Mourecotelles braziliensis Ferrari & Melo, 2022

Ferrari, Rafael R., Buschini, Maria L. T., Diniz, Mary E. R., Zhu, Chao-Dong & Melo, Gabriel A. R., 2022, Discovery of Mourecotelles (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Colletinae) in Brazil: nesting biology and pollen preferences of a remarkable new species of the genus, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 89, pp. 211-231 : 211

Mourecotelles braziliensis Ferrari & Melo sp. nov.

Figures 2A-D , 3A-C

Diagnosis.

Both sexes of M. braziliensis can be readily diagnosed by having the mesosoma covered almost entirely with dark-orange pubescence (Fig. 2A-F ), whereas in all other species of the genus the mesosomal pubescence is off-white to pale-yellow, which may or may not include sparse black hairs. Females of M. braziliensis are also unique in having the marginal zone of T6 forming a raised lip ( Ferrari and Packer 2021: fig. S9E), while in females of all other Mourecotelles the T6 is entirely subvertical ( Ferrari and Packer 2021: fig. S9E). Males of M. braziliensis can be further differentiated from their congeners by having the volsella with a convex digitus ( Ferrari and Packer 2021: fig. S4A), whereas the digitus is always concave in the other Mourecotelles ( Ferrari and Packer 2021: fig. S4B). Mourecotelles braziliensis is most similar to the sister species M. moldenkei Toro & Cabezas and M. spinolae (Crawford & Titus), but females of the former species have the gena devoid of tomentum (Fig. 2B ), while the gena of females of the latter two species is covered with dense pale tomentum. Males of M. braziliensis have the mandible with a narrowly rounded apical tooth ( Ferrari and Packer 2021: fig. S15A), thus making them very distinct from males of both M. moldenkei and M. spinolae , in which the apical tooth is broadly truncate ( Ferrari and Packer 2021: fig. S15B).

Description.

Female (Holotype, Fig. 2A, B, D ). Dimensions (mm). Approximate body length 11.0; head width 3.9; head length 2.9; intertegular distance 3.2; forewing length 7.1.

Colouration. Black, except dark-brown on wing venation (except veins C and R of forewing black), distitarsi, tarsal claws distally; pale reddish-brown on tegula, tibial spurs, tarsal claws proximally, marginal zones of S1-S5; reddish-brown on tarsal claws distally.

Structure. Labrum with longitudinal subellipsoidal concavities. Malar area 1.4 × longer than broad. Inner margins of compound eyes subparallel. F1 2.1 × as long as its apical width. Facial fovea narrowly rounded below, more broadly rounded above. Dorsolateral angle of pronotum obtusely angled. Tibial spurs ciliate. Hind basitarsus 3.6 × longer than broad. Marginal zone of T6 forming a raised lip.

Pubescence. Head with long, erect, off-white and black hairs intermixed; equivalent hairs longer on vertex; mandible with a fringe of long, pale-yellow setae oriented mesad; clypeus with short, suberect, pale-yellow setae concentrated below. Mesosoma with long, erect, dark-orange plumose hairs; equivalent hairs longer and paler on mesepisternum, metepisternum and lateral surface of propodeum; mesoscutum with dark-orange and black hairs intermixed anteriorly. Legs mostly with moderately long, suberect, pale-yellow branched hairs; front trochanter and femur with long, erect, off-white and black hairs intermixed posteriorly; mid femur and mid and hind coxae and trochanters with very long, erect off-white hairs ventrally; mid tibia with short, erect, bright-orange thick setae forming a longitudinal line along proximal third ventrally; mid and hind tibiae and basitarsi with short, suberect, pale-yellow setae dorsally; femoral and tibial scopae with very long, pale-yellow apically-branched hairs. Metasomal terga with short, erect, pale-yellow setae on discs; T1 with very long, erect, pale-orange plumose hairs; T1-T5 apical bands with pale-orange tomentum; T6 with short, suberect, black thick setae. Metasomal sterna with minute, suberect, pale-yellow setae.

