Xylocopa viridis Smith, 1854

Lucia, Mariano, Gonzalez, Victor H. & Abrahamovich, Alberto H., 2015, Systematics and biology of XylocopasubgenusSchonnherria (Hymenoptera, Apidae) in Argentina, ZooKeys 543, pp. 129-167 : 148-151

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Apidae

Xylocopa viridis Smith, 1854 Figures 6, 12, 18, 24, 29, 34, 39, 44, 57

Xylocopa viridis Smith, 1854: 360 (holotype: BMNH 17B.186; ♂, Rio Tapajós, Pará, Brazil) (examined)

Xylocopa (Schonnherria) viridis : Hurd and Moure 1963: 123.

Diagnosis.

Both sexes of this species are easily recognized by the distinctive metallic green highlights on all tagmata, body pubescence yellowish, and metasomal terga uniformly covered by long, appressed simple setae on discs, and with white, tomentose, plumose setae on apical margins laterally (Figs 18, 24).

Female.

Body length 16.7 (14-18); head length 4.5 (4.3-4.7); head width 5.1 (4.6-5.4); mesosoma width 5.9 (5.4-6.2); metasoma width 6.5 (6.0-6.8); forewing length 11.7 (11.0-12.3); forewing width 3.1 (3.0-3.2). Coloration. Integument dark brown to black with strong metallic green highlights. Wing subhyaline with weak golden highlights. Pubescence. Predominantly whitish to yellowish; black or gray setae on face, vertex, upper gena, mesoscutum, mesoscutellum, sides of T2-T5, and most of T6, S5 and S6; ferrugineous setae on inner surface of tarsi. Head and mesosoma with abundant setae, except asetose on discs of mesoscutum and mesoscutellum. Basal half of T1 with scattered, semierect simple setae; distal half of T1 and T2-T6 with appressed setae on discs, each setae at least twice as long as a puncture width, becoming longer towards apical terga, apical margins laterally with dense, white tomentum of appressed plumose setae (Fig. 18); disc of T6 and sides of T1-T6 each with long, semierect, simple and plumose setae; sterna with semierect, long setae as long as those on sides of terga. Punctation. Weakly imbricate to smooth and shiny. Vertex densely punctate, punctures separated by at most a puncture width, becoming enlongate and sparser on upper gena. Mesoscutum with punctures separated by 1-2 times a puncture width, punctures becoming sparser towards center to completely absent on disc; mesoscutellum largely impunctate, with few, scattered punctures. Terga densely and uniformly punctate, setiferous punctures elongate, separated by a puncture width or less; sterna with punctures sparser than on terga. Structure. Head broader than long (1.1-1.2:1); compound eyes with inner margins parallel; proportion of upper to lower interocular distance 0.9:1; middle interocular distance 3.2-3.5; vertex broad, distance between median ocellus and posterior margin of vertex 3.7-4.6 OD; orbitoccipital distance 0.6-0.8; lateral ocelli below supraorbital line; interocellar distance to ocelocular distance 0.9-1.1:1; interocellar to ocelloccipital 0.6-0.7:1; ocellocular to alveolocellar 0.6-0.7:1; orbitoccipital to ocellocular 1.0-1.2:1; alveolocular to interalveolar 0.9-1.1:1; clypeoalveolar distance about as long as longitudinal diameter of anntenal socket; clypeocellar distance to distance between median ocellus and posterior margin of vertex 0.9-1:1; frontal carina moderately elevated, slightly protuberant at level of lower tangent of anntenal sockets; clypeus broader than long, 2.1-2.2:1; proportion of length of scape, pedicel and F1-F4: 3.5 –3.8:0.4:1:0.4:0.5–0.6:0.5– 0.6, respectively. Labrum broader than long, with three basal protuberances, median tubercle distinct, longitudinally elongate, sublateral tubercles small. Mesoscutellum gently convex; metanotum and propodeum vertical in profile.

Male.

As in the female, except for usual secondary sexual characters and as follows: Body length 15.3 (14.3-16.3); head length 3.7 (3.5-3.8); head width 4.3 (4.0-4.4); mesosoma width 5.6 (5.2-6.0); metasoma width 6.1 (5.6-6.6); forewing length 12.1 (11.3-12.7); forewing width 3.2 (3.0-3.4). Coloration. Outer surface of mandible, labrum, clypeus, supraclypeal area, and anterior surfaces of scape, F1 and F2 yellow. Tegula reddish brown. Pubescence. Longer and denser than in female. Structure. Compound eyes with inner margins slightly converging dorsally; proportion of upper to lower interocular distance 0.8:1; upper interocular distance 4.0-4.6 OD; middle interocular distance 1.9-2.0; distance between median ocellus and posterior margin of vertex 2.4-2.7 OD; orbitoccipital distance 0.2-0.3; interocellar distance to ocelocular distance 1.8-2.2:1; interocellar to ocelloccipital 0.7-1:1; ocellocular to alveolocellar 0.2-0.3:1; orbitoccipital to ocellocular 0.8-1:1; alveolocular to interalveolar 0.6-0.7:1; clypeocellar distance to distance between median ocellus and posterior margin of head 1.2-1.3:1; clypeus broader than long, 1.4-1.6:1; proportion of length of scape, pedicel and F1-F4: 2.8 –3:0.4–0.6:1:0.4–0.5:0.5–0.6:0.5– 0.6, respectively. Legs slender, unmodified, except metatibia with blunt subapical projection on inner margin, shorter and thicker than tibial spur; mesobasitarsi longer than tibiae. Genitalia as in Figs 29, 34, 39, 44.

Distribution.

This species has been recorded from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay and Peru ( Moure 2007). In Argentina, it is known only from the province of Misiones (Fig. 57), which is included within the Paranaense biogeographic province.

Comments.

Xylocopa viridis , ranging from southern Mexico to Argentina, appears to be composed of multiple species. An appraisal of museum specimens under Xylocopa viridis deposited at SEMC from locations across its distribution range revealed considerable variation in body pubescence, punctation, body size, and shape of the apical projection of the inner surface of the male metatibia. A similar case seems to occur in Xylocopa varians Smith, a species with metallic green highligths that has also been recorded from Misiones and presumably confused with Xylocopa viridis . We studied the male holotype of Xylocopa viridis and the female type of Xylocopa varians , both from Brazil, as well as specimens of both species from Brazil and other countries in South America. We observed that both sexes of Xylocopa varians can be distinguished from those of Xylocopa viridis primarily by the terga with black setae on their discs (yellowish in Xylocopa viridis ) and the upper gena of the female densely punctate, with a narrow impunctate band behind the outer margins of the compound eyes (upper gena sparsely punctate and with broad impunctate band behind outer margins of compound eyes in Xylocopa viridis ). We found a female and male specimen from Misiones, both identified by P.H. Hurd as Xylocopa varians . These specimens are deposited at MACN and SEMC respectively, and their complete label data are as follows: “7596” // Misiones // 766 // Xylocopa varians Smith, P.H. Hurd 59 (MACN); "Misiones, Pindapoy, II-1956 // SEMC 1232909". Both specimens agree with the characters listed for Xylocopa viridis and thus the record of Xylocopa varians for Argentina appear to be based on misidentified specimens.

Specimens of Xylocopa viridis from Argentina and southern Brazil also seem to be different from those of northen Brazil, particularly in the length of the setae on metasomal terga, the color of tegulae, and the shape of the apical projection on the inner surface of male metatibia. Such differences are suggestive of a distinct species and further studies are needed to determine the species limits of Xylocopa viridis .