Amegilla (Zonamegilla) indistincta, Leijs, Remko, Batley, Michael & Hogendoorn, Katja, 2017

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 : 115

Amegilla (Zonamegilla) indistincta sp. n. Figs 9, 30, 43

Material examined.

40 females and 27 males.

Type data.

Holotype: female: Millstream Falls, 17.6427S 145.4588E, 4 Jul 2007, R. Leijs & M. Batley, DNA voucher RB312 (RL867), SAMA 32-002623.

Allotype: male, Iron Range, QLD, 1 Jul 2007, 12.7465S 143.2556E, R.Leijs & M. Batley, SAMA 32-002633.

Paratypes: male, female, 23 km SW of Agnes Water, QLD, 24.3500S 151.9333E, 31 Jan 2007, M. Batley, DNA vouchers RB194, RB195, AM K-290886, AM K-290887.

Diagnosis.

Amegilla indistincta is distinguished from other Australian Zonamegilla species by the following combination of characters: Tergal hair bands usually with a yellowish tint. Hind tibia of females with a short dark streak (≤ 0.4 × length hind tibia); pale hair on T5 forming a relatively small medial patch (Fig. 30). Apical margin of T5 of males lacking a patch of dense, dark hair; medial ridge of S7 very broad and apical projection truncate (Fig. 43).

Description.

Female: holotype.

Length 14 mm; forewing length 9 mm.

Structure. Head: clypeus protuberant, in profile 0.4 × width of eye; galea in repose just reaching mid coxa; length of f1 3 × length of f2, 0.9 × length of scape (excluding basal bulb) and 1.6 × length of f10; length of f3-9 0.9 × width; IOD 1.3 × OOD; OS 0.6 × OOD; length of marginal cell 0.8 × distance from apex of marginal cell to wing tip; length of cu-v of hind wing approximately half the length of second abscissa of M+Cu; length of vein M of hind wing 2.2 × length of second abscissa of M+Cu; length of jugal lobe about 0.5 × length of vannal lobe. Coloration. Yellow marks on labrum, mandibles, scape, clypeus, paraocular and supraclypeal areas; inverted T-shape on clypeus; small brown spot on f2. Pubescence. Head: labrum and clypeus white, paraocular areas and frons white intermixed with black hairs, light ginger intermixed with black hairs near ocelli and on vertex; gena white, light ginger towards vertex. Thorax: scutum light orange intermixed with black hair; pleura light orange with few black hairs under wing base, white ventrally; thoracic sterna white; propodeum laterally light orange with few black hairs. Legs: forefemur posteriorly with long white hair, outer surface of tibia and tarsus greyish white, inner surface of tarsus brown; mid legs dark, except white hair on apex of femur and on outer surface of tibia and basal part of basitarsus; apex of tibia with brown spot; posterior proximal part of femur with narrow line of white hair; hind legs black, except greyish white hair on apex of femur, scopa, white hair on basal part of basitarsus and on apex of tibia; basitibial streak black, 0.4 × length of femur. Metasoma: apical hair bands on T1-T4 greyish white with green-blue iridescence; T5 laterally white, fimbria dark brown, medial patch of dispersed short white hairs around a denser longitudinal line (Fig. 30); S3, S4 dark with posterolateral patches of white hair; S5 dark. Punctation. Head: clypeus with dense, large, deep punctures, 0.1-0.5 puncture widths apart; labrum with somewhat shiny, with close, medium sized, deep punctures, 0.1-0.8 puncture widths apart. Thorax: scutum shiny, with close punctures, 0.2-0.7 puncture widths apart. Metasoma: T1-T5 with close punctures, 0.8-1.5 puncture widths apart.

Male: allotype.

Length 12 mm; forewing length 9 mm.

Structure. Head: shortest distance between eyes 0.5 × length of eye; clypeus protuberant, in profile 0.6 × width of eye; galea in repose reaching mid coxa; length of f1 1.5 × length of f2, 0.6 × length of scape (excluding basal bulb) and 0.8 × length of f1; f3-10 as long as wide; IOD 1.3 × OOD; OS 0.6 × OOD. Wings: length of marginal cell 0.8 × distance from apex of marginal cell to wing tip; length of vein M of hind wing 2.1 × length of second abscissa of M+Cu; length of jugal lobe about 0.4 × length of vannal lobe. Metasoma: apicomedial emargination of S5 moderately wide and shallow; S7 with wide medial ridge and truncate apical projection, hair pattern almost inverted T-shaped, apical half weak (Fig. 43); S8 apical emargination deep. Pubescence. Head: labrum white, remaining areas predominantly ginger, some black hairs on clypeus, paraocular areas, frons, near ocelli and on vertex; gena white, ginger towards vertex. Thorax: scutum ginger intermixed with black hair; pleura ginger, white ventrally; propodeum laterally light ginger. Legs: forefemur posteriorly with long white hair, outer surface of tibia and tarsus light ginger, inner surface of tarsus brown; mid legs black, except white hair on apex of femur, posteriorly on proximal end of femur and on outer surface of tibia and basitarsus; hind legs black, except ginger hair on apex of femur and outer surface of tibia, apex of tibia white. Metasoma: apical hair bands on T1-T5 light ginger; T6 with few long white hairs on apical margin, remaining hair black when viewed from behind, brown when viewed from the side; S2-S5 medially dark, laterally with white patches; S6 dark. Punctation. Head: clypeus 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, 0.2-1.0 puncture widths apart. Metasoma: T1-T5 somewhat shiny, with open, fine, shallow punctures, 0.8-2.0 puncture widths apart.

Phenology.

Distribution.

In the subtropics and tropics along the east coast of Queensland (Fig. 9).

Etymology.

The specific epithet refers to the fact that specimens of this species were found among the type series of other species described by Rayment ( indistincta in Latin means 'not distinguished’).

Remarks.

Amegilla indistincta is closely related to karlba and superficially resembles thorogoodi and asserta . Females may be distinguished from asserta by the length of the hind tibial streak and from karlba and thorogoodi by the relatively small patch of pale hair on T5. Males may be distinguished from asserta by the absence of a hair patchon S5, and from thorogoodi by the shape of S7 (Fig. 43). While the tergal hair bands of female indistincta are less blue than those of thorogoodi , this colour difference may prove unreliable for separating the species.

Males of indistincta are not easily distinguishable from those of karlba , but the small number of specimens available all had a truncate apical projection on S7 (Fig. 43), while the projection is blunt but rounded in karlba (Fig. 44).