Chalicodoma (Alocanthedon) apoicola Engel

Engel, Michael S. & Gonzalez, Victor H., 2011, Alocanthedon, a new subgenus of Chalicodoma from Southeast Asia (Hymenoptera, Megachilidae), ZooKeys 101, pp. 51-80 : 59-62

Chalicodoma (Alocanthedon) apoicola Engel sp. n. Figs 1016

Holotype.

Philippines: ♂, Mindanao, Tagurano [Davao del Sur, near Mt. Apo and Mt. Apo National Park], Davao City, 25-26.vi.1977 [25-26 June 1977], Y. Kurosawa (NSMT).

Diagnosisn.

The new species is most similar to Chalicodoma aterrimum , but can be distinguished from this and other Alocanthedon by the following combination of traits: clypeus covered with dense, long, appressed, reddish setae obscuring integument ( Fig. 12); forewing dark fuscous with black venation; dense black setal patch present posteriorly in forewing medial cell (Fig. 11); dorsal-facing surface of first metasomal tergum with large, anterobasal areas of impunctate and imbricate integument; terga with strong transverse ridges on non-depressed, postgradular discs, carinate on terga II and III; sixth metasomal tergum deeply concave medioapically; medioapical apical margin of second metasomal sternum convex as short, broad extension; protibial apical outer surface distinctly depressed; outer anterior margin of protibia with dense fringe of long black setae; and unique protarsal shape and setation (Fig. 14).

Description.

As described for Chalicodoma odontophorum (vide supra) except as follows: Male: Total body length 24.6 mm; forewing length 19.3 mm. Head broader than long (width 7.4 mm, length 5.5 mm); intertorular distance 1.9 times torulorbital distance; interocellar distance 1.5 times median ocellar width, 1.1 times ocellocular distance; ocelloccipital distance 3.5 times median ocellar width; compound eye about twice as long as wide, about as wide as gena in profile. Protibia with outer posterior carina run ning along apical three-quarters of length, apically produced into small posteriorly-directed spine before continuing transversely across apex to outer, anterior border where it forms a carinate ridge for short distance along depression, apical anterior surface distinctly depressed; protarsus modified as in figure 14; mesotibial spur relatively straight; mesobasitarsus with inner surface deeply concave basally, posterior border along concavity notched, such that there is a posterior protuberance bordering the concavity. Metasomal terga II–V with apical transverse ridge (caudad postgradular depression), somewhat sinuate laterally, distinctly carinate on terga II–III except medially, strongly ridged on tergum IV, weak on tergum V; carina of sixth tergum produced, medioapical margin of carina of sixth metasomal tergum strongly and deeply concave (Fig. 10).

Wings dark fuscous, infumate (Fig. 10); venation black.

Mesoscutum anteriorly and medially transversely somewhat wrinkled (not as strongly so as in Chalicodoma odontophorum ) with irregular punctures, such integument blending laterally outside of parapsidal lines and posteriorly to coarsely punctate, punctures separated by less than a puncture width, nearly contiguous in many areas, those punctures outside of parapsidal lines somewhat smaller and more regularly defined than those posteriorly, integument between punctures finely imbricate; lateral surface of propodeum imbricate with small punctures separated by a puncture width or less, gradually becoming more widely spaced posteriorly and on posterior surface. Dorsal-facing surface of first metasomal tergum imbricate with small punctures separated by a puncture width or less, nearly contiguous in most areas, with large laterobasal areas of impunctate (and asetose) and more distinctly imbricate integument; remaining terga sculptured as on dorsal-facing surface of first metasomal tergum, although punctures typically more tightly packed.

Pubescence generally dark fuscous to black except as follows: clypeus and face outside of antennal toruli with dense, long, minutely-branched, reddish setae, largely obscuring the integument, those on clypeus more strongly reddish and largely appressed and apically directed; supraclypeal area with similar setae to those on face except more tawny in color (Fig. 12); wing setae generally fine and black, dense cluster of short, black setae forming a conspicuous spot in posterior half of forewing medial cell (Fig. 11).

Female: Unknown.

Etymology.

The specific epithet is a combination of Mount Apo and the Latin suffix -cola, meaning “dweller”. The name is treated as a noun in apposition.

Comments.

Permission to dissect the holotype and only known specimen was not provided and thus the genitalia remain unknown for this distinctive species. Nonetheless, genitalic variation is relatively minor across species of Alocanthedon and the structure of the head, tarsi, metasomal terga and sterna, and integumental sculpturing will sufficiently serve to identify future material of this species.

Chalicodoma apoicola , herein described from the male alone, occurs in the same region as Callomegachile (Callomegachile) davaonensis ( Cockerell 1918), described from the female sex and from a nearby area. Since the most distinguishing features of the subgenus are in the male it is possible that the latter species belongs to Alocanthedon and may be closely allied to Chalicodoma apoicola . It is tempting to speculate that Chalicodoma apoicola represents the unknown male for Chalicodoma davaonensis . From the original description, however, this seems unlikely given the significantly larger size of Capoicola (ca. 15 mm in Chalicodoma davaonensis , total length smaller than the forewing length in Chalicodoma apoicola ) and the reddish translucent wings and ferruginous pterostigma and veins of Chalicodoma davaonensis (in this regard more similar to some of the Malaysian, Thai, and Burmese species of Alocanthedon ). As already noted, significant collecting efforts for bees in Mindanao are needed so as to more accurately characterize these species and to more fully understand the fauna.