Trichocolletes fuscus, Batley, 2012

Batley, Michael, 2012, Revision of the Australian Bee Genus Trichocolletes Cockerell (Hymenoptera: Colletidae: Paracolletini), Records of the Australian Museum (Rec. Aust. Mus.) 64 (1), pp. 1-50 : 19-20

Trichocolletes fuscus n.sp.

Figs 57–58 , 95

Type. Holotype ♂, Munghorn Gap NR, New South Wales (32.4247°S 149.8353°E), 10 Sep. 2005, M. Batley, ex Leucopogon lanceolatus , in AM K.278551.

Specimens examined. The holotype and the following. New South Wales: ♂, same data as holotype; 2♂, Conimbla NP (33.7972°S 148.4442°E), 30 Sep. 2005, M. Batley, ex Leucopogon ericoides, AM (K.344696–97); 2♂, ♀, 45 km NE Hillston (33.1906°S 145.8672°E) , 19 Sep. 2005, M. Batley, ex Templetonia aculeata, AM (K.344692–94); 19♂, 7♀, 27 km S Mount

Hope (32.9936°S 145.9006°E), 19 Sep. 2005, 3 Sep. 2007 & 1 Sep. 2009, M. Batley, ex Eutaxia microphylla, AM (K.344678–91, K.344698–705, K.344709–11); ♂, Mount Wilson (33.5417°S 150.3414°E), 24 Sep. 2002, M. Batley, ex Daviesia ulicifolia, AM (K.344674) ; ♂, Pilliga NR (30.7442°S 149.5131°E), 18 Sep. 2000, M. Batley, ex Pultenaea microphylla, AM (K.344673); 2♂, Turramurra (33.6864°S 151.1600°E), 28–29 Aug. 2005, M. Batley, ex Dillwynia retorta, AM (K.344675–76) .

Diagnosis

Length 10–11 mm; eyes hairy; metasomal bands moderately narrow, gold. Male fore basitarsus with plume; S7 with subtriangular lateral lobes ( Figs 57–58 ). Female basal margin of the clypeus V-shaped; inner hind tibial spur with c. 7 teeth; pygidial plate with weak medial elevation.

Variation

S7 of males varies in shape with the degree of emargination between the anterior edge of the lateral lobe and the basal tooth ranging from no emargination to strong emargination ( Figs 57–58 ). A population from one collection site, yielded specimens covering half the total range of variation. No correlation between the shape of S7 and geographic location was found.

Descriptions

Male (holotype).— Head width 3.90 mm, body length 10.8 mm. Relative dimensions: HW 50, HL 37, UID 30, UFW 32, LID 31, DMA 30, HVO 4, WOC 14, MOD 3, OOD 9, IAD 9, ASD 4, AOD 9, ML 19, BMW 7, MSL 2.5, SL 13, SW 3, FL c. 50.— Eyes hairy; face wider than long, inner orbits parallel; malar space c. 0.35× basal mandibular width; length flagellum equal to head width, middle flagellomeres c. 1.4×as long as wide. Legs slender; length fore basitarsus 0.25× head width; hind tarsus as long as hind tibia; hind basitarsus 4.3× as long as wide; basitibial area with weak posterior carina almost reaching apex. Genital capsule similar to that for T. orientalis n.sp. (Fig. 37); S7 with short posterior processes, triangular lateral lobes either fused with basal teeth or separated from them by a small emargination ( Figs 57–58 ).— Labrum, mandible medially, scape, hind tibia, anterior faces fore and mid tibiae orange-brown. T 1–5 with narrow, gold bands; T 7 dull orange-brown.— Clypeus densely punctate except apical 20% impunctate and polished; scutum dull with strong pitreticulation and barely visible, open punctation.— Face with dense, long, finely-branched, bright orange hair. Scutum with open, plumose bright orange hair; fore basitarsus with tapered orange plume; trochanters with abundant long, pale hair.

Female ( AM K.334688).— Head width 4.00 mm, body length 10.4 mm. Relative dimensions: HW 50, HL 37, UID 30, UFW 32, LID 31, DMA 31, HVO 3, WOC 14, MOD 3, OOD 8, IAD 8, ASD 4, AOD 9, ML 22, BMW 7, MSL 1.5, SL 15, SW 3, FL c. 33.— Eyes hairy; face broad; inner orbits parallel; malar space moderately short (length c. 0.15× basal mandibular width); clypeus gently convex, at most slightly flattened basally, basal suture shallow V-shaped; flagellum moderately short, middle flagellomeres c. 1.3× as long as wide; inner hind tibial spur with c. 7 teeth; tarsal claws simple; pygidial plate emarginate, with weak but strongly sculptured medial elevation.— Labrum, mandible medially, tarsi, hind tibia, front surface of fore and mid tibiae, distal ends of femora orange brown; remainder of legs dark brown. T 1–4 with moderately narrow gold bands.— Clypeus closely to densely punctate, dulled basally with pit-reticulation; supraclypeal area with dense punctures coalescing to form irregular longitudinal grooves; scutum with dull sheen, moderately strong reticulation with small, close punctures.— Face with long, plumose, pale orange hair becoming darker near ocelli, dense in paraocular areas and on frons, open on clypeus and supraclypeal area. Scutum with close, moderately short, plumose, orange hair; prepygidial fimbria honey-brown.

Remarks. Similar to T. aeratus n.sp., but darker, with narrower, bronze metasomal bands and sparser scutal hair. Males may be distinguished from T. aeratus n.sp. by presence of fore basitarsal plume and the shape of S7, while females differ in the V-shaped basal margin of clypeus (smoothly concave in T. aeratus n.sp.) and the smaller number of teeth on the inner hind tibial spur.

Etymology. The specific epithet is a Latin adjective meaning dusky.

Distribution. Central New South Wales from coast to western plains (BBS, MDD, NSS, SB) ( Fig. 95 ).

Figures

Figs 56–67. Seventh sternum of Trichocolletes males.

Figs 92–103. Known distribution of Trichocolletes species.