AUGOCHLORINI BEEBE

ENGEL, MICHAEL S., 2000, Classification Of The Bee Tribe Augochlorini (Hymenoptera: Halictidae), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2000 (250), pp. 1-89 : 26-29

TRIBE AUGOCHLORINI BEEBE

DIAGNOSIS: Augochlorines are most readily recognized from other Halictinae by their brilliant metallic coloration; however, this is not a universal character, being neither unique to nor fixed across Augochlorini . The medio-apical cleft of the female fifth metasomal tergum and the absence of a pygidial plate on the apical margin of the male seventh metasomal tergum separates Augochlorini from other Halictinae . Among New World halictines, the augochlorines are most similar to (and likely most closely related to) genera of the Caenohalictus and Agapostemon generic complexes; these groups also frequently exhibit metallic-green body coloration.

DESCRIPTION: Female. Compound eyes frequently with emargination just above level of antennae (figs. 1–7). Distal wing venation strong; basal vein strongly arcuate. Apical margin of T5 cleft (except in Temnosoma ) (fig. 59). Male. Apical margin of T7 without pygidial plate, margin not recurved. Apical margin of S6 cleft (except in Halictillus and some Augochlora ). Spiculum present on anterior border of S8 (figs. 68–71). Retrorse lobe of gonocoxite absent.

COMMENTS: A potential larval character for the Augochlorini is the development of the mandibular cusp into an acute, elongate projection (McGinley, 1981). Larvae, however, are known for only a few, scattered genera (table 2) and until further work on augochlorine immatures is undertaken, the validity of this character in supporting the monophyly of the tribe remains uncertain.

Authorship of the tribe has universally been given to Moure (1943a). In actuality Beebe (1925), in a semipopular treatment of the fauna of Guyana, mentions the name ‘‘ Augochloridae ’’ to include tropical species of the genera Augochlora and Halictus . Although Beebe (op. cit.) proposed the group

cavalierly, he is to be considered as the correct author of the family-group name based on Augochlora (Engel, 1999b) .