; S6 apicolateral fovea 2X longer than wide, mesal margin raised, apex indistinct, surface of disc weakly concave; apical impressed area distinct, membranous, long, ~1 MOD, hair fringe <1.5 MOD, at 45° to apical impressed area. S7 apicolateral lobe folded, dorsal portion longer and narrower than ventral portion which is irregularly rounded, base of dorsal portion and apex of ventral portion dark pigmented, ventral portion weakly crenulate, apex of lobe broadly rounded laterally; basolateral lobe retortiform, process parallel-sided, apex obliquely truncate. S8 with apical process strongly deflected dorsally at an angle of 60° (thus foreshortened in the figure), apex deeply concave, sides rounded. Gonobase anterior margin weakly concave; base of gonocoxa very short dorsomedially; gonostylus posteromedially curved, broad, narrower at base than at midlength; membranous processes of penis valve short.

Terminalia : refer to Figs. 14–16 .

Female: unknown.

Material studied. Holotype male: BOLIVIA: La Paz Province, Chuspipata Junction , 3350m 16°18’17”S, 67°57’47”W. 2.i.2001 J.S. Ashe, R.S. Hanley colls. BOL 1AH01 0 51 “ex. on flowers” [ SEMC]. It bears a second barcoded label with the GUI: SM0522554 KUNHM –ENT [See Figs. 184–185 for distribution map].

Etymology. The species is named in memory of the collector, the late, well-known American coleopterist Steve Ashe (1947–2005) ( Timm, 2006).

Comments. This is one of the largest species in the genus. A female with identical collection locality (deposited at SEMC) and date does presumably not belong to this species as it is a much smaller bee and the malar space is proportionately much longer. It is one of the females for which we have not been able to confirm an identity.

Figures

FIGURES 1–4. Interesting characters of Chilicola (Oroediscelis). 1. flagellomeres 2–4 to show the fine, long, and closely appressed setae (C. ashei, Dumesh and Packer holotype), red lines indicate longer setae, blue lines indicate shorter ones; 2. relative length (red line) to width (blue line) of the malar space (C. carPenteri, paratype); 3. metatibia showing posterior, blue lines, and anterior, red line, crests (C. benoistana). 4. S7 of male to show the “retortiform” lateral lobes, indicated with red lines (C. ashei holotype).

FIGURES 12–16. Chilicola ashei. 12. male lateral habitus (holotype); 13. male face (holotype); 14. male genital capsule (holotype); 15. male S7, dorsal view (holotype); 16. male S8, dorsal view (holotype).

FIGURES 91–92. Lateral view of metasomal apex to show apical process of S4 that: 91. gradually deepens from base to apex (C. ashei holotype); 92. is approximately equal in depth from base to near apex and apex obliquely truncate (C. boharti paratype).

FIGURES 184–185. Distribution maps of newly described Chilicola (Oroediscelis) species. 184. Large scale map of South America showing distribution of new species; 185. Small scale map of northern Argentina to show distribution within the country.