Ptiloglossa chamelensis Ayala & Engel, 2014

Ayala, Ricardo & Engel, Michael S., 2014, A new species of Ptiloglossa from Mexico, with new records of Ptiloglossa cyaniventris from Panama and Costa Rica (Hymenoptera: Colletidae), Journal of Melittology 35, pp. 1-13 : 3-8

Ptiloglossa chamelensis Ayala & Engel , new species

ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:86F8A838-0C74-44B1-A368-2005AA399CF8

( Figs. 1–8 )

DIAGNOSIS: The new species is similar in appearance to P. rugata Moure but may be distinguished in females by the vertex, upper frons, and mesosoma with dark pubescence ( Figs. 3 , 8 ); gena with whitish pubescence ( Fig. 8 ); metasomal terga II–IV with moderately dense yellow pubescence ( Fig. 8 ), integument with noticeable greenish highlights. Males can be recognized by the combination of a projected clypeus with the upper discal area prominent ( Figs. 2 ); short ocellocular distance ( Fig. 2 ), metatibia widest apically at level of fused spur; fused metatibial spur wide and flat proximally, then projecting apically ( Fig. 4 ); and the metasomal terga with apical bands of yellow pubescence ( Fig. 1 ).

DESCRIPTION: ♂: Total body length 21 mm; forewing length 15.5 mm. Mandible reddish brown with apex darker, relatively straight, slightly longer than lower interocular distance. Malar space short, much less than basal mandibular width, less than diameter of first flagellomere. Labrum, clypeus, and scape yellow; labrum prominent medially, rounded, smooth; clypeus projected, prominent in upper part, flattened, upper discal area with a medial depression, integument shiny, finely and faintly imbricate, pubescence confined to lateral areas. Clypeo-ocular distance short; lower paraocular area with yellowish pubescence, including interantennal area, contrasting with interocellar area where setae have darkened apices; vertex with fuscous setae. Scape with yellowish brown at extreme apex, scape reaching upper margin of median ocellus; pedicel and first flagellomere reddish brown, remainder of flagellum dark reddish brown. Compound eyes strongly convergent above; vertex below tangent of upper margin of compound eyes; ocellocular space narrow, less than half diameter of first flagellomere; posterior interocellar distance only slightly shorter than ocellar diameter; distance from ocelli and posterior margin of vertex distinctly greater ocellar diameter; posterior margin of vertex strongly convex in dorsal view; distance from posterior border of compound eye to occiput short, less than ocellar diameter. Gena with yellowish setae, lighter than those on face.

Mesosoma with dark brown to light yellowish brown pubescence, setae with darkened reddish apices, pleura similar to nota but sternal areas of mesosoma medially with setae shorter and slightly more sparse. Tegula yellowish brown, translucent. Wing membranes hyaline, slightly tinged color of parchment; veins brown to dark brown. Legs with fulvous to brown integument; fore- and midlegs with yellowish brown pubescence; mesofemur with darker integument in basal half; metafemur with dark brown setae on outer surface, with paler setae towards posterior; mesotibia with dark setae on outer and posterior surfaces, inner anterior margin with yellow setae; mesotibia gradually widened apically, maximal width at level of fushed outer metatibial spur ( Fig. 4 ); outer metatibial spur broad and flattened proximally, then tapering quickly and apically projected ( Fig. 4 ); wide space between base of spur and apical articulation of metatibia ( Fig. 4 ); inner metatibial spur thin and longer than fused outer metatibial spur; metabasitarsus with dark setae on posterior margin, remainder of surface with reddish brown setae; metabasitarsus flattened, with a rounded angle along anterior margin near base ( Fig. 4 ); remainder of metatarsomeres with integument and pubescence brown. Lateral surfaces of propodeum with long setae with darkened apices; basal area of propodeum very finely and faintly imbricate, shiny.

