Kelneriapis Sakagami

ENGEL, MICHAEL S., 2001, A Monograph Of The Baltic Amber Bees And Evolution Of The Apoidea (Hymenoptera), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2001 (259), pp. 1-1 : 1-

Genus Kelneriapis Sakagami

Tetragonula (Kelneriapis) Sakagami, 1978: 232 . Type species: Hypotrigona eocenica Kelner­Pillault, 1969 a, monobasic. Michener, 1990: 106 [as a genus].

Kelnermelia Moure In Moure and Camargo, 1978: 565. Type species: Hypotrigona eocenica Kelner­Pillault, 1969 a, monobasic and original designation, isotypic with Kelneriapis Sakagami, 1978 .

DIAGNOSIS: This genus differs from the only other Baltic amber meliponine genus, Liotrigonopsis , by the separation of the antennal sockets from the basal margin of the clypeus more than 1 OD, the rounded apical corner of the metatibia, the scutellum projecting over the metanotum and propodeum, and the strongly declivitous and shortened basal area of the propodeum. Among living genera Kelneriapis is most similar to, and perhaps sister to, Hypotrigona from Africa; both genera have the posterior apical corner of the metatibia rounded, although slightly less so in Kelneriapis . Kelneriapis differs, however, by the scutellum that projects over the metanotum and propodeum, the absence of mandibular dentition, and the shortened and declivitous propodeum.

DESCRIPTION: Mandible without dentition. Malar space shorter than basal mandibular width. Antennal sockets set above base of clypeus by more than an antennal socket di­ ameter. F1 approximately equal in length to pedicel; F1 shorter than F2; F2 approximately equal in length to F3; flagellomeres with numerous, minute sensillar plates. Inner margin of compound eyes straight, eyes apparently parallel (not converging below). Preoccipital area rounded. Anterior border of mesoscutum broadly rounded; tegula oval; scutellum strongly projecting over metanotum and propodeum, without medioapical Vshaped notch, apical margin rounded. Basal area of propodeum much shorter than scutellum, strongly declivitous. Corbicula only weakly concave along apical third of metatibia; posterior angle of corbicula angled but not sharply (intermediate between Hypotrigona and Liotrigona ); inner surface of metatibia with narrow keirotrichiate field, keirotrichiate field weakly elevated, bordered by broad, weakly depressed zone (as in Hypotrigona ); inner surface of metabasitarsus without basal sericeous area. Forewing with distal bend at point where nebulous 1m­cu meets M present (fig. 111); no indication of submarginal cells (not even by nebulous veins); marginal cell apex open; hind wing difficult to see, without closed cells.

COMMENTS: The authorship of the name Kelnermelia was indicated as ‘‘Moure and Camargo’’ by Michener (1990, 1997); however, the name is attributed solely to Padre Moure in the original publication.

Unlike the description by Kelner­Pillault (1970b), which suggests that the specimen was a male (i.e., that there was no corbicula, 13 antennomeres, absence of penicillum), the specimen on which her description was based (labeled in her own hand as the holotype and matching the photograph she presented) is in fact a female with a corbicula, 12 antennomeres, and a penicillum.

Kelneriapis eocenica (Kelner­Pillault) , new combination Figure 111 Plate 7e

Hypotrigona eocenica Kelner­Pillault, 1969 a: 87.

Trigona (Hypotrigona) eocenica (Kelner­Pillault) ; Kelner­Pillault, 1970b: 437.

Tetragonula (Kelneriapis) eocenica (Kelner­Pillault) ; Sakagami, 1978: 232.

Kelnermelia eocenica (Kelner­Pillault) ; Moure and Camargo, 1978: 565.

DIAGNOSIS: As for the genus (see above).

