Augochlora (Oxystoglossella), Eickwort

ENGEL, MICHAEL S., 2000, Classification Of The Bee Tribe Augochlorini (Hymenoptera: Halictidae), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2000 (250), pp. 1-89 : 32

Subgenus Oxystoglossella Eickwort

Augochlora (Oxystoglossella) Eickwort, 1969a: 422 . Type species: Augochlora cordiaefloris Cockerell, 1907 , original designation.

Augochlora (Aethechlora) Moure and Hurd, 1987: 275 . Type species: Augochlora matucanensis

Cockerell, 1914, monobasic and original designation. NEW SYNONYMY.

DIAGNOSIS: Oxystoglossella differs from Augochlora s.s. by the less bidentate mandibular apex and orbicular basal elevation on the labrum. From Electraugochlora it differs in the presence of a preoccipital carina and a strong epistomal lobe.

DESCRIPTION: As for the genus with the following additions: Female. Mandible with moderate to strong subapical tooth. Labral distal process narrowly triangular; basal elevation orbicular, protuberant. Angle of epistomal sulcus strongly protruding into clypeus. Preoccipital ridge carinate. Male. Ridge bordering ventral gonostylar process with long setae, greatly surpassing gonostylar apex.

REVISIONS: The species of Oxystoglossella have not been revised. Moure and Hurd (1987) listed 28 described species, although two of these have since been synonymized (Engel, 1996c) and a new species is described in appendix 1.

BIOLOGY: Oxystoglossella species are primitively eusocial and excavate nests in the soil (Eickwort and Eickwort, 1972). The mature larva and pupa have been described for A. cordiaefloris Cockerell and A. nominata Michener (Eickwort and Eickwort, 1972) (table 2).

DISTRIBUTION: Oxystoglossella has a wide distribution; species occur from Argentina to the southwestern United States and east into the West Indies.