Alloscirtetica gelida, Vivallo, Felipe, 2009

Vivallo, Felipe, 2009, Notes on the bee genus Alloscirtetica Holmberg, 1909 in northern Chile with the description of two new altiplanic species and a key for the Chilean species of Eucerini (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Zootaxa 2010, pp. 16-30 : 18-20

Alloscirtetica gelida new species

( Figs. 3–6 , 11 )

Comments and diagnosis. In the key for the Chilean species of the genus provided by Vivallo (2003), the male keys out with A. herbsti (Friese) , differing from it by the brown coloration of the tibia and the greyish pilosity that covers the entire body. On the other hand, the female does not fall into any of the couplets, because it is the only Chilean species that has greyish pilosity mixed with some light brown hairs throughout the body.

Description. HOLOTYPE MALE ( Figs. 3–4 ): Dimensions: Approximate total length: 8.77; head width: 2.98; forewing length: 6.45; length of F1: 0.18; length of F2: 0.66; length of F3: 0.6. Coloration: Black, with the following areas yellow: clypeus, labrum, triangular mark on supraclypeal area and base of mandible (apex mahogany). F1 to F11 orange, dark brown anteroventrally and more broadly on F1. Legs dark brown, with apex of femora and tibiae light brown, slightly orange. Middle and distitarsi orange. Claws dark brown. Metasoma brown with apical translucent band on terga and sterna. Pygidial plate, veins and tegula orange brown. Middle and hind tibial spurs yellow translucent. Wings hyaline. Anterior tentorial pit black. Punctation: Uniform and relatively dense on clypeus and labrum, denser on base of latter. Paraocular and frontal areas finely and densely punctate. Area anterior to middle ocellus depressed. Mesosoma with relatively strong dense punctation, finer on mesoscutum and scutellum. Metasoma with fine and dense punctation, except in the translucent bands, which are impunctate. Pubescence: Light gray to whitish, long and branched throughout. Metasomal terga with basal bands of very short branched hairs intermixed with longer simple hairs. T1 with the same pilosity, but with long, simple and branched hairs intermixed. T7 with orange pilosity lateral to the pygidial plate. Structure: Eyes divergent above. Mandible robust with a small preapical tooth. Forewing with vein 1°m-cu sharply angled at the base of the 2nd submarginal cell. Tibial spurs slightly curved at the apex. Basitibial plate rounded and relatively flat. Pygidial plate slightly elevated, with straight apex and slightly separated from the distal margin of the tergum. Distal margin of T7 slightly concave. Claws with well-developed internal tooth almost as long as the claw.

PARATYPE FEMALE ( Figs. 5–6 ): Dimensions: Approximate body length: 9.93; head width: 3.47; forewing length: 6.83; length of F1: 0.47; length of F2: 0.2; length of F3: 0.22. Coloration: black with middle and distitarsi orange brown. Metasomal terga (basally), wing veins and tegula dark brown. Sterna with narrow and translucent distal band. Flagellum dark brown narrowly orange beneath. Punctation: Clypeus with coarse and dense punctation, less marked on frontal and lower paraocular areas; upper paraocular area smooth and shiny. Labrum with coarse scattered punctures. Mesosoma with coarse dense punctation, slightly more widely spaced on mesoscutum and scutellum. Terga with fine dense punctation, with smooth distal band on the first four terga; dull in the first one, and shiny on the others; very reduced in the last one. Pubescence: Whitish on head and mesosoma, with light brown hair admixed laterally on clypeus, frontal area, vertex, mesoscutum and scutellum. White, long and very dense pilosity on T1. T2 to T4 with basal bands of brown, very short branched hairs, mixed with some simple posteriorly curved hairs. T5 with dark brown branched pilosity, longer than on previous terga. T2 to T4 with distal band of white hairs widely interrupted medially on T2. Sterna with long dark brown hairs, with some white hairs on the sides of S1 to S3. Tibia and tarsi with brown and white hairs intermixed, darker on hindlegs. Structure: Eyes divergent above. Mandible simple, without internal tooth and with rounded apex. Scutellum with longitudinal middle area slightly concave. Tibial spur of middle tibiae slightly curved at base and with apex straight. Basitibial plate rounded, flat and opaque. Jaws with well-developed internal tooth. Pygidial plate thick, elevated, and with rounded apex.

Variation. Variation in the coloration and density of the pilosity was observed in males, one of the paratypes is slightly yellowish, not greyish as in the other exemplars. In females there was variation in the density and size of the punctures on the ocellocular area, as well as in the color of the pilosity of the middle and hind legs, being slightly darker in two of the females from the locality of Tambo.

Type material. Holotype male: Chile Region I 30 km W Zapahuira 2600m 3.IV.00 L. Packer\ Alloscirtetica n. sp? det. J. S. Ascher (Laurence Packer’s Bee Collection, York University, Toronto, Canada: LPBC). Paratypes: 5 females: Chile Region I Tambo, 4km W of Zapahuira 4.IV.00 L. Packer\ Alloscirtetica n. sp? det. J. S. Ascher ( LPBC). 1 female: Chile Region I Mirador de Socoroma 7.IV.00 L. Packer\ Alloscirtetica n. sp? det. J. Ascher ( LPBC). 2 males with the same date and locality as the holotype ( LPBC). The holotype will be deposited in the Collection of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Chile ( PUCV). Paratypes will be deposited at the Laboratório de Sistemática e Ecologia de Abelhas ( LSEA) of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, MG, Brazil, in the LPBC, and in the PUCV.

Distribution. Chile: Region of Arica and Parinacota: Zapahuira, Tambo and Socoroma.

Etymology. The specific name is the latin word for “frosted” and refers to the characteristic appearance of the pilosity of the metasoma of the male.

Figures

FIGURE 11. Geographic distribution of Alloscirtetica danuncia n. sp. ∗, A. gelida n. sp. Δ and A. weyrauchi •.

FIGURES 1 – 6. Alloscirtetica danuncia n. sp. 1, head of the male (holotype) in frontal view. 2, male (holotype) in lateral view. Alloscirtetica gelida n. sp. 3, head of the male (holotype) in frontal view. 4, male (holotype) in lateral view. 5, head of the female in frontal view. 6, female in lateral view. Scale bar = 0.5 (mm).