Xylocopa macrops Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau, 1841

Lucia, Mariano, Gonzalez, Victor H. & Abrahamovich, Alberto H., 2015, Systematics and biology of XylocopasubgenusSchonnherria (Hymenoptera, Apidae) in Argentina, ZooKeys 543, pp. 129-167 : 139-141

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Apidae

Xylocopa macrops Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau, 1841 Figures 2, 9, 14, 21, 27, 32, 37, 42, 55

Xylocopa macrops Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau, 1841: 209 (holotype: ♂, Brazil, whereabouts unknown)

Xylocopa crotalariae Schrottky, 1901: 212, 214 (nomen nudum)

Xylocopa crotalariae Schrottky, 1902: 472 (holotype: MZUSP; ♀, Jundiaí, São Paulo, Brazil) (examined); Hurd and Moure 1963: 302 (synonym with macrops )

Xylocopa boops Maidl, 1912: 325 (holotype: NMW; ♂, Brazil) (examined, syn. n.)

Xylocopa (Schonnherria) macrops : Hurd and Moure 1963: 302

Diagnosis.

The female of this species can be distinguished from other Argentinean species of Schonnherria by the following combination of characters: medium-sized bees (18-22 mm); body pubescence black; integument black throughout with very weak metallic blue, often most evident on mesoscutum, tegula, outer surfaces of pro- and mesotibiae, and metasomal terga; clypeus depressed basally on disc, dorsolaterally elevated from adjacent paraocular area (Fig. 2); vertex, behind lateral ocelli, with coarse punctures separated by 1-2 times a puncture width; metasomal terga sparsely punctate, punctures coarse and separated by at least two times a puncture width (Fig. 14); wings black with metallic green and violet highlights. The male can be easily recognized by the following combination of characters: compound eyes enlarged, strongly convergent dorsally (Fig. 9); meso- and metasoma with distinct metallic blue highlights; metasoma sparsely punctate with very short setae, each seta barely exiting puncture; discs of S2-S6 each with sublateral yellow maculation. The female of this species superficially resembles that of Xylocopa simillima and Xylocopa dimidiata Latreille (not occurring in Argentina, see below) in the body size and black color of the integument, pubescence and wings. However, it can be separated from both species primarily by the midbasal tubercle of the labrum and the shape of clypeus. In those species the labrum has a single, large, capitate tubercle and the disc of the clypeus is flat. In Xylocopa macrops the labrum has three tubercles, a longitudinally elongated median tubercle and two small sublateral tubercles, and the clypeus is basally depressed, dorsolaterally elevated from adjacent paraocupar area. The male can be confused with that of Xylocopa splendidula by the compound eyes strongly convergent dorsally and the blue metallic highlights of the metasoma. However, in Xylocopa macrops the metafemur is distinctly modified, with the ventral margin strongly protuberant, the metabasitarsus is robust and shorter than the metatibia. In Xylocopa splendidula both the metafemur and metabasitarsus are unmodified, and the latter is longer than the metatibia; also, yellow maculations are absent from the labrum and discs of the sterna (present in Xylocopa macrops ).

Female.

