Xylocopa (Dasyxylocopa) fortuita, Melo, 2017

Melo, Gabriel A. R., 2017, Revision of the carpenter bee subgenus Xylocopa (Dasyxylocopa) (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 51 (7 - 8), pp. 379-390 : 387-388

Xylocopa (Dasyxylocopa) fortuita sp. nov.

( Figures 3c, d , 4 )

Comments

In addition to the characters provided in the key, this species differs from the other two species of X. (Dasyxylocopa) by the enlarged ocelli, which make the distance to the eye margins shorter, and the enlarged fovea on the outer surface of the mandible. Also, in addition to differences in density and length, the pubescence on the terga is notably thinner than that possessed by X. bimaculata and X. piligera , although the difference is hard to quantify objectively. The density of the pubescence and punctation on the mesoscutum ( Figure 4d ) is similar to that of X. piligera and much denser than that of X. bimaculata .

Distribution

Currently known only from the southern portion of the EspinhaÇo mountain range, in central Minas Gerais. The specimens were collected in the Serra do Cipó.

Description

Holotype female. Approximate body length, 18 mm; forewing, including tegula, 16 mm. Body integument mostly black, except for reddish-brown frontal surface of F2–F10 and basal half of claws. Wing membrane dark brown infumated, reflexes of a dark steel-blue hue. Pubescence chiefly dark brown to black; face, vertex and lower portion of gena with abundant intermingled white hairs; anterior corners of mesoscutum also with some pale plumose hairs under the dark pubescence; lateral portions of T5 with a conspicuous tuft of white pubescence, which extends slightly dorsally along the posterior margin of the tergum; sides of T6 and S5 with some white hairs intermingled with the dark pubescence and a few white plumose hairs laterally on T4. Vertex and gena densely punctured throughout, density on upper portion of gena similar to that on vertex laterally; punctures on disc of mesoscutum, on the inner side of the parapsidial line, about 1–1.5 pd; tergal punctures relatively fine, their diameter smaller than those on vertex; medial portion of T2 with relatively sparse punctation (about 2–4 pd).

Structure and proportions (measurements in mm): Head about 1.4× wider than long (6.1:4.4); eyes equally distant along both upper and lower orbits (3.0:3.0); maximum interorbital distance shorter than eye length (3.4:3.85); clypeus about 1.9× wider than long (3.1:1.6), its length equal to clypeo-ocellar distance (1.6:1.6); length of subantennal suture 0.75× inner diameter of antennal alveolus (0.30:0.40); interalveolar distance longer than alveolo-orbital distance (1.0:0.88); distance between posterior ocelli 1.5× diameter of mid ocellus and about 1.2× ocello-orbital distance (0.78:0.52:0.63); upper head margin, in frontal view, equally distant to lateral ocellus and to upper orbit (0.52:0.52); malar space much shorter than maximum diameter of F1 (0.15:0.28); length of F1 longer than summed length of F2–F3 and shorter than length of F2–F4 (0.83:0.65:1.0).

Male unknown

Variation. The density of pilosity along the medial portion of the T2 and T3 of the paratype is sparser than in the holotype.

Type material

Holotype female ( DZUP), ‘DZUP\028452’ ‘ Brasil, MG, 20 km a SE\ de Santana do Riacho , \ Serra do Cipó, 1040 m,\ 19.301°S 43.601°W,\ 14.ix.1986, G. Melo’ ‘ Encontrada morta\no chão’ . Paratype: 1 female ( DZUP), ‘DZUP\028453’ ‘ Serra do Cipó \MG-BRASIL\ v .1990 L. Queiroz\HC. Souza l.’.

Etymology

The species is named after fortuitus, Latin for accidental, by chance, in reference to how the holotype was collected. The specimen was found dead, lying on the ground, and was kept among unprepared material for almost 30 years, after which it was recognised as a new species and then pinned for study.

Figures

Figure 3. Dorsal view of the female metasoma, with apex of metasoma shown to the left (a, c e) and detail of the terga 1–3 to the right (b, d, f) (midline of sclerite to the right in b, d, f). (a, b) Xylocopa bimaculata Friese, 1903, holotype; (c, d) Xylocopa fortuita sp. nov., holotype (shorter lateral pubescence compared to that of other two specimens is an artefact due to the condition in which the specimen was obtained; see text for details); (e, f) Xylocopa piligera Maidl, 1912, specimen from Serra da Bocaina, São José do Barreiro, São Paulo.

Figure 4. Xylocopa fortuita sp. nov., holotype female. (a) Head and mesosoma, dorsal view; (b) head, frontal view; (c) metasoma, dorsal view; (d) mesosoma, dorsal view.