Tetraglossula Ogloblin, 1948

Almeida, Eduardo A. B. & Gibran, Nadia S., 2017, Taxonomy of neopasiphaeine bees: review of Tetraglossula Ogloblin, 1948 (Hymenoptera: Colletidae), Zootaxa 4303 (4), pp. 521-544 : 525-526

Tetraglossula Ogloblin, 1948

Type species: Tetraglossula deltivaga Ogloblin, 1948 by original designation.

Distribution ( Fig. 19 ): ARGENTINA (Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Misiones, Tucumán); BOLIVIA (Beni); BRAZIL (Bahia, Distrito Federal, Goiás, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Pará, Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo); PARAGUAY (Asunción, San Bernardino).

Morphological characters of relevance for the study of Tetraglossula . Bees of this genus have two submarginal cells (Ogloblin 1948, Fig. 3 ) and body length varies from 6 to 12 mm; these bees are slender in comparison to other neopasiphaeine bees with similar length. Tetraglossula species are morphologically similar, although superficially diverse (Michener 1989, 695), pubescence varying from black or fuscous to light grey, and the integument varying from completely black to bright orange or red on the metasoma of T. fucosa and T. meloi , sp.n. Male genitalia and sterna VI–VIII ( Figs 14 , 15 ) overall similar, although continuous shape variation of S6 among the species of Tetraglossula can be noticed ( Fig. 14 ); the curvature of the apical process of S 8 in relation to its disc, as well as the shapes of the S8 lateral process, spiculum, and apodemes also exhibit interspecific variation ( Fig. 14 ). Even though S6 and S 8 may reveal differences among species, those dissimilarities are difficult to define and there seems to be some level on intraspecific variation too. Consistent species delimitation and determination can be most reliably done comparing two features of male S7 ( Fig. 14 ): (a) the shape and relative position of the basal lobe of S7; and (b) the shape of the medial sclerotized region positioned proximally to the apical and basal lobes.

Most of the following additional diagnostic characters for the genus were extracted from Michener (1989, 654–656; for the complete set of characters used to compare the various taxa of Neopasiphaeinae, refer to that work): glossa deeply bifid, lobes acute ( Fig. 1 ; Ogloblin 1948, Fig. 9 ), 7–10× longer than proximal width. Labial palpus ordinary (Ogloblin 1948, Fig. 1 ); maxillary palpus long, last or last two palpomeres extending beyond apex of galea (Ogloblin 1948, Fig. 9 ). Labrum about 6× as wide as long; labral apico-lateral lobes weak in the male, conspicuous and serrate or pectinate in the female (Michener 1989, Fig. 13 G,H). Apical margin of the clypeus of the male is a small median lobe overhanging the labrum. Inner orbits not or very slightly converging below, almost without concave region. Mandible slender in female (Michener 1989, Fig. 13 J), simple and slender in male (Ogloblin 1948, Fig. 8 ; Michener 1989, Fig. 13 K). Facial fovea shallowly impressed. Ocelli in front of summit of vertex; vertex convex and rounded behind ocelli. Jugal lobe exceeding level of cu-v. Metapostnotum smooth with marginal groove strongly pitted, basal sub-horizontal zone sloping, about as long as metanotum or shorter. Hind tibial inner spur straight or gently curved; inner margin pectinate (Ogloblin 1948, Fig. 4 ); outer margin serrate, similarly to both margins of outer spur. Scopa on tibia, femur, and distal part of trochanter of sparse simple setae (if plumose, setae with 2–5 branches). The metasomal tergal setal bands absent or weak; metasomal scopa (S2–S5) dense, formed by yellow simple setae. T7 of the male has a triangular, bare pygidial plate, tapering to a narrow rounded apex.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Head and mouthparts of Tetraglossula anthracina (Michener, 1989): (A) frontal view of male [Sabará-Brazil, UFMG- 460]; (B) lateral view of labium of female [Santana do Riacho-Brazil-RPSP]. Scale bars = 1.0 mm. ACT = anterior conjunctival thickening; Ga = galea; Gl = glossa; LbP = labial palpus; Md = mandible; MxP = maxillary palpus; PGl = paraglossa; Ppg = palpiger; Prm = prementum; Sbm = submentum.

FIGURE 3. Allotype (♀) of Leioproctus (Tetraglossula) anthracinus Michener, 1989 [SEMC]: (A) lateral habitus; (B) dorsal habitus; (C) frontal view; (D) mesosoma, dorsal view; (E) metasoma, dorsal view; (F) labels attached to the specimen. Ownership rights to these images and their copyright belong to SEMC (Snow Entomological Museum Collection). Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

FIGURE 4. Holotype (♂) of Leioproctus (Tetraglossula) fucosus Michener, 1989 [SEMC]: (A) lateral habitus; (B) dorsal habitus; (C) labels attached to the specimen; (D) frontal view; (E) mesosoma, dorsal view; (F) metasoma, dorsal view. Ownership rights to these images and their copyright belong to SEMC (Snow Entomological Museum Collection). Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

FIGURE 8. Holotype (♂) of Bicolletes bigamica Strand, 1910 [ZMB]: (A) lateral habitus; (B) dorsal habitus; (C) frontal view; (D) labels attached to the specimen. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

FIGURE 9. Holotype (♀) of Bicolletes sitgmatica Strand, 1910 [ZMB]: (A) lateral habitus (scale bar = 1.0 mm); (B) dorsal habitus; (C) frontal view; (D) metasoma, dorsal view; (E) labels attached to the specimen.

FIGURE 13. Tetraglossula deltivaga Ogloblin, 1948, ♀, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil [RPSP- 121831]: (A) lateral habitus; (B) dorsal habitus; (C) frontal view; (D) metasoma, dorsal view; (E) labels attached to the specimen. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

FIGURE 14. Male metasomal sterna VI (ventral view), VII (dorsal view), and VIII (dorsal and lateral views) of Tetraglossula spp.: (A – D) T. anthracina (Michener) [specimen from Brazil, MG, Santana do Riacho-UFMG IHY- 4683]; (E – H) T. bigamica (Strand) [specimen from Brazil, RS, Rosário do Sul-RPSP- 162186]; (I – L) T. deltivaga Ogloblin [Brazil, SP, Ribeirão Preto- RPSP]; (M – P) T. fucosa (Michener) [Brazil, SP, Ribeirão Preto-RPSP]; (R – U) T. meloi Almeida & Gibran, sp. n. [Holotype, RPSP # 951577]. ALb, apical lobe of S 7; BLb, basal lobe of S 7; LLb, lateral lobe of S 7; LPr, lateral process of S 8; MPr, median process of S 8; scale bars = 0.2 mm. Scale bars = 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 15. Male genitalia of Tetraglossula spp.: dorsal, ventral, and lateral views: (A – C) T. anthracina (Michener) [specimen from Brazil, MG, Santana do Riacho-UFMG IHY- 4683]; (D – F) T. bigamica (Strand) [specimen from Brazil, RS, Rosário do Sul-RPSP- 162186]; (G – I) T. deltivaga Ogloblin [Brazil, SP, Ribeirão Preto-RPSP]; (J – L) T. fucosa (Michener) [Brazil, SP, Ribeirão Preto-RPSP]; (M – O) T. meloi Almeida & Gibran, sp. n. [Holotype, RPSP # 951577]. Scale bars = 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 19. Geographical distribution of Tetraglossula (left) indicated by the minimum convex polygon constructed using the individual occurrence points for all six species of the genus; individual records for each species shown on the maps on the right.