Centris (Hemisiella) nebulosa Vivallo & Vélez, 2016

Vivallo, Felipe & Vélez, Danny, 2016, A synopsis of the subgenus Centris (Hemisiella) Moure, 1945 (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Centridini) in Colombia, with description of a new species, Zootaxa 4162 (1), pp. 107-133 : 116-117

Centris (Hemisiella) nebulosa Vivallo & Vélez new species

( Figures 13 , 14, 29)

Diagnosis. Female with dark grayish pubescence on head, mesosoma, legs and sterna. Labrum sub-rectangular with transversely concave disc. Wing membrane slightly gray.

This new species is similar to C. merrillae , differing from it by the darker coloration of the pubescence on the head and mesosoma (dark gray in C. nebulosa new species; light yellowish gray in C. merrillae ), by the grayish yellow scopa (orange brown in C. merrillae ), and by the fine, dense, and relatively uniform discal clypeal punctation (clypeal disc areolate in C. merrillae ).

Description. Holotype female ( Figs. 13 , 14). Measurements: Approximate body length: 12.0; head width: 3.8; thorax width: 3.8; forewing length: 10.0; UID: 1.8; LID: 1.9; mandible length: 1.5; basal mandibular width: 0.7; labrum length: 0.6; labrum width: 1.0; F1 length: 0.7; F2 length: 0.2; F3 length: 0.3; scape length: 0.3; diameter of median ocellus: 0.3; distance between lateral ocellus and eye: 0.4. Coloration: Head and mesosoma black with lower paraocular area, mandible, labrum and base of fore and middle tibiae yellow. Clypeus dark brown with two yellow lateral spots converging toward the center of disc, separated by narrow vertical dark brown line. Antenna dark brown with F3−F10 orange brown. Tegula translucent brown yellowish. Legs and metasoma orange brown. Wings membrane slightly gray with brown veins. Sculpture: Clypeus with fine, dense, and relatively uniform punctation, scattered on vertical dark brown spot of disc. Labral punctation finer and denser than on clypeus. T1 with fine and relatively sparse punctation on disc. Punctation on T2 and T3 denser than that on T1; sparsest on T4 and T5. Pubescence: Dark gray throughout, darker on middle leg and yellow grayish on hind leg and prepygidial fimbria. T2–T6 with dorsal surface of terga with dark brown, short, and simple hairs. Structures: Mandible with three teeth with acute apex. Second tooth very small and almost fused with rutellum. Clypeal disc flat (lateral view). Labrum sub-rectangular with transversely concave disc. Vertex slightly above upper ocular tangent. Inner orbits of compound eyes converging below. Secondary comb of fore elaiospathe formed by three giant apically curved hairs. Primary basitibial plate elliptical and narrow, secondary plate poorly developed, almost fused with primary plate and completely covered with dense pubescence. Pygidial plate with rounded apex. Pretarsal claws of fore and middle legs with small preapical tooth, absent in hind leg.

Type material. Holotype female: COLOMBIA: BOLÍVAR: Bolivar: Zambrano: Hacienda Monterrey 9˚45’ Latitude North 74˚49’ Longitude West. 10m Fernando Fernandez Leg. \ Centris (Hemisiella) Det : R.W. Brooks 19 ( ICN) .

Type locality ( Fig. 29 ). COLOMBIA: BOLÍVAR: Zambrano (Hacienda Monterrey).

Etymology. From Latin “ nebulosus ” (foggy, cloudy) due the grayish pubescence of this species.

Floral records. Unknown.

Comment. Centris nebulosa new species is one of the smallest species known in C. (Hemisiella), and is easily recognized by the dark gray pubescence that covers almost entirely the body, a unique feature among the species of this subgenus.

Figures

FIGURE 29. Distribution records for Centris (Hemisiella) merrillae and C. (Hemisiella) nebulosa new species in Colombia.

FIGURES 13 and 14. Centris nebulosa new species. Holotype female (Bolívar: Zambrano): Fig. 13. Head, frontal view (scale bar 1 mm). Fig. 14. Habitus, lateral view (scale bar 5 mm).