Xylocopa (Schonnherria) Lepeletier, 1841

Villamizar, Germán, Fernández, Fernando & Vivallo, Felipe, 2020, Synopsis of the carpenter bee subgenus Xylocopa (Schonnherria) Lepeletier, 1841 (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Colombia, with designation of lectotypes and the description of two new species, Zootaxa 4789 (2), pp. 301-347 : 304-305

The subgenus Xylocopa (Schonnherria) Lepeletier, 1841 in Colombia

The subgenus Xylocopa (Schonnherria) is one of the most diverse lineages in the genus with approximately 30 species described, widely distributed in the New World ( Hurd & Moure, 1963; Hurd, 1978; Moure, 2012; Lucia et al., 2015; Lucia & Gonzalez, 2017), most of them occurring in the Neotropical region ( Moure, 2012). This subgenus was proposed by Lepeletier (1841) and posteriorly expanded with the inclusion of the subgenera X. (Xylocopsila) Hurd & Moure, 1963 and X. ( Ioxylocopa ) Hurd & Moure, 1963 as junior synonyms. According to Minckley (1998), X. ( Schonnherria ) is closely related with X. ( Dasyxylocopa ) Hurd & Moure, 1963 by sharing some synapomorphies like the well-developed medial lobe on the apex of gonostylus and the morphology of the mesosomal gland in males.

The species of X. ( Schonnherria ) can be easily recognized by the following combination of characters: small to large body size (14–23 mm); metallic integument; pubescence mostly black, whitish or yellowish; eyes converging upwards; frontal carina elongate; dorsolateral margin of clypeus at similar level to paraocular area; labrum with three or fewer tubercles on dorsal surface; gradulus only present on T1 and metasomal sterna without longitudinal carina. Females can be distinguished by the propodeal triangle and the pygidial plate without projections. The males of this lineage do not have propodeal triangle and can be recognized by the gonostylus apically bifid and by a large spine on the ventroposterior margin of the gonocoxite. These last two features are the strongest synapomorphies that define the subgenus as monophyletic ( Minckley, 1998).

The knowledge of the genus Xylocopa in Colombia, and particularly the subgenus, Schonnherria is poor and ambiguous. The first major contribution to the knowledge of the diversity of the carpenter bees in the country was the undergraduate monography conducted by Cruz (1996) where five subgenera of Xylocopa were recognized: Megaxylocopa Hurd & Moure, 1963 (junior synonym of X. ( Neoxylocopa ) Michener, 1954), Neoxylocopa , Notoxylocopa Hurd, 1956 , Stenoxylocopa Hurd & Moure, 1963 , and Schonnherria . In this latter subgenus, Cruz (op. cit.) recognized eight species ( Table 1), providing their distribution records and comments on their biology. Nevertheless, that monograph was never published, the identification guides are confusing and probably many of the specimens were incorrectly identified because type material was not examined. In addition, the delimitation of species was made through original descriptions and catalogues with previous records for the country (according to the author’s personal comments, see Cruz, 1996: 194).

Four years later, Ospina (2000) listed the Neotropical species of Xylocopa based on literature known to that date, including species that occur in Colombia with notes and possible distribution records in the country. In Ospina’s paper, 11 species of X. ( Schonnherria ) were cited, providing distribution records for only four of them. Subsequently, Smith-Pardo (2003) provided a preliminary checklist of Colombian bees with some modifications from previous checklists created for the country. According to this author, 18 species of X. ( Schonnherria ) occur in Colombia, more than half of the known species of the subgenus ( Table 1). Gonzalez et al. (2009) reviewed the literature, provided biological and taxonomic notes of some Colombian species of Xylocopa , and published reliable keys for the identification of Xylocopa subgenera and some species of X. ( Schonnherria ) recorded in Colombia. Finally, the Moure (2012) bee catalogue cited the same species list provided by Ospina (2000) for Colombia, based on similar sources ( Table 1).

Through these contributions, the presence of the subgenus was confirmed in the country but the diversity of species remained uncertain. This is because the identifications of the Colombian specimens were based mainly on bibliographic references (catalogues, original descriptions and taxonomic keys of neighboring countries; i.e. Schlindwein et al., 2003; Marci & Alves-dos-Santos, 2013), and the type material was never examined, generating misidentifications even in reference collections. Additionally, an updated and exhaustive study of the X. ( Schonnherria ) specimens in the Colombian collections had not been carried out.

Species Cruz Smith-Pardo Moure This study General distribution

(1996) (2003) (2012)

The study of the material housed in Colombian and some foreigner collections resulted in the identification of 11 species of X. ( Schonnherria ) for the country. Of the total species recognized, one corresponds to a new record according to Moure (2012), and two are proposed as new to science. A comparison of the results obtained and the records previously made for the country is presented in the Discussion section.