Body length 19.6 (18.3-21.7); head length 5.1 (4.8-5.4); head width 6.1 (5.8-6.4); mesosoma width 6.6 (6.2-7.0); metasoma width 7.6 (7.2-8.0); forewing length 15.9 (15.0-17.3); forewing width 4.8 (4.4-5.4). Coloration. Integument dark reddish brown to black with weak metallic blue-green highlights, particularly on mesoscutum and metasomal terga. Wing dark brown to black with metallic violet-green highlights. Pubescence. Predominantly black, except by pale setae intermixed with black setae on face and sides of T4-T6 and S4-S6 (sometimes absent). Head with abundant setae, scattered on gena. Mesosoma with abundant, plumose setae, nearly asetose on discs of mesoscutum and mesoscutellum. T1 with plumose setae on basal half, with very short simple setae on distal half, each seta barely exiting puncture; T2-T5 with short setae as on distal half of T1, setae longer and denser on sides of T5 and T6 (Fig. 14); sterna with longer setae than on terga, setae progressively becoming denser and longer towards apical segments. Sculpturing. Weakly imbricate to smooth and shiny. Clypeus with dorsolateral elevated area impunctate; vertex sparsely punctate, punctures denser behind lateral ocellus (1-2 times a puncture width), becoming sparser and shallower on upper gena. Mesoscutum with coarse, sparse punctures as on vertex along anterior margin and lateral to pasapsidal lines, impunctate otherwise; mesoscutellum largely impunctate on anterior half. Metasomal terga with circular to ovoid punctures smaller than those on posterior half of mesoscutellum, punctures separated by 2-3 times a puncture width, denser and elongated on T5 (Fig. 14). Structure. Head broader than long (1.1-1.3:1); compound eyes with inner margins parallel; proportion of upper to lower interocular distance 0.8-0.9:1; middle interocular distance 3.7-4.0; vertex broad, distance between median ocellus and posterior margin of vertex 3.7-4.1 times OD; orbitoccipital distance 0.7-0.9; lateral ocelli below supraorbital line; interocellar distance to ocelocular distance 0.8-1.0:1; interocellar to ocelloccipital 0.5-0.6:1; ocellocular to alveolocellar 0.6-0.8:1; orbitoccipital to ocellocular 0.8-1:1; alveolocular to interalveolar 1.0-1.2:1; clypeoalveolar distance short, about as long as longitudinal diameter of antennal socket; clypeocellar distance to distance between median ocellus and posterior margin of vertex 0.8-1:1; frontal carina elevated and forming a low tubercle near lower tangent of antennal sockets, continuing dorsally into a low carina (Fig. 2); clypeus broader than long, 2.1-2.3:1, depressed basally on disc, dorsolaterally elevated from adjacent paraocular area; supraclypeal area depressed on disc, laterally elevated from adjacent paraocular area; proportion of length of scape, pedicel and F1-F4: 2.9 –3.5:0.3–0.4:1:0.3– 0.4: 0.4 –0.5:0.4– 0.5, respectively; labrum broader than long, with three basal tubercles, median tubercle distinct, longitudinally elongate, sublateral tubercles small, obscured by pubescence. Mesoscutellum gently convex; metanotum and propodeum vertical.

Male.

As in the female, except for usual secondary sexual characters and as follows: body length 21.6 (20.7-22.7); head length 5.1 (4.9-5.4); head width 6.2 (6.0-6.4); mesosoma width 7.3 (7.0-7.6); metasoma width 7.7 (7.2-8.0); forewing length 15.5 (14.3-16.0); forewing width 4.1 (4.0-4.4). Coloration. Integument with distinct metallic blue-green highlights. Cream to yellow maculations as follows: labrum, mandible basally (sometimes absent), clypeus, supraclypeal area, inferior paraocular area, anterior surface of scape, and discs of S2-S6 each with sub lateral, triangular maculation (sometimes absent on S2, S5 and S6). Wings hyaline to subhyaline with weak golden highlights. Pubescense. Longer and denser than on female, predominantly whitish, except dark brown to black on: interocelar area, vertex, pronotal lobe, metepisternum, propodeum, procoxa, inner surfaces of profemur and protarsi, remaining legs excluding posterior margin of metatibia, sides of T1, T5, T6, sides of sterna, and discs of S4-S6. White pubescence on T1 dense, nearly obscuring integument. Sculpturing. Coarser and denser than in female, particularly on sides of mesoscutum and mesoscutellum, and terga (Fig. 21). Structure. Compound eyes strongly converging dorsally, proportion of upper to lower interocular distance 0.1-0.2:1; upper interocular distance 0.5-0.8 times OD; middle interocular distance 2.0-2.2; distance between median ocellus and posterior margin of vertex 3.6-4.2 OD; orbitoccipital distance absent due to enlargement of eyes; lateral ocelli well below supraorbital line; interocellar distance to ocelocular distance 4.0-9.0:1; interocellar to ocelloccipital 0.2-0.3:1; ocellocular to alveolocellar 0.1:1; orbitoccipital to ocellocular reduced, alveolocular to interalveolar 0.4-0.6:1; clypeocellar distance to distance between median ocellus and posterior margin of vertex 0.5-0.6:1; clypeus broader than long, 1.5-1.7:1; proportion of length of scape, pedicel and F1-F4: 3.0 –3.2:0.3–0.4:1:0.2–0.3:0.3–0.4:0.4– 0.5, respectively. Legs robust; mesobasitarsus shorter than mesotibia; metacoxa and metatrochanter toothed; metafemur protuberant ventrally; metatibia with distinct cavity distally on inner surface bordered by two spinous projections, inner projection triangular, short, outer projection broader than and about as long as tibial spur; metabasitarsus robus, shorter than metatibia. Genitalia as in Figs 27, 32, 37, 42.

