Epiclopus wagenknechti ( Ruiz, 1938 )

Vivallo, Felipe, 2014, Taxonomic revision of the cleptoparasitic bee genus Epiclopus Spinola, 1851 (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Ericrocidini), Zootaxa 3857 (1), pp. 41-70 : 57-60

Epiclopus wagenknechti ( Ruiz, 1938)

( Figures 28–36 , 40 and 44 )

Wesonychium wagenknechti Ruiz, 1938 . 151 (Original description [print lapsus]).

Mesonychium wagenknechti, Wagenknecht, 1969 . 175 (Note on type specimen, distribution, floral records, hosts); Wagenknecht, 1971. 279, 283 (Distribution, hosts); Snelling & Brooks, 1985. 19, 22, 23 (Hosts, cited, list); Toro, 1986a. 128 (List); Toro, 1986b. 83 (List, bionomy); Vivallo et al., 2003: 81 (Probable host).

Epiclopus wagenknechti, Michener, 2007: 763 , 766 (Morphology, comparative note with E. gayi ); Moure & Melo, 2007: 161 (Taxonomy, distribution); Rocha-Filho et al., 2009. 301 (Hosts); Montalva & Ruz, 2010. 46 (List, distribution).

Comment. During the preparation of this publication, I visited the collection of the Colegio San Pedro Nolasco, Santiago , Chile (CSPN) to photograph the holotype of Mesonychium wagenknechti . According to J. Salamanca, the curator of the collection, the holotype had unfortunately been destroyed. In this paper a neotype for this species is designated and described, along with the description of the unknown female.

Description. Neotype male ( Figs. 30, 31 and 44 ). Measurements: Approximate body length: 11.5; head width: 3.6; thorax width: 4.9; forewing length: 8.9. Coloration: Integument dark brown to black ( Figs. 30 and 31 ). Mandible and legs brown ( Fig. 30 ). Flagellum brown ( Fig. 30 ) with the posterior surface yellowish brown. Wing membranes yellowish, veins brown ( Fig. 31 ). Metasoma dark brown without metallic reflections. Surface sculpture: Integument with fine and very dense punctation on clypeus, slightly sparser towards the smooth lower margin. Paraocular area with similar punctation, slightly denser towards vertex. Supraclypeal area and frons with coarser punctation. Labrum finely areolate with very irregular surface and coarse and scattered punctation ( Fig. 44 ). Mesoscutum with fine and dense punctures. Mesoscutellum with similar punctation, but slightly coarser. Mesepisternum with fine and dense punctation, with some coarse and scattered punctures on the lateral surface. T1 with fine and relatively dense punctation. T2 with similar punctation, although slightly denser. T3-T5 with similar punctures, but slightly coarser and denser. Pubescence: Dark brown, without metallic bluish reflections. Vertex, mesoscutum, mesoscutellum, area below the wings of the mesepisternum, anterior surface of the tegula and dorsal surface of T1-T3 with whitish, long, dense and shortly branched hairs ( Figs. 30 and 31 ). Tegula with dark brown hairs on the posterior surface. T4-T7 with dark brown hairs. Sterna with light brown pubescence. Structures: Mandible broadly curved apically with a preapical tooth poorly developed near apex of apical tooth ( Figs. 30 and 44 ). Clypeus without angled lower margin. Epistomal suture concave between anterior tentorial pits. Labrum rectangular with slightly biconvex distal margin ( Fig. 44 ), preapical surface with two transverse, short and poorly developed carinae converging upwards. Area between lateral ocellus and compound eye flat (frontal view) ( Fig. 30 ). Mid tibial spur with acute apex curved upward. Midline of mesoscutum slightly depressed anteriorly. Mesoscutellum without spine-like projections. Axilla slightly raised. Claws with preapical tooth acute on fore leg, truncate on middle and hind legs. T7 apex with two tooth-like projections slightly curved upwards.

