Trichocolletes simus, Batley, 2012

Batley, Michael, 2012, Revision of the Australian Bee Genus Trichocolletes Cockerell (Hymenoptera: Colletidae: Paracolletini), Records of the Australian Museum (Rec. Aust. Mus.) 64 (1), pp. 1-50 : 38-39

Trichocolletes simus n.sp.

Figs 75 , 115

Type. Holotype ♂, Eneabba , Western Australia, 18 May 1979, R. P. McMillan, on Daviesia , in WAM 13982.

Specimens examined. The holotype and the following. Western Australia: ♀, same data as holotype WAM (13981); ♂, 10♀, Cockleshell Gully (30.09°S 115.06°E), 28 May 1987, M. Lyons, on flowers of Daviesia, WAM (13624–33, 13983) .

Diagnosis

Length 11–12 mm; eyes not hairy; clypeus strongly deflexed and weakly protuberant; palpi very short; metasomal bands silver-white; scutal hair orange. Male T 1,2 with large orangebrown areas.

Descriptions

Male (holotype).— Head width 3.80 mm, body length 11.3 mm. Relative dimensions: HW 50, HL 36, UID 29, UFW 30, LID 28, DMA 28, HVO 6, WOC 15, MOD 4, OOD 7, IAD 7, ASD 4, AOD 7, ML 16, BMW 7, MSL 0.5, SL 12, SW 3, FL c. 48.— Eyes large, not hairy; face narrow, inner orbits converge ventrally; clypeus transversely convex, strongly deflexed near base so that lower margin protrudes only slightly; malar space short (length c. 0.1× basal width mandible); palpi short, labial palpus <½ as long as post palpal part of galea; ocelloccular area strongly depressed; flagellum moderately short, middle flagellomeres c. 1.5× as long as wide; fore basitarsus short; hind legs very long, slender; tarsus as long as hind tibia; hind basitarsus 5.4× as long as wide; posterior margin basitibial area with strong, pigmented carina reaching apex. Genital capsule like that for T. macrognathus n.sp. (Fig. 35); S7 lateral lobes rounded, posterior projections and basal teeth obsolete ( Fig. 75 ).— Labrum, mandible, scape and most of flagellum ventrally, most of T 1,2 and 7, tarsi, mid and hind femora and tibiae, inner surface fore tibia orangebrown; remaining areas of legs, flagellum dorsally, small medial suffusions on T 1,2 and large lateral spots on T 2 dark brown. T 1–5 with silver bands, ferruginous across anterior margin.— Scutum dull, strongly reticulate.— Face below ocelli densely covered with long, erect, bright orange hair. Scutum openly covered with long, finely-branched, orange hair; fore trochanter and femur with long, orange hair; fore basitarsus with long golden hair; hind femur with weak hair tuft at distal end. Semi-adpressed hair on T 3–6 somewhat paler than underlying integument.

Female ( WAM 13981).— Head width 3.55 mm, body length 11.5 mm. Relative dimensions: HW 50, HL 42, UID 30, UFW 32, LID 30, DMA 29, HVO 5, WOC 14, MOD 4, OOD 8, IAD 9, ASD 3, AOD 9, ML 20, BMW 7, MSL 0.5, SL 14, SW 3, FL c. 36.— Eyes not hairy; face approximately quadrate, inner orbits slightly convergent ventrally; clypeus, malar space and palpi as for male; middle flagellomeres c. 1.1× as long as wide; inner hind tibial spur with c. 8 long slender teeth; tarsal claws with minute inner rami; pygidial plate large, truncate, with broad medial elevation and narrow margin.— Labrum and mandible orange-brown; flagellum dorsally dark brown, paler ventrally; legs dark brown; pygidial plate red-brown. T 1–4 with moderate width white bands, ferruginous across anterior margin.— Clypeus polished with weak reticulation, closely covered with large punctures; supraclypeal area densely punctate.— Face with long, plumose, pale orange hair, sparse on clypeus and supraclypeal area, dense in paraocular areas and on frons. Scutum closely covered with plumose, dark-tipped orange hair; prepygidial fimbria very pale to mid brown.

Remarks. Association of the sexes is based morphological similarities, including length of palpi and shape of clypeus and on two coincident collection events. This species is referred to as F251 (part), F264/M 235 in Houston (2000).

Distribution. Geraldton Sandplains, Western Australia (GS) ( Fig. 115 ).

Etymology. The specific name is a Latin adjective meaning sub-nosed, referring to the shape of the clypeus.

Figures

Figs 68–79. Seventh sternum of Trichocolletes males.

Figs 104–115. Known distribution of Trichocolletes species.