Distribution.

This species appears to be widely distributed in South America, occuring from Colombia to Brazil (Table 1). We examined or collected specimens from the following nine provinces in Argentina (Fig. 55): Buenos Aires, Chaco, Corrientes, Entre Ríos, Formosa, Misiones, Salta, Santa Fe, and Tucumán. Hurd (1978) also recorded this species from Jujuy and Santiago del Estero. It occurs in the following biogeographic provinces: Chaqueña, Pampeana, Paranaense, and Yungas.

Comments.

Maidl (1912) described Xylocopa boops based on a single male from an unspecified location in Brazil. The species was later listed by Hurd (1978) from Tafi, Province of Tucuman, Argentina. We examined the type specimen currently deposited at NMW (Figs 49-52) as well as the male specimen from Argentina deposited at USNM. Both specimens closely agree with Xylocopa macrops in all morphologically external characters, including the genitalia, except by the size of their compound eyes. In these specimens the eyes are extremely large and convergent above so that their upper margins are nearly in contact dorsally (Figs 49, 50). Such upper interorbital distance is about 0.23 times OD in the type of Xylocopa boops whereas it ranges from 0.54-0.72 times OD in specimens of Xylocopa macrops (n = 10). The shapes of the gonocoxite, apex of gonostylus, and lateral carina of the penis valve, which have proven to be reliable in species recognition in Schonnherria (Figs 25-44), are identical between Xylocopa boops and Xylocopa macrops . Thus, it seems to us that Xylocopa boops was described from an individual of Xylocopa macrops with unusually large eyes and we have decided not to recognize this species. Here it is synonymized under Xylocopa macrops .

Hurd (1978: 25) listed Xylocopa subcyanea Pérez from Misiones and Torreta et al. (2010) from Paraná, province of Entre Rios. We were not able to capture or find any specimen of this species from Argentina in the field or in the collections we visited. However, a single female of Xylocopa macrops deposited at MACN and labeled “Paraná, Noviembre, n° 190", was erroneously identified as Xylocopa subcyanea . Likewise, the two female specimens recorded by Torreta et al. (2010) as Xylocopa subcyanea (deposited at FAUBA) turned out to be Xylocopa macrops . Thus, it appears that records of this species for Argentina are misidentified specimens. We examined the type of Xylocopa subcyanea currently deposited at MNHN and also examined specimens of this species from Brazil. The female of Xylocopa subcyanea can be distinguished from that of Xylocopa macrops by the upper gena densely punctate (largely impunctate in Xylocopa macrops ), disc of clypeus flat, uniformly punctate (largely impunctate and depressed basally in Xylocopa macrops ), punctures of terga elongate, dense (punctures circular and sparse in Xylocopa macrops ), and wings subhyaline, brownish (dark brown to black in Xylocopa macrops ).