Female ( Figs. 28, 29 and 40 ). Measurements: Approximate body length: 12.0; head width: 4.0; thorax width: 4.9; forewing length: 9.4. Coloration: Integument dark brown to black ( Figs. 28 and 29 ). Mandible, legs and tegula brown. Flagellum light brown. Wing membranes yellowish, brown veins ( Fig. 29 ). Surface sculpture: Clypeus with smooth lower margin and with very fine and dense punctation, mixed with some coarse and scattered punctures. Paraocular area with similar punctation, but coarser and slightly scattered towards the vertex. Labrum irregular with coarse and slightly scattered punctation (less dense than on the clypeus). Lower surface with a preapical carina projected upward. Mesoscutum with fine and dense punctation mixed with coarser and scattered punctures. Mesoscutellum areolate-rugose with coarse punctures, finer towards the posterior margin. Mesepisternum finely areolate-rugose with fine and dense punctures intermixed. Terga with very fine and dense punctures, mainly on T2.

T4-T6 with similar punctation, but coarser. Pubescence: Dark brown to black on head, mesepisternum, legs, ventral surface of the metasoma, T4-T6, without metallic bluish reflections ( Figs. 28 and 29 ). Vertex, mesoscutum, mesoscutellum, tegula, pronotal lobe, area below the wings of the mesepisternum, propodeum and dorsal surface of T1-T3 with white, long, dense and shortly branched hairs ( Fig. 29 ). Structures: Flagellum elliptical. Mandible slightly curved apically with a preapical tooth near the apex of the apical tooth ( Fig. 28 ). Maxillary palpus with three palpomeres, the second more than 2x longer than the third (2nd>3rd>1st). Epistomal suture concave between anterior tentorial pits. Labrum rectangular with straight distal margin. Area between the lateral ocellus and the eye flat (frontal view) ( Fig. 28 ). Midline of mesoscutum slightly depressed anteriorly. Mesoscutellum with two poorly developed humps, without spine-like projections. Axilla slightly raised. Mid tibial spur with acute apex. Posterior distal margin of the middle basitarsus with a spine-like projection as long as or slightly longer than the following tarsomere. Claws with preapical tooth acute on fore leg, truncate on other legs. Pygidial plate with broadly rounded apex, only delimited apically.

Male genitalia. See figures 32–35.

Type material. Holotype male ( CSPN, destroyed). Neotype male here designated with the following information: Chile, III Región Atacama Castilla 13-02-1972 M. Pino Colector [white label]\ Neotype Mesonychium wagenknechti Ruiz, 1938 F. Vivallo des., 2014 [red label]. The neotype will be deposited at MHNS.

Original type locality. Chile: IV Coquimbo Region: Los Chiches. Neotype locality. Chile: III Atacama Region: Castilla.

Floral records. See table 1.

Host. Centris (Wagenknechtia) rhodophthalma ( Wagenknecht, 1969, 1971; Rocha-Filho et al., 2009 †). Centris (Penthemisia) chilensis ( Wagenknecht, 1969; Vivallo et al., 2003; Rocha-Filho et al., 2009 †).

Distribution ( Fig. 36 ). CHILE: III ATACAMA: ( Wagenknecht, 1969, 1971; Toro, 1986a, b) Cachiyuyo, Domeyko, El Algarrobal ( Wagenknecht, 1969). *Castilla. *Copiapó (Desierto de Atacama airport), *La Higuera. *Parque Nacional Llanos de Challe. *Travesía. *Vallenar. IV COQUIMBO: ( Toro, 1986a). Los Chiches ( Ruiz, 1938), Condoriaco, El Tofo, Quebrada Onda, Los Cristales, Los Fierros, Mineral Las Breas (Río Choros) ( Wagenknecht, 1969). Elqui (Moure & Melo, 2007). This species was erroneously cited as from Santiago (XIII Región Metropolitana) by Moure & Melo (2007).

