Lasioglossum (Habralictellus) punctifrons ( Crawford, 1914 )

Gibbs, Jason, 2016, Bees of the family Halictidae Thomson, 1869 from Dominica, Lesser Antilles (Hymenoptera: Apoidea), European Journal of Taxonomy 180, pp. 1-50 : 15-17

Lasioglossum (Habralictellus) punctifrons ( Crawford, 1914)

Fig. 7 A–B

Halictus punctifrons Crawford, 1914: 133 .

Material examined

Holotype

DOMINICA: ♀, examined 2015, metasoma not attached, held in capsule on pin, USNM 16733 ( NMNH).

Diagnosis

Lasioglossum punctifrons is distinguished from congenerics on Dominica by any combination of the following characteristics: head as long as wide (length/width ratio = 1.02; Fig. 7A ); mesosoma with granular microsculpture, punctation indistinct ( Fig. 7B ); metapostnotum long, with weak carinulae limited to lateral margins; and T1 without complete setal fan. Lasioglossum roseauense sp. nov. has a shorter head (length/width ratio = 0.87; Fig. 8A ) and only two submarginal cells. The male is unknown.

Remarks

This is clearly a member of the Lasioglossum auratum ( Ashmead, 1900) species complex, which has sometimes been recognized as a separate genus, Habralictellus Moure & Hurd . Many members of this species group, which is endemic to the West Indies, have brilliant iridescent colours on at least the head and mesosoma. The colours are duller in L. punctifrons . The metasoma is entirely dark, without evident metallic reflections. The metapostnotum is elongate, approximately equal in length to the mesoscutellum and metanotum combined, and has only weak carinulae at the lateral margins. The overall structure and sculpturing is very similar to L. auratum , from St. Vincent and the Grenadines, but L. auratum has bright iridescent reflections on the head and mesosoma and more distinct carinulae on the metapostnotum, although still largely limited to the lateral parts. The Puerto Rican species L. eickwortellum (Engel, 2001) also belongs to this group and has similar structural features. The female of L. eickwortellum is bright iridescent, with dense but fine punctation on the mesoscutum, and a bright orange-red colour of T1–T2.

No recent collections of L. punctifrons have been examined. To my knowledge it has not been collected since the original survey in 1913.

Figures

Fig. 7. Lasioglossum (Habralictellus) punctifrons (Crawford, 1914). Holotype, ♀. A. Face. B. Dorsum of mesosoma. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Fig. 8. Lasioglossum (Habralictellus) roseauense sp. nov. Holotype, ♀. A. Face. B. Lateral habitus. C. Dorsum of mesosoma. Scale bars = 1 mm.