Geotrigona joearroyoi, Gonzalez, Victor H. & Engel, Michael S., 2012

Gonzalez, Victor H. & Engel, Michael S., 2012, A new species of Geotrigona Moure from the Caribbean coast of Colombia (Hymenoptera, Apidae), ZooKeys 172, pp. 77-87 : 79-81

Geotrigona joearroyoi sp. n. Figs 1-5

Holotype.

♀, Colombia: Magdalena, Santa Marta, on the road from Bastidas to Bahía Concha, 11°15.874'N, 74°09.924'W; Dec 18, 2011, 99 m., V.H. Gonzalez (ICN).

Paratypes.

Two workers with the same data as the holotype (SEMC, ICN).

Diagnosis.

This species belongs to the fulvohirta species group sensu Camargo and Moure (1996) recognized by the metatibia with posterodistal margin distinctly projecting into an angle or tooth (Figs 1, 3). It is most similar to Geotrigona fumipennis Camargo & Moure sharing antennal scape with short setae (about as wide as half width of scape), body pubescence predominantly dark brown to black, and metabasitarsus with posterior margin slightly convex (Fig. 3). It can be distinguished from that species by metasomal terga with black setae except on sixth tergum (Figs 1, 2) and distal margins of second to fifth terga without appressed, branched setae. In Geotrigona fumipennis the metasomal terga have grayish setae and distal margins of second to fifth terga are distinctly covered by appressed, branched setae.

Description.

Worker: Total body length 5.2 mm (4.8-5.2 mm); head width 2.5 mm (2.4-2.5 mm); forewing length (measured from apex of humeral sclerite) 5.6 mm (5.6-5.7 mm). Head 1.3 times wider than long; inner orbits of compound eyes converging below (Fig. 4); malar area short, about 0.4 times width of third flagellomere; clypeus about 1.7 times broader than long; intertorular distance about as long as torular diameter; torulorbital distance about twice as long as torular diameter; interocellar distance 2.3 times median ocellar diameter, 1.1 times longer than ocellocular distance; ocelloccipital distance about half median ocellar diameter; scape 6 times longer than wide, about as wide as width of third flagellomere; pedicel about as long as broad, shorter than first flagellomere; flagellomeres slightly longer than broad, apical flagellomere longest; compound eye 2.9 times longer than broad; gena about as broad as compound eye in profile. Metatibia 2.7 times longer than broad with posterodistal margin distinctly projected into an angle, distal margin emarginate between projection and penicillum, corbicula on distal one-third; metabasitarsus about twice as long as broad, slightly convex on posterior margin (Fig. 3).

Integument smooth and shiny, as in other species of the genus.

Color black, including tegula and humeral sclerite, except dark reddish brown on mandible distally, flagellum (yellowish ventrally), and distitarsi. Wing membranes and veins light ferruginous, slightly dusky distally including pterostigma (Figs 1, 2).

Body pubescence black, except: inferior half of face and gena with dense, branched, short, appressed grayish setae; superior half of face, pronotal lobe, metepisternum, sides of propodeum, and metatibia basally with dark brown setae; tergum six and sterna with grayish setae. Clypeus with erect setae about 0.6 times median ocellar diameter; scape with abundant, short, erect, simple setae, about as long as or slightly longer (0.5-0.6 times) than half width of scape (Fig. 5); frons with longer erect setae than on clypeus, 1.2 times median ocellar diameter; vertex with erect setae 1.6-1.8 times median ocellar diameter; mesoscutum with erect setae about as long as median ocellar diameter, longer on anterior margin; mesoscutellum and mesepisternum with erect setae 1.2 times median ocellar diameter; metatibia with long erect setae, 2.4-2.8 times median ocellar diameter. First metasomal tergum practically glabrous, with scattered, minute erect setae on disc and denser, longer (0.5 times median ocellar diameter) erect setae laterally; remaining terga with simple, semierect to erect setae progressively increasing in density and length towards distal terga; tergum sixth with both simple and appressed, branched setae (1.2-1.6 times median ocellar diameter).

Male: Unknown.

Queen: Unknown.

Etymology.

The species is named in tribute to the late Colombian tropical music singer, composer, and songwriter Alvaro José Arroyo González (1 November 1955-26 July 2011). This artist, also known as Joe Arroyo or El Joe, was nationally and internationally known for his unique way of combining a diverse array of Caribbean music styles, including salsa, cumbia, porro, soca, kompa, and zouk ( Harris 2012).

Comments.

Based on the limited material available it appears that Geotrigona joearroyoi and Geotrigona fumipennis are allopatric species: Geotrigona joearroyoi inhabiting lowland dry forests in the Colombian Caribbean, Geotrigona fumipennis occupying lowland dry forests as well as montane to premontane rain forests along the western slope of the Andes in southern Ecuador ( Camargo and Moure 1996).