First metasomal tergum with long brown hairs on upper surface, such setae frequently with darkened apices; tergum I with long setae on discal area frequently paler than those elsewhere; terga I–V with dark brown integument, medially on terga II and III sometimes with narrow, transverse area of lighter brown; terga II–V with golden yellow to golden greenish highlights, such highlights more intense toward margins and laterally; apical margins of terga II–IV hyaline; terga II–IV apically with bands of short, suberect to appressed, simple, yellow setae, contrasting with darker setae on remainder of surface ( Fig. 1 ); terga with longer, whitish setae along lateral extremities; terga V and VI with longer, more erect, branched, dark fuscous setae, except apically on tergum V some whitish, shorter, branched setae apically near margin; sterna I–IV with whitish, erect, branched setae, matching those on lateral extremities of corresponding terga I–II; sterna V and VI with fuscous setae; sternum VI medially extended to an acutely rounded point, gently elevated medio-longitudinally toward apical point (however, not strongly ridged or carinate), this area with dense fuscous setae, laterally with prominent, ventrally-pointed, dentiform projections. Hidden sterna VII and VIII and genitalia as in figures 5–7.

♀: Total body length 20 mm; forewing length 13 mm. Mandible dark reddish brown, slightly lighter medially, with apex darker; head largely dark reddish brown to black, labrum and apical margin of clypeus lighter reddish brown. Clypeus finely imbricate, surface weakly and faintly irregular in places in apical half; clypeus slightly projected with discal area somewhat flattened. Pubescence of clypeus, paraocular area, and frons whitish, intermingled with a few longer, more fuscous setae; setae of upper frons, ocellocular area, interocellar area, vertex, and upper paraocular area dark fuscous. Frontal groove evident between interantennal space and median ocellus. Inner margin of compound eyes subparallel. Scape slightly exceeding upper margin of median ocellus; scape dark reddish brown, as on remainder of antenna. Ocellocular area only slightly shorter than lateral ocellar diameter; posterior interocellar distance greater than ocellar diameter; distance between ocelli and occiput slightly greater than ocellar diameter. Occipital margin posterior to ocelli broadly concave in dorsal view. Gena with whitish setae.

Mesosoma with dark fuscous pubescence, only paler to whitish on metanotum and propodeum, those pale setae of metanotum with fuscous apices. Legs dark brown to reddish brown, setae generally dark fuscous to dark reddish; mesofemur with whitish setae on posterior surface; metafemoral and metatibial scopal setae whitish, remainder of pubescence dark fuscous outer surfaces, more reddish brown on inner surfaces. Tegula brown to reddish brown, semitranslucent. Wing membranes and veins as described for male; second submarginal cell narrowed anteriorly, anterior border well-defined, length less than one-third length of anterior border of third submarginal cell. Basal area of propodeum finely imbricate.

Metasomal integument dark reddish brown to dark brown, integument of terga I–IV with golden yellow metallic luster, weaker in basal halves. Setae of tergum I long, dense tufts laterally, with a small dark spot; terga II–IV with short, suberect to appressed, yellow pubescence of uniform size in apical halves, resulting in banded appearance ( Fig. 8 ) owing to more fuscous setae basally and dark underlying integument; lateral areas of terga II–V with tufts of long setae, less dense than those on tergum I; terga V–VI with black integument and pubescence, such setae longer and more erect; sterna I–V with reddish brown to dark brown in apical halves, more fulvous to reddish brown basally; setae of sterna I–IV or V reddish brown, those of sterna VI and sometimes V dark fuscous, hooked setae laterally on sterna II–IV more reddish.

HOLOTYPE: ♂, México: Jalisco: Chamela , 26/ 30-IX-1985. F.D. Parker & T. L. Griswold ( IB-UNAM).