DESCRIPTION: Female. Total body length 3.1 mm; forewing length 2.24 mm. Head wider than long (length 1.21 mm, width 1.24 mm). Interocellar distance 0.22 mm; ocellocular distance 0.17 mm; median to lateral ocellus 0.07 mm. Labrum much broader than long, apical margin straight. Glossa relatively short; flabellum minute; setae of labial palp segments identical to that described for Liotrigona mahafalya Brooks and Michener (Michener, 1990: his fig. 61). Scape relatively straight; flagellum with 10 flagellomeres (original description by Kelner­Pillault is in error). Forewings with identical venation (original description by Kelner­Pillault is in error by mentioning they are different!); basal vein basad cu­a crossvein.

Mandible smooth and impunctate, without outer grooves. Labrum, clypeus, supraclypeal area, face, vertex, and gena smooth and impunctate. Pronotum smooth and impunctate; mesoscutum smooth with a few, faint, small punctures separated by five times a puncture width or more; tegula and scutellum smooth and impunctate; metanotum apparently finely imbricate; pleura smooth and impunctate. Corbicula and outer surface of metabasitarsus finely imbricate. Basal area of propodeum glabrous (lateral and posterior surfaces not visible). Metasoma finely and faintly imbricate.

Head and mesosoma (where preserved) dark brown to black, without maculations. Legs dark brown. Wing membrane hyaline; veins light brown. Metasoma apparently dark brown.

Pubescence generally white. Mandible with widely scattered, minute, subappressed, simple setae. Labrum with minute, simple, subappressed setae evenly scattered over surface. Clypeus, supraclypeal area, and face to slightly above level of antennal sockets as described for labrum. Face above level of antennal sockets with setae as on clypeus but noticeably more sparse, erect, and intermixed with simple, erect, slightly longer setae; such erect setae also on vertex but disappearing on gena where pubescence is as described for clypeus. Mesoscutum with widely scattered, short, simple setae, setae becoming more dense toward anterolateral corners; tegula with scattered, minute, erect setae restricted to inner margin; scutellum as described for mesoscutum except setae slightly longer, setae noticeably more dense along posterior margin and slightly longer; metanotum and basal area of propodeum without pubescence. Corbicula bordered by long, simple setae; apex with penicillum; outer surface of metabasitarsus without pubescence, laterally with short, stiff, simple setae, inner surface with stiff comb rows. Metasoma with sparse, minute, simple, subappressed setae.

MATERIAL: One specimen. Holotype. Female, worker caste, MB. I.1946 ( ZMHB) labeled: ‘‘15 [old Berendt collection number]’’ // ‘‘Holotyp [sic], Paläontologisches Museum Berlin, Trigona (Hypotrigona) eocenica Kelner­Pillault, 1970 , Baltischer Bernstein’’ // ‘‘ Holotype, Trigona eocenica Kelner­Pillault’’ // ‘‘ Hypotrigona eocenica S.K.P., Holotype, S. Kelner­Pillault det.[in Kelner­Pillault’s handwriting]’’.

COMMENTS: Although Kelner­Pillault’s 1970 paper (1970b) is commonly cited as the original proposal of the species, the name was apparently made available by Kelner­Pillault a year earlier (1969a), where a one­sentence diagnosis is presented to separate the species from extant Hypotrigona ; the name is given as ‘‘ Hypotrigona eocenica n. sp. ’’, and two figures are provided to distinguish the fossil from living meliponines. Although meeting abstracts are excluded from availability (ICZN, 1999b: Art. 9.9), published proceedings [as is the case for Kelner­Pillault (1969a)] are available. I therefore consider the name as having been made available in 1969 rather than 1970, and that the original combination was Hypotrigona eocenica rath­ er than Trigona (Hypotrigona) eocenica .

Although Michener (1990) was the first to use Kelneriapis at the generic level (Sakagami treated this group as a subgenus of Tetragonula ), he did not make the associated taxonomic combination for the type species and I have therefore considered my usage above to be a new combination.

Figures

Fig. 111. Forewing of holotype female of Kelneriapis eocenica (Kelner­Pillault). Scale bar = 0.5 mm.