Amegilla (Zonamegilla) murrayensis (Rayment)

Leijs, Remko, Batley, Michael & Hogendoorn, Katja, 2017, The genus Amegilla (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Anthophorini) in Australia: A revision of the subgenera Notomegilla and Zonamegilla, ZooKeys 653, pp. 79-140 : 119-120

Amegilla (Zonamegilla) murrayensis (Rayment) Figs 11, 32, 45

Anthophora murrayensis Rayment, 1939, p. 288.

Amegilla murrayensis (Rayment) Michener, 1965, p. 217.

Amegilla (Zonamegilla) murrayensis (Rayment) Brooks, 1988, p. 511.

Anthophora longula Rayment, 1947, p. 59. n. syn.

Amegilla longula (Rayment) Michener, 1965, p. 217.

Amegilla (Zonamegilla) longula (Rayment) Brooks, 1988, p. 511.

Anthophora subsalteri Rayment, 1947, p. 69. n. syn.

Amegilla subsalteri (Rayment) Michener, 1965, p. 217.

Amegilla (Zonamegilla) subsalteri (Rayment) Brooks, 1988, p. 511.

Material examined.

229 females and 132males.

Type data.

Syntypes of murrayensis , male, female, Gunbower, VIC, 16 Mar. 1940, No. G500, “Type” & “allotype”, ANIC 32-034560-1; male, Gunbower, 3 Feb. 1934, 20, ANIC 32-034208.

Syntypes of longula , male, female, Orroroo, SA, 3 & 10 Feb. 1940, ANIC 32-034558-9.

Decisions for synonymy.

The results of DNA analyses of specimens from across the complete geographical range showed no geographical pattern with respect to sequence variation. The uncorrected sequence divergence was found to be 0-1.3% (Table 1), which is well below the usual limits for conspecific individuals.

The syntypes of murrayensis and longula were examined and considered to be conspecific. Type material for subsalteri , presumed to be the holotype by monotypy, was not found, but from Rayment’s description and drawings ( Rayment 1947) together with the collection locality, subsalteri is believed to be conspecific with murrayensis .

Diagnosis.

Amegilla murrayensis is a relatively small species with pale yellow face marks and narrow (about 0.3x the width of the disc on T2) apical hair bands which are usually pale blue, occasionally with an orange tint, but never bright orange; female hind tibia with a dark streak at least 0.5 × as long as the tibia; T5 with a patch of scattered white hair that narrows laterally and with a longitudinal line of denser white hair that does not intrude significantly into the prepygidial fimbria. Both sexes can be distinguished from other species by hair bands on T1-4 that appear broader laterally below the gradulus because of numerous scattered pale hairs on the disc (Figs 16, 17).

Description.

Female: Sunnyside, N of Murray Bridge, 35.0500S 139.3600E, 27 Feb 2003, R.Leijs & K. Hogendoorn, SAMA 32-002635.

Length 12 mm; forewing length 8 mm.

Structure. Head: clypeus protuberant, in profile 0.5 width of eye; galea in repose reaching half-way between fore and mid coxae; length of f1 2.8 × length of f2, 0.9 × length of scape (excluding basal bulb) and 1.6 × length of f10; length of f3-9 0.9 × width; IOD 1.4 × OOD; OS 0.8 × OOD. Coloration. Yellow marks on labrum, mandibles, scape, clypeus, paraocular and supraclypeal areas; inverted T-shape on clypeus. Pubescence. Head: labrum white, remaining areas predominantly pale yellow with scattered black robust hairs on clypeus, paraocular areas, between antennae, near ocelli and on vertex; gena white. Thorax: scutum ginger intermixed with black hairs; pleura ginger with scattered black hairs under wing base, white ventrally; thoracic sterna white; propodeum laterally light ginger with scattered black hairs. Legs: forefemur posteriorly with long white hairs, outer surface of fore tibia and tarsus white, inner surface of tarsus dark; mid legs dark, except white hairs on apex of the femur, posteriorly on proximal one third of femur and on outer surface of tibia and basitarsus; hind legs black, except white hairs on apex of femur and outer surface of tibia; basitibial streak black, 0.6-0.9 length of femur. Metasoma: apical hair bands on T1-T4 white with iridescence varying from light blue to greenish orange; T5 laterally with long white hairs and few dispersed short hairs (Fig. 32), fimbria black, medial patch around the fimbria, narrowing laterally; S3, S4 dark, posterolateral patches of white hairs; S5 black, laterally with small white patches. Punctation. Head: clypeus with close, medium sized, deep punctures, 0.3-1.0 puncture widths apart; labrum shiny, with close, small punctures of intermediate depth, 0.2-0.9 puncture widths apart, interspaces almost smooth. Thorax: scutum somewhat shiny, with close punctures, 0.2-0.8 puncture widths apart. Metasoma: T1-T5 with close to open punctures, 0.5-2.0 puncture widths apart.

