Lasioglossum (Dialictus) tegulare

Gibbs, Jason, 2009, Integrative taxonomy identifies new (and old) species in the Lasioglossum (Dialictus) tegulare (Robertson) species group (Hymenoptera, Halictidae), Zootaxa 2032, pp. 1-38 : 13

Lasioglossum (Dialictus) tegulare species group

Diagnosis. Members of the L. tegulare group can be distinguished from most other Dialictus by the presence of an enlarged and punctate tegula. In North America, there are two exceptions; L. marinum and L. megastictum (Cockerell) both have enlarged tegula but additional morphological data do not support a close relationship to L. tegulare (Gibbs, unpublished data). Both of these latter species are larger than members of the tegulare group and have dense punctation on the mesoscutum. In contrast, species within the tegulare group are small to at most medium-sized Dialictus and have close but distinctly separated punctures on the central disc of the mesoscutum. In addition, L. marinum has metallic reflections on the metasoma that are absent in the tegulare group. Lasioglossum megastictum lacks punctures on the mesepisternum that are a common feature of many tegulare group species.

Description. Small to medium sized (3.5–6.1 mm); andreniform; head and mesosoma dull metallic; metasoma dark brown to piceous, rarely ferruginous (as in L. hunteri [Crawford]); mesoscutum punctation close but distinctly separated on centre of disc; mesepisternum often distinctly punctate; tegula enlarged forming posterior angle often coarsely punctate; basal vein arched; 2nd and 3rd submarginal crossveins (1rs-m and 2rs-m) and 2nd recurrent vein (2m-cu) weak.