Euglossa (Euglossella) ashei Hinojosa-Díaz & Engel, 2014

Hinojosa-Díaz, Ismael A. & Engel, Michael S., 2014, Revision of the orchid bee subgenus Euglossella (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Part II: The viridis and mandibularis species groups, Journal of Melittology 36, pp. 1-108 : 63-65

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.17161/jom.v0i36.4777
publication LSID	urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C9DAC2FD-B7C7-4206-BA89-220522DD884D
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03A1878F-B52E-FFC6-FEB5-49AA677DFECB
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Euglossa (Euglossella) ashei Hinojosa-Díaz & Engel
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Euglossa (Euglossella) ashei Hinojosa-Díaz & Engel View in CoL , new species

ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:9BE41018-B4BE-40EC-94FA-F3D9554E213A

( Figs. 88–91 View Figures 88–89 View Figures 90–91 , 170 View Figure 170 )

DIAGNOSIS: Labiomaxillary complex in repose reaching first metasomal sternum; upper and lower interorbital distances equal (at most marginally different) ( Fig. 90 View Figures 90–91 ); malar area short (less than 0.25 mm, or noticeably shorter than diameter of mid-flagellar articles) ( Fig. 90 View Figures 90–91 ); pronotal dorsolateral angle projected as a lamella; mesoscutellar tuft teardrop shaped, composed of dense, dark setae, occupying two thirds of mesoscutellum length ( Fig. 88 View Figures 88–89 ); metabasitarsus with anterior margin convex, posterior margin very slightly convex ( Fig. 91 View Figures 90–91 ); width of metasoma and head only marginally different (much less than 1.05 times) ( Fig. 88 View Figures 88–89 ); head green ( Fig. 90 View Figures 90–91 ); scape brown with no ivory or yellowish coloration ( Fig. 90 View Figures 90–91 ); mesosoma and metasomal terga green ( Figs. 88–89 View Figures 88–89 ); mesoscutellum densely punctate (punctures contiguous in most areas) ( Fig. 88 View Figures 88–89 ); mesepisternum densely punctate (punctures contiguous in central areas) ( Fig. 89 View Figures 88–89 ); metasomal terga densely and evenly imbricate-punctate ( Fig. 88 View Figures 88–89 ); mesosomal vestiture dominated by fuscous setae ( Figs. 88–89 View Figures 88–89 ).

DESCRIPTION: ♀: Structure. Total body length 9.69 mm (9.11–10.22; n=4); labiomaxillary complex in repose reaching first metasomal sternum ( Fig. 89 View Figures 88–89 ). Head length 2.59 mm (2.48–2.67; n=4); head width 4.31 mm (4.19–4.44; n=4); upper interorbital distance 2.05 mm (2.02–2.07; n=4); lower interorbital distance 2.00 mm (1.93–2.04; n=4); upper clypeal width 1.09 mm (0.96–1.15; n=4); lower clypeal width 1.83 mm (1.78–1.85; n=4); clypeal protuberance 0.56 mm (0.52–0.67; n=4); clypeal ridges, labral ridges, and labral windows as described for E. viridis ; labrum rectangular, wider than long, length 0.86 mm (0.84–0.89; n=4), width 1.03 mm (1.01–1.04; n=4); anterior margin of labrum arched outwards with subapical carina ( Fig. 90 View Figures 90–91 ); interocellar distance 0.33 mm (0.30–0.34; n=4); ocellocular distance 0.58 mm (0.56–0.59; n=4); first flagellar article longer [0.51 mm (0.49–0.52; n=4)] than second and third flagellar articles combined [0.38 mm (0.35– 0.41; n=4)]; length of malar area 0.13 mm (0.07–0.15; n=4). Mandible tridentate. Pronotal dorsolateral angle as in E. viridis ; intertegular distance 3.29 mm (3.11–3.41; n=4); mesoscutal length 2.56 mm (2.41–2.63; n=4); mesoscutellar length 1.16 mm (1.07–1.22; n=4); posterior margin of mesoscutellum as in E. viridis ( Fig. 88 View Figures 88–89 ); mesotibial length 2.00 mm (1.93–2.11; n=4); mesobasitarsal length 1.85 mm (1.78–1.93; n=4), maximum width 0.58 mm (0.56–0.59; n=4); metatibia triangular (right triangle) ( Fig. 91 View Figures 90–91 ); metatibial anterior margin length 2.91 mm (2.81–3.04; n=4); metatibial ventral margin length 1.81 mm (1.74–1.93; n=4); metatibial postero-dorsal margin length 3.23 mm (3.15–3.33; n=4); metabasitarsal length 1.68 mm (1.56–1.81; n=4), proximal margin width 0.78 mm (0.74–0.81; n=4). Forewing length 7.60 mm (7.26–8.00; n=4); hind wing with 18–21 (n=4) hamuli. Maximum metasomal width 4.39 mm (4.22–4.52; n=4).

Coloration. Generally as described for females of E. perviridis , only with somewhat stronger golden-bronzy iridescence throughout (not as strong though as in E. cetera and E. cupella ) ( Figs. 88–91 View Figures 88–89 View Figures 90–91 ).

Sculpturing. As described for male (and by extension for female) of E. perviridis ( Figs. 88–90 View Figures 88–89 View Figures 90–91 ).

Vestiture. Head, mesosoma, and metasoma as in E. viridis ( Figs. 88–90 View Figures 88–89 View Figures 90–91 ). Mesoscutellar tuft and corbicula as in females of E. viridis / azurea ( Figs. 88 View Figures 88–89 , 91 View Figures 90–91 ).

♂: Unknown.

ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet is a patronym honoring the late James S. Ashe (1947–2005), renowned specialist of Aleocharinae ( Staphylinidae ), consummate collector of rove beetles and bees, and remembered colleague.

HOLOTYPE: ♀, French Guiana : “ FRENCH GUIANA; Kourou, Km. 12 SW.; 29 June 1977; D. Roubik, No. 185 [Date and all numerals handwritten]” ( SEMC).

PARATYPES (3♀♀): French Guiana : 1♀, “ FRENCH GUIANA; Kourou, Km. 17 SW.; 27 March 1977; D. Roubik, No. 117 [Date and all numerals handwritten]” ( SEMC). Brazil: 2♀♀, “Serra do Navio-AP; Brasil 7-II-62; F.M. Oliveira ” ( FSCA, SEMC) .

COMMENTS: This is the third largely green species based solely on females and occurring in the Guiana Shield region, and as noted in the previous two species, it is possible that some of these specimens were part of those mentioned by Dressler (1985), although the individuals of E. ashei correspond to different collecting events. Females of this species can be distinguished from the similarly green females of other species owing to the combination of the shape of the metabasitarsus and metasomal width comparable to the head width (less than 2% wider on average). Euglossa cetera , although having a similar metasoma to head width ratio, has a metabasitarsus with straight margins, while E. cupella has the characteristic barrel-shaped metabasitarsus and a noticeably wide metasoma with respect to the head. Females of E. perviridis have metabasitarsal margins not so convex and a wide metasoma with respect to the head. Based on the four known specimens of E. ashei , the species occurs in the eastern section of the Guiana Shield, collected from near Kourou, French Guiana, and Serra do Navio, State of Amapá, Brazil ( Fig. 170 View Figure 170 ).