Male: Coen, 13.94415S 143.20022E, QLD, 27 June 2007, SAMA 32-002584, R. Leijs & M. Batley, DNA voucher RB280 (RL783).

Length 11 mm; forewing length 8 mm.

Structure. Head: shortest distance between eyes 0.7 length of eye; clypeus protuberant, in profile 0.5 width of eye; galea in repose reaching halfway between fore and mid coxae; length of f1 1.5 × length of f2, 0.5 × length of scape (excluding basal bulb) and 0.8 × length of f11; length of f3-10 1.2 × width; IOD 1.5 × OOD; OS 0.7 × OOD. Wings: length of marginal cell 0.8 × distance from apex of marginal cell to wing tip; length of vein M of hind wing 2.6 times as long as second abscissa of M+Cu; length of jugal lobe about 0.5 × length of vannal lobe. Metasoma: apicomedial emargination of S5 wide and deep; S7 windows small, median hair brush 3 –4× width, lateral wings of hair brush well developed making an angle of 60° with long axis of brush (Fig. 45); S8 apical emargination deep. Pubescence. Head: labrum white, remaining areas predominantly pale brown with scattered black robust hairs on clypeus, paraocular areas, between antennae, near ocelli and on vertex; gena white. Thorax: scutum light brown intermixed with black hairs; pleura brown with scattered black hairs under wing base, white ventrally; propodeum laterally light brown with scattered black hairs. Legs: foreleg: femur posteriorly with long white hairs, outer surface of tibia and tarsus white, inner surface of and tarsus dark; mid legs dark, except white hairs on the apex of femur, posteriorly on proximal one third of femur and on outer surface of tibia and basitarsus; hind legs black, except white hairs on apex of femur and outer surface of tibia, small white patch on outer base of basitarsus. Metasoma: apical hair bands on T1-T5 white; T6, T7 black when viewed from behind, light brown when viewed from the side; S2-S5: S3, S4 medially dark, lateral thirds white, S5 medially dark, lateral quarters white. Punctation. Head: clypeus with punctures 1.0-3.0 puncture widths apart; labrum with medium, shallow punctures 0.5-1.5 puncture widths apart. Thorax: scutum shiny, with close, small, shallow punctures 0.3-1.0 puncture widths apart, interspaces smooth. Metasoma: T1-T5 with shiny, open, fine, shallow punctures, 1.0-3.0 puncture widths apart.

Variation.

Males from southern Western Australia often have more black hairs on the clypeus and paraclypeal areas than specimens from northern Queensland or specimens from the Lofty Ranges in South Australia. There is also some variation in the width of the pale patch on T5 in fresh females. Some specimens from the NW Pilbarra and Barrow Island are seemingly larger, have wider tergal bands and a more intense patch of pale hairs on female T5 and have almost ivory face marks and white apical bands on T1-4. These specimens are sufficiently different from murrayensis and may belong to an undescribed species. Future collections and molecular work may shed light on their identity.

Remarks.

There were some problems with the molecular delineation of murrayensis and pulchra , as mentioned in the Results and Discussion section. The sequences obtained with the M202/M70 primers resulted in two morphologically similar clades of murrayensis specimens, often with specimens from the same localities in different clades (Suppl. material 1: Fig. S1). It also resulted in a number of specimens now believed to be pulchra to appear in one of the murrayensis clades. Using the CO1 barcoding primers (M414/M423, Hebert et al. 2004) the two murrayensis clades collapsed into one (Suppl. material 1: Fig. S2). These problems may have been caused by amplification of a mitochondrial copy in the nuclear genome.

Phenology.

Amegilla murrayensis is the most widespread and common species in the subgenus Zonamegilla . Below 30°S the species is active from November until March, with a peak in January. In the north of the continent they can be found year round possibly with a peak in May.

Distribution.

Widespread throughout Australia, but not found in Tasmania (Fig. 11).