Trichocolletes micans, 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 : 29-30

Trichocolletes micans n.sp.

Figs 68 , 106

Type. Holotype ♂, Kinchega NP, New South Wales (32.4581°S 142.3525°E), 8 Sep. 2007, M. Batley, ex Swainsona purpurea , in AM K.344736.

Specimens examined. The holotype and the following. New South Wales: ♂, 5♀, same data as holotype, AM (K.344737–42) ; 4♂, Black Mountain, Gunnedah (31.0280°S 150.1346°E), ANIC ; 2♂, 9♀, 3 mi E Legume , 25 Sep. 1964, T . F. Houston , SAM (32-024512–22) ; 7♂, 7♀, 6 km S Mungindi , 15 Sep. 1988, N. W. Rodd, AM (K.344441–53, K.316710) . Queensland: ♀, 30 km N Mungindi (28.7586°S 148.8950°E), 14 Sep. 2005, M. Batley, ex Swainsona sp., AM (K.344735) . South Australia: 2♀, 50 km S Leigh Creek , 18 Sep. 2010, M. Edwards, SAM .

Diagnosis

Length c. 11 mm; eyes hairy; scape black in both sexes; legs black; metasoma sericeous with moderately wide, silverwhite bands, ferruginous across anterior margins; known only from eastern Australia.

Descriptions

Male. — Head width 3.75 mm, body length 11.0 mm. Relative dimensions: HW 50, HL 37, UID 31, UFW 32, LID 30, DMA 30, HVO 4, WOC 15, MOD 4, OOD 8, IAD 9, ASD 3, AOD 9, ML 20, BMW 8, MSL 2.0, SL 14, SW 3, FL c. 48.— Eyes hairy; face almost quadrate, inner orbits parallel; length of malar area c. 0.25× basal mandibular width; flagellum slightly shorter than head width, middle flagellomeres c. 1.6× as long as wide. Legs slender; length hind tarsus equal to length hind tibia; hind basitarsus 4.3× as long as wide; basitibial area with strong posterior carina to apex and sharp edge on anterior margin. Genital capsule similar to that for T. orientalis n.sp. (Fig. 37); S7 with narrow rectangular lateral lobes and strong posterior projections ( Fig. 68 ). Distitarsi and mandible medially orange-brown; labrum dark brown. T 1–5 with broad, silver-white bands, ferruginous across anterior third.— Clypeus, other than apical margin, densely punctate with interspaces except basally, where a few punctures coalesce; scutum with dull sheen, moderately strong pitreticulation and close small punctures.— Face with dense, long, finely-branched, white hair. Scutum closely covered with long, branched, white or pale brown hair; anterior margin of hind tibia with close fringe of long, white hair; metasomal terga with short, semi-adpressed, translucent hair, conspicuous only when illuminated obliquely.

Female.— Head width 3.90 mm, body length 11.6 mm. Relative dimensions: HW 50, HL 36, UID 31, UFW 33, LID 32, DMA 33, HVO 4, WOC 15, MOD 4, OOD 7, IAD 9, ASD 3, AOD 10, ML 20, BMW 7, MSL 1.5, SL 15, SW 3, FL c. 31.— Face wider than long, inner orbits diverging ventrally; length malar space c. 0.2× basal mandibular width; clypeus gently convex transversely; middle flagellomeres c. 1.1× as long as wide; inner hind tibial spur with c. 8 teeth; basitibial area with anterior and posterior carinae and apex elevated above surroundings; only hind tarsal claw with small inner ramus; pygidial plate with small emargination and slight medial elevation. Distitarsi orange-brown; remainder of legs and mandible dark brown; labrum dark brown or black, rarely suffused with orange-brown. T 1–4 with broad, silver-white bands ferruginous across anterior third.— Clypeus densely punctate on a strongly reticulate ground; scutal sculpture as for male.— Face covered with long, plumose, white hair, dense on frons and in paraocular areas, close on clypeus and supraclypeal area. Scutum closely covered with moderately short, plumose, pale brown hair; scopal hair off-white; golden brown setae in basitibial area; metasoma sericeus as for male; fimbria light brown.

Remarks. Similar to T. brunilabrum n.sp. and T. lacaris n.sp., from which males may be distinguished by the shape of S7. Females differ from T. brunilabrum n.sp. by the finer clypeal sculpture and from T. lacaris n.sp. by the presence of an inner ramus on hind tarsal claw. This species is superficially similar to T. tuberatus n.sp., with which it may be sympatric, but is easily distinguished by its smooth labrum.

Etymology. The specific name is a Latin adjective meaning glittering, referring to the metasoma which is conspicuously reflective when the insects forage in direct sunlight.

Distribution. Inland New South Wales and South Australia (BBS, DRP, FLB, SEQ) ( Fig. 106 ).

Figures

Figs 68–79. Seventh sternum of Trichocolletes males.

Figs 104–115. Known distribution of Trichocolletes species.