Chlerogella breviceps Engel, 2010

Engel, Michael, 2010, Revision of the Bee Genus Chlerogella (Hymenoptera, Halictidae), Part II: South American Species and Generic Diagnosis, ZooKeys 47 (47), pp. 1-100 : 49-51

Chlerogella breviceps Engel , sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:E56113D2-DD70-46C3-B021-BBA6DEB1CD5F

Figs 77–79, Map 3

Holotype. ♀, ECUADOR: Pastaza, Palora , 1000 m, 30.iv.1987 [30 April 1987], M. Cooper ( COOP).

Figures 77–79. Holotype female of Chlerogella breviceps sp. n. 77 Lateral habitus 78 Facial aspect 79 Lateral aspect of head and anterior half of mesosoma.

Diagnosis. Chlerogella breviceps from the eastern side of the Andes in Ecuador is superficially most similar to C. borysthenis , itself from the northwestern side of the Ecuadorian Andes, but differs in the length of the malar space (Figs 78–79) and the brilliant and shining metallic blue coloration of the head and mesosoma (Figs 77–79).

Description. Female: Total body length 7.15 mm; forewing length 5.27 mm. Head length 1.82 mm, width 1.51 mm. Clypeus beginning above lower tangent of compound eyes. Malar space 10.4% compound eye length (malar length 0.13 mm; compound eye length 1.25 mm) (Figs 78–79). Upper interorbital distance 0.73 mm; lower interorbital distance 0.52 mm. Upper portion of pronotum medially depressed, not elongate, medially less than 0.25 times ocellar diameter in length; ventral portion of preëpisternal sulcus not broad, similar to scrobal sulcus and upper portion of preëpisternal sulcus; intertegular distance 1.25 mm; mesoscutellum weakly convex, not bigibbous. Basal vein distad cu-a by two times vein width; 1rs-m distad 1m-cu by two times vein width; 2rsm distad 2m-cu by five times vein width, 2rs-m weakly arched; first submarginal cell longer than combined lengths of second and third submarginal cells; second submarginal cell not narrowed anteriorly, anterior border of second submarginal cell along Rs slightly longer than that of third submarginal cell; posterior border of third submarginal cell slightly more than 2.5 times longer than anterior border. Distal hamuli arranged 2-1-2. Inner metatibial spur with six branches (not including apical portion of rachis).

Clypeus and supraclypeal area imbricate with weak punctures separated by 0.5–2 times a puncture width; face with small, nearly contiguous punctures, more widely spaced in malar space; punctures of face blending to smooth integument in ocellocular area and vertex, with punctures separated by 0.5–2 times a puncture width; gena smooth with small punctures separated by 1–3 times a puncture width; postgena imbricate and impunctate. Pronotum imbricate with minute punctures separated by 1–3 times a puncture width; mesoscutum smooth with small punctures separated by a puncture width or less; mesoscutellum as on mesoscutum; metanotum imbricate with small punctures separated by a puncture width or less. Preëpisternum smooth with small punctures separated by 0.5–2 times a puncture width; mesepisternum smooth with small punctures separated by 1–3 times a puncture width; metepisternum faintly imbricate. Propodeum strongly imbricate. Metasoma weakly imbricate.

Mandible dark brown except reddish at apex; labrum dark brown; clypeal apex dark brown, remainder of clypeus and head brilliant metallic azurite blue. Antenna dark brown. Mesosoma brilliant metallic azurite blue (Fig. 77); tegula dark brown. Wing membranes weakly infumate; veins dark brown. Legs dark brown except tarsomeres slightly lighter. Metasoma dark brown.

Pubescence white to slightly golden on legs.

Male: Unknown.

Etymology. The specific epithet is Latin term brevis (meaning, “short”) and the suffix – ceps (derived from caput, meaning “head”).

Comment. According to current maps Palora is located just inside Morona-Santiago along the border with Pastaza. It is unclear whether the Province is mislabeled on the holotype or whether the actual collection locality was within a couple of kilometers of Palora, just over the border into Pastaza Province.