Material examined. III ATACAMA: 1 male: HYMNRJ 000033\ III Región Castilla 2-XI-1989 \ M. Correa col. Chile \ col. en Nolana sp. ( MNRJ). 1 male: Atacama Castilla 13.10.72 \ Coll. Sielfeld MNHN Chile. ( PUCV). 1 male: HYMNRJ 000033\ Travesia Atacama 11-X-1977 \ Magunacelaya col. Chile ( MNRJ). 1 male: Chile: Region III 7.3km W. of Domeyko S28.97834 W70.96402 V-22-2010 L. Packer 648m \ B10006-H08 Bees of Chile 187 ( PCYU). 1 male: Chile Region III 7.3km W. of Domeyko -28.97834 70.96402 648m 22.x.2010 L. Packer & E. Almeida ( PCYU). 1 male: Chile: Region III Cachiyuyo N - 29.0329 E -70.9018 20.x.2009 Net J. Gibbs PCYU- JG09-202 ( PCYU). 1 male: Chile Region III N. of Vallenar 11-12.x.00 L. Packer\ Epiclopus wagenknechti (Ruiz) \ Epiclopus wagenknechti (Ruiz) det Ascher\ B09987-G5 Bees of Chile 551 ( PCYU). 1 female: Chile Region III Atacama desert airport -27.27698 -70.76376 224m 14.x.2010 L. Packer & E Almeida\ PCYU Packer coll. York Univ. 0004772\ CDN-06715-47 ( PCYU). 1 male: Chile Region III Parque Nacional Llanos de Challe 22.x.00 L. Packer\ Epiclopus wagenknechti (Ruiz) det. Ascher\ CHL-0085 ( PCYU). VI COQUIMBO: 1 female: HYMNRJ 000035\ Coquimbo El Tofo X-1972 ( MNRJ). 1 male: Condoriaco 14-Nov-51 ( DZUP). 1 male: Condoriaco 14.nov.51 \ Mesonychium wagenknechti Ruiz P. Moure 1952 \ 12-VI-55 Comparado al tipo por J. Moure ( MHNS). 1 female: HYMNRJ 000036\ Las Breas 8-12-49 ( MNRJ). 1 female: Breas 17-12-63 \ ♀ Mesonychium wagenknechti Ruiz ( MHNS). 1 male: Las Breas 8-12-49 \ Mesonychium wagenknechti Ruiz P. Moure det 1942 ( DZUP). 1 female: Mina Las Breas 25-I-49 \ Mesonychium wagenknechti Ruiz P. Moure 1952 ( DZUP). 1 female: Llano La Higuera 18-XI-1938 Wagenknecht\\ Chile \ Mesonychium wagenknechti (Ruiz) Det. J. S. Moure 1957 ( DZUP). 1 male: Los Fierros 20-XI-58 \ ♂ Mesonychium wagenknechti -Ruiz- ( MHNS). 1 female: Chile. Region IV 2 km N. La Higuera S29° 29.61 W 71°13.39’ 29.xi.2002 J. Grixti & A. Zayed ( PCYU). 1 male: Chile: Region IV Hwy 5, N of La Higuera N E 20.x.2009 Net J. Gibbs PCYU-JG09.208 ( PCYU).

Figures

FIGURE 36. Distribution records of Epiclopus wagenknechti.

FIGURES 28 – 31. Epiclopus wagenknechti. Fig. 28. Female (Chile: El Tofo): Head, frontal view (scale bar 1 mm). Fig. 29. Female: Habitus, lateral view (scale bar 5 mm). Fig. 30. Neotype male (Chile: Castilla): Head, frontal view (scale bar 1 mm). Fig. 31. Neotype male: Habitus, lateral view (scale bar 5 mm).

FIGURES 32 – 35. Epiclopus wagenknechti, male genitalia (Chile: Travesía). Fig. 32. Genital capsule: dorsal view. Fig. 33. Genital capsule: ventral view. Fig. 34. S 7: dorsal view. Fig. 35. S 8: dorsal view (scale bars 0.5 mm).

FIGURES 37 – 40. Females (dorsal view). Fig. 37. Epiclopus ecphorus new species (Chile: El Pangue). Fig. 38. Epiclopus gayi (Chile: Viña del Mar). Fig. 39. Epiclopus lendlianus (Chile: Peñalolén). Fig. 40. Epiclopus wagenknechti (Chile: El Tofo) (scale bars 2 mm).

FIGURES 41 – 44. Labrum of males of Epiclopus. Fig. 41. E. ecphorus new species (Holotype, Chile: El Pangue). Fig. 42. E. gayi (Chile: Cajón del Maipo). Fig. 43. E. lendlianus (Chile: Viña del Mar). Fig. 44. E. wagenknechti (Neotype, Chile: Castilla) (scale bars 0.5 mm).