Leptometriella minima Roig-Alsina

A. Roig-Alsina, 2008, A revision of the South American bee genus Leptometriella Roig-Alsina (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Emphorini), Zootaxa 1688, pp. 20-36 : 34-35

Leptometriella minima Roig-Alsina , n. sp.

(Fig. 8)

Diagnosis. This species can be recognized by its small size, being the smallest species in the genus. It is also distinguished by the metapostnotum with a short basal subhorizontal portion, the extremely short pubescence of the metasomal terga, and the scarcely elevated vertex of the head.

Description. Female holotype. Length 4.6 mm (paratypes 4.5–5.0 mm); length of forewing 4.1 mm (paratypes 4.0– 4.6 mm).

Head black; apical half of mandible brown. Thorax and propodeum black; tegula brown. Metasoma dark brown, with apex of terga and sterna pale brown, translucent. Legs black, but beyond basitarsus brown; tibial spurs yellowish. Wings hyaline with veins and pterostigma brown; center of pterostigma light brown. Vestiture mostly whitish, but pale brownish on apex of tarsi and dorsum of T1–T2; prepygidial and pygidial fimbriae yellowish brown. Vestiture of head, thorax, most of legs, propodeum, and base of T1 long. Hairs sparse on clypeus and labrum, on clypeus 1.4–2.4 times MOD, between antennal sockets 2.0–3.0 times MOD. Hairs on scutum 1.5–3.0 times MOD; on mesopleuron 3.4–4.4 times MOD. Metapostnotum mostly glabrous, except close to propodeal margins with short hairs, as long as 0.3 times MOD. T1–T4 with well-defined narrow apical bands of appressed hairs; band on T1 interrupted medially. Disc of T1–T4 with extremely short, appressed hairs, as long as 0.2–0.4 times MOD and with intermixed, sparse, erect hairs 0.6 times MOD, although erect hairs on T2 present only at sides. Labrum and clypeus with distinct moderate punctures, on clypeus 0.2–0.3 times MOD, separated by 0.5–1.0 times their diameter; rest of body with small punctures; with shiny, impunctate areas surrounding ocelli, on center of scutum, and narrow band on dorsum of scutellum; metapostnotum tessellate. Vertex of head scarcely elevated behind ocelli, distance from median ocellus to vertex in frontal view as long as 0.6 ocellar diameters. Proportion of UID to LID 1:0.85; IAD to AOD 1:0.42. Proportion of scape, pedicel and first three flagellomeres 3.3:0.8:1:0.6:0.6; first flagellomere as long as its apical width.

Mandible narrowly pointed apically; preapical tooth distinct, small. Metapostnotum with basal portion slanting posteriorly, convex when seen in profile. Gradulus of T6 with short gradular carina restricted to posterior portion of tergum.

Male. Length 4.7–5.2 mm; length of forewing 4.1–4.7 mm.

Color of cuticle and vestiture similar to that of female. Hairs of scutum 1.4–2.3 times MOD. T2–T6 with narrow apical band of appressed hairs; band on T1 less defined. Basal part of T2 with decumbent hairs, short medially (0.3–0.5 times MOD), longer laterally. T3–T6 basally with intermixed decumbent hairs 0.4–0.6 times MOD, and semierect hairs 0.8 times MOD. S6 evenly covered with short hairs 0.2 times MOD. Proportion of first three flagellomeres, 1:0.8:0.9; first flagellomere as long as 1.1 times its apical width. Mandible tapering apically. T7 ending apically in two short points separated by a shallow notch. S7, S8 and genital capsule similar to those of L. monteana .

Etymology. The specific name alludes to the small size.

Material studied. Holotype female, Bolivia, Cochabamba, 1946, R. Zischka col. ( MLP). Paratypes: 12 females and 16 males, same data as holotype ( MLP, MACN).