PARATYPES: Mexico: Jalisco: 1♂, Estación de Biología Chamela , 25 Sep. [September] 1985, C.D. Michener ( SEMC) . 1♂, Estación de Biología Chamela , 30 Sep. [September] 1985, J.G. Rozen ( IB-UNAM) . 1♂, Estación de Biología Chamela , 13–23 Oct. [October] 1986, J. Chemsak ( IB-UNAM) . 1♂, Estación de Biología Chamela , 29 Sep. [September] 1985, D.W. Roubik ( CDWR) . 1♂, Estación de Biología Chamela, 5 Oct. [October] 1985, J.G. Rozen, 6:30–7:30 am ( IB-UNAM) . 1♀, Estación de Biología Chamela , 17-IX-85 [17 September 1985], F.A. Noguera ( SEMC) . 1♀, Chamela , 26-VII-1982 [27 July 1982], 998, coll. S.H. Bullock ( SEMC) . 1♀, Chamela , 13-IX-1983 [13 September 1983], 1608, coll. S.H. Bullock ( SEMC) . 1♀, 21 km N. Melaque, Fiesta Americana sign [‘Los Angeles Locos’], X-16/22-1987 [16–22 October 1987], Chemsak & Powell, at lites [sic: ‘lights’] ( SEMC) . 1♂, Km 56 Car. #200, N of Cuitzmala 75 m, 6- IX-1977 ( IB-UNAM) . 1♀, 21 km N. Melaque, Fiesta Americana sign [“Los Angeles Locos”], 11-VII-1987 [11 July 1987], Chemsak & Powell ( IB-UNAM) . Michoacán: 1♂, 3♀♀, 2 mi. N. Gabriel Zamora, 18 June 1968, coll. D.H. Janzen, plant #1988 ( SEMC) . 1♀, 2 mi. N. Gabriel Zamora , 10 June 1968, coll. D.H. Janzen, plant #1988, 6:12 am ( SEMC) . Morelos: 1♂, Sierra de Huautla , CEAMICH, 2 km N., 4 km W. 14-IX-1996 [14 September 1996], R. Brooks ( SEMC) . Nayarit: 1♀, 2 mi E. de San Blas, 2-VII-1968 [2 July 1968], D.H. Janzen, ex Antigonon sp , 6:35 am ( SEMC) . Sinaloa: 6♀♀, 3 mi. NW. Concha, 20-VII- 1953, 60 ft., Univ. Kans .

Mex. Expedition, taken on Amoreuxia palmatifida [ Bixaceae ] ( SEMC).

ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet refers to the Estación de Biología Chamela, of the Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), a locality that has been the subject of many melittofaunal studies ( Ayala, 1988, 2004), as well as for other groups of insects ( García-Aldrete et al., 2004).

DISTRIBUTION: Presently known only from localities along the Pacific Coast in Mexico , between the states of Sinaloa and Jalisco. In Michoacán individuals were taken in the Balsas River Basin suggesting that this species may have a distribution associated with tropical deciduous forest on the Pacific Coast of Mexico , a habitat that ranges from Sinaloa to Oaxaca.

COMMENTS: Males of this species are close to P. rugata as is evident by the laminar shape of the fused metatibial spur which is projected and narrow toward the apex. In P. chamelensis the metatibia is clearly widened at the level of the spur and ocellocular distance is quite narrow. Some specimens of P. chamelensis have similar striations on the basal area of the propodeum, as in P. rugata . Females of both species have dark integument on the metasoma, but in P. chamelensis the pubescence is abundant and yellow and the integument has a golden-greenish highlight. The clypeus of the female of P. rugata is more prominent and robust, forming in some specimens a discal depression. Ptiloglossa chamelensis seems to form a group of closely related species with P. tomentosa (Friese) and P. rugata .

Figures

Figure 1. Lateral photograph of male of Ptiloglossa chamelensis, new species, from Mexico.

Figures 2–4. Photographs of Ptiloglossa chamelensis, new species, from Mexico. 2. Male facial view. 3. Female facial view. 4. Outer surface of metatibia and metabasitarsus.

Figures 5–7. Male terminalia of Ptiloglossa chamelensis, new species, from Mexico. 5. Metasomal sternum VII. 6. Metasomal sternum VIII. 7. Ventral view of genital capsule.

Figure 8. Lateral photograph of female of Ptiloglossa chamelensis, new species, from Mexico.