Sculpture. Clypeus with subparallel longitudinal coarse striae. Malar area unevenly punctate (i=0.5-2.0d); several punctures elongate and poorly delimited; interspaces finely imbricate. Paraocular area finely and very densely punctate (i<0.5d). Supraclypeal area largely impunctate; integument finely imbricate. Frons moderately coarsely and densely punctate (i=0.5-1.0d). Vertex finely punctate; punctures sparser (i=1.0-3.0d) medially, denser (i=0.5-1.0d) towards upper summit of eye. Mesosomal dorsum coarsely punctate; punctures sparsest (i>3d) on mesoscutum medially, densest (i=0.5-1.0d) on scutellum posteriorly, finer on metanotum; interspaces smooth, except finely imbricate on anterior third of mesoscutum. Mesepisternum coarsely and unevenly punctate, punctures densest (i=0.5-1.0d) near scrobe, sparsest (i=1.0-2.0d) towards ventral surface; interspaces finely imbricate throughout. Lateral surface of propodeum with minute punctures; interspaces coarsely imbricate. Metapostnotum mostly smooth, with many short carinae along anterior margin. Metasoma minutely and sparsely (i=1.0-2.0d) punctate; interspaces corrugated on terga, finely imbricate on sterna.

Male (Fig. 2C ): As in female, except for secondary sexual features and as follows. Dimensions (mm). Approximate body length 9.4; head width 3.6; head length 2.6; intertegular distance 3.2; forewing length 6.9.

Colouration. Tegula dark brown; metasomal sterna with black marginal zones.

Structure. Malar area 1.5 × as long as basal width of mandible. F1 1.8 × as long as its apical width. Hind basitarsus 3.8 × longer than broad. S7, S8 and genital capsule as in Fig. 3A-C , respectively.

Pubescence. Face with mostly pale-yellow hairs, black hairs restricted to paraocular area and vertex. Supraclypeal area, gena near proboscidial fossa and lateral surface of propodeum with very long hairs. Mesoscutum with only dark-orange hairs, black hairs absent.

Sculpture. Malar area with convex interspaces. Clypeal striae somewhat finer and more irregularly oriented. Supraclypeal area more densely punctate (i=1.0-1.5d).

Type material.

Holotype ♀: " DZUP\ 028459". "Buschini, M.L.T\ Guarapuava - PR\ Brasil - 22/11/02". "N. 283 (1)\ 22/11/02\ 30/10/03\ (0,7)". "HOLOTYPE \ Mourecotelles \ Mourecotelles braziliensis \ Ferrari & Melo, 2021". [DZUP 028459].

Paratypes. Brazil, Paraná, Guarapuava, 24/10/2002, M.L.T. Buschini leg., 1♀ [UNICENTRO]; same data as for preceding, except 22/11/2002, 1♂ [UNICENTRO], 1♀ and 1♂ [DZUP 028460, 028462]; same data as for preceding, except 06/12/2002, 1♂ [PCYU]; same data as for preceding, except 19/12/2002, 1♂ [UNICENTRO]; same data as for preceding, except 11/10/2003, 1♀ [UNICENTRO]; same data as for preceding, except 27/10/2003, 1♀ [DZUP 028465]; same data as for preceding, except 18/12/2003, 1♀ [PCYU], 1♀ [DZUP 028461]; same data as for preceding, except 19/10/2005, 2♂ [DZUP 028463, 028464]; Brazil, Paraná, Palmas, 18/11/2009, G. Melo, K. Ramos & V. Kanamura leg., 1♀ and 1♂ [DZUP 028395, 028468]; Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, Rio Grande, 11/2004, FURG leg., 1♀ and 1♂ [DZUP 028466, 028467].

Etymology.

The only species of Mourecotelles currently known to occur in Brazil.

Comments.

The species described herein has been referred to in several previous publications, including Buschini (2006) (as Colletes sp.), Diniz and Buschini (2009) (as Rhynchocolletes sp.), Almeida et al. (2019) (as Mourecotelles sp.) and Ferrari and Packer (2021) (as Mourecotelles sp.1).

Figures

Figure 2. Mourecotelles braziliensis A head of female holotype, frontal view B habitus of female holotype, lateral view C head of male paratype, frontal view D lower half of head of female holotype, frontal view. Scale bars: 1 mm.

Figure 3. Terminalia of Mourecotelles braziliensis A S 7, ventral view B S 8, ventral view C genital capsule, dorsal view. Scale bars: 1 mm.