Amegilla (Zonamegilla) adelaidae (Cockerell)

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 : 104-106

Amegilla (Zonamegilla) adelaidae (Cockerell) Figs 3, 26, 40

Anthophora adelaidae Cockerell, 1905, p. 397.

Amegilla adelaidae (Cockerell) Michener, 1965, p. 216.

Amegilla (Zonamegilla) adelaidae (Cockerell) Brooks, 1988, p. 511.

Material examined.

54 females and 33 males.

Type data.

Holotype of adelaidae : male, Adelaide River, NT, BMNH 17B.664.

The identity of the species adelaidae was determined unequivocally from the shape of S7 of the holotype.

Diagnosis.

Amegilla adelaidae may be recognized by the matt, pale orange tergal hair bands in both sexes; females by the broad, entire patch of white hairs on T5 (Fig. 26); males by the shape of S7, which has a smoothly rounded posterior margin with a sharp apical projection, a narrow ventral ridge and narrow Y-shaped brush with an acute angle between the lateral arms (Fig. 40).

Redescription.

Female: Berrimah, Research Farm Orchard, NT, 12.4333S 130.9167E, 14 May 2003, G.R. Brown & H. Wallace, DNA voucher RB266 (RL501), SAMA-32-002617.

Length 13 mm; forewing length 8 mm.

Structure. Head: clypeus protuberant, in profile 0.5 × width of eye; galea in repose reaching beyond mid coxa; length of f1 2.7 × length of f2, 0.8 × length of scape (excluding basal bulb) and 1.8 × length of f10; length of f3-9 0.9 × width; IOD 1.3 × OOD; OS 0.6 × OOD. Coloration. Yellow marks on labrum, mandible, scape, clypeus, paraocular and supraclypeal areas; inverted T-shape on clypeus; f2 and apex of f1 orange ventrally. Pubescence. Head: labrum white, remaining areas predominantly pale, darker towards the vertex; black robust hairs scattered between antennae, near ocelli and on vertex, a few on clypeus; gena white, light brown towards vertex. Thorax: scutum ginger intermixed with black hair; 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 hair, outer surface of foretibia and -tarsus pale yellow, inner surface of foretarsus dark; mid legs dark, except white hairs on apex of femur and on outer surface of tibia and basitarsus and a streak of contiguous short white hairs on posterior proximal part of femur; hind legs dark, except white hairs on apex of femur and outer surface of tibia, white patch on basal part of basitarsus; basitibial streak black, 0.7 × length of femur. Metasoma: apical hair bands on T1-T4 white with weak light blue and orange iridescence; T5 laterally with long white hairs and few dispersed short hairs (Fig. 26), fimbria dark, medial patch forming broad band around fimbria, medial streak overlapping fimbria; S3, S4 dark, posterolateral patches of white hairs; S5 dark, laterally with small white patches. Punctation. Head: clypeus with close medium sized, deep punctures, 0.1-0.8 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 punctures, 0.8-1.5 puncture widths apart.

Male: Berrimah, Research Farm Orchard, NT, 130.9167E 12.4333S, 14 May 2003, G.R. Brown & H. Wallace, DNA voucher RB266 (RL502), SAMA-32-002616.

Length 12 mm; forewing length 8.5 mm.

Structure. Head: shortest distance between eyes 0.8 × length of eye; clypeus protuberant, in profile 0.5 × width of eye; galea in repose reaching beyond mid coxa; length of f1 1.9 × length of f2, 0.6 × length of scape (excluding basal bulb) and 1.1 × length of f11; length of f3-10 1.1 × width; IOD 1.4 × 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 2.3 × length of second abscissa of M+Cu; length of jugal lobe about 0.5 × length of vannal lobe. Metasoma: apicomedial emargination of S5 wide; S7 with rounded apical margin, sharp apical projection, large windows, width medial ridge 1.6 × length, narrow Y-shaped brush (Fig. 40); S8 apical emargination wide almost trilobed. Pubescence. Head: labrum white, remaining areas predominantly pale, darker towards the vertex; 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 light brown with scattered black hairs under wing base, white ventrally; propodeum laterally light brown with scattered black hairs. Legs: forefemur posteriorly with long white hair, outer surface of tibia and tarsus pale yellow, inner surface of tarsus dark; mid legs dark, except white hair on the apex of femur, posteriorly on proximal half of femur and on outer surface of tibia and basitarsus; hind legs dark, 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 greyish white with orange tinge, almost not iridescent; T6, T7 black when viewed from behind, brown when viewed from the side; S2-S5 medially dark, lateral thirds white. Punctation. Head: clypeus with punctures 0.5-3.0 puncture widths apart; labrum with small, shallow punctures 0.5-2.0 puncture widths apart. Thorax: scutum shiny, with close, small, shallow punctures 0.5-1.0 puncture widths apart, interspaces smooth. Metasoma: T1-T5 shiny, with open, fine, shallow punctures, 1.0-3.0 puncture widths apart.

Variation.

Most female specimens have pale orange bands with no metallic reflections, but the bands of males are frequently paler and more often show hints of green iridescence. A few specimens, male and female, had ivory, rather than yellow face marks.

Phenology.

Distribution.

Australia, mainly in tropical and subtropical areas, including the arid zone (Fig. 3).