Augochlora (Oxystoglossella) phoenicis ( Vachal, 1904 )

Lepeco, Anderson & Gonçalves, Rodrigo Barbosa, 2023, A review of Augochlora (Oxystoglossella) bees from South America: unexpected Amazonian diversity and assessment of vulnerable species, Journal of Natural History (Oxford, England) 57 (9 - 12), pp. 608-664 : 645-647

Augochlora (Oxystoglossella) phoenicis ( Vachal, 1904)

( Figures 10A–F , 14C )

Halictus phoenicis Vachal, 1904 . Lectotype female (MNHP) from Peru, ′Callanga̍, designated by Moure and Hurd (1987). Examined through photographs.

Augochlora (Oxystoglossella) empusa Engel, Hinojosa-Díaz and Bennett, 2012 . Holotype female (MUSM) from Peru, Madre de Dios. Examined through photographs. New synonym.

Comments

The female and male were described by Vachal (1904), and a macrocephalic female was described by Engel et al. (2012). The presently examined material has females with variable cephalic polymorphisms, indicating the previous authors described the same species based on different morphotypes. We examined photographs of a male paratype (MHNP) and one specimen compared with the lectotype by Pe. J.S. Moure to confirm the synonymy. The type locality of Halictus phoenicis , ′Callanga̍, refers to an ancient outpost at the foothills of the Andean mountains on the region of Cusco, as noted by previous authors ( Engel and Rasmussen 2013; Melo 2016). The locality was mistakenly interpreted as related to Lima by Moure (2012).

Redescription

Male. Measurements. Distance between eye notches: 1.1; head length: 1.7; clypeus width: 0.4; clypeus length: 0.4; clypeoantennal distance: 0.2; clypeus ocellar distance: 0.9; intertegular distance: 1.1; T1 width: 1.3; T2 width: 1.5; body length: 7. Head. Labrum basal surface yellowish. Mandible yellow, apex brownish. Clypeus disc mostly green, apex yellowish; about as long as wide; with shallow punctures (I <0.5 PD). Supraclypeal area green; densely punctate, I <0.5 PD. Lower paraocular area green; densely punctate near antennal socket; sparse setae with about 2 OD, shorter decumbent setae in between. Frons green with blue reflection; frontal line becoming faintly indicated well above eye notch level. Flagellum not crenullate; F1 as long as one-half of the length of F2. Preoccipital carina as thick as 1.5 OD laterally. Gena green. Post-gena mostly punctate, becoming microreticulate near hypostomal carina; with sparse setae <5 OD. Hypostomal carina very low, <0.3 OD. Mesosoma. Dorsolateral angle of pronotum obtuse in dorsal view. Fore leg coxa to femur dark brown, coxa and femur with faint green reflections, tibia light brown, tarsus yellow. Mesoscutum golden with purple reflection; anterior portion contiguously punctate and imbricate, becoming sparser (I <PD) posterior to median line, disc smooth among punctures. Scutellum green with golden reflection; sublateral surfaces with I <3 PD, smooth among punctures. Mesepisternum green; rugulose anterior to mesepisternal groove, the remainder of lateral surface with I <3 PD, loosely imbricate among punctures, with shallow punctures at mid height right after mesepisternal groove. Mid leg coxa to tibia brown, tarsus yellow. Metanotum green with golden reflection. Metepisternum green; densely punctate, I <0.5 PD. Hind leg coxa to tibia brown, coxa with faint green reflection, tarsus yellowish, basitarsus about 6.5× longer than wide, not narrowed apically. Metapostnotum green with golden reflection; as long as scutellum; mostly with radiating carinae, becoming smooth posteriorly. Propodeum green with golden reflection; lateral surfaces imbricate among punctures; posterior surface about twice higher than wide between lateral carinae. Metasoma. T1 mostly brown, dull, with faint green reflections on lateral surfaces; weakly punctate on disc, lateral surfaces with tiny punctures (I <1.5 PD); apex not inflexed. T2–6 mostly brown, dull, with faint green reflections; with weak and dense punctation. T7 dark brown. S1 brown. S2–6 brown, becoming lighter apically. S4 without distinct tuft of thick setae on medioapical margin. S5 median surface not depressed; without glabrous patch medially. Genitalia: not dissected.

Distribution

Bolivia (La Paz), Brazil (Acre), Peru (Cuzco, Huanuco, Madre de Dios).

Examined material

Supplemental material.

Figures

Figure 10. Augochlora phoenicis (Vachal, 1911): (A) small female, frontal view of head; (B) mediumsized female, frontal view of head; (C) large, macrocephalic female, frontal view of head; (D) male, frontal view of head; € male, lateral view of mesosoma; (F) male, dorsal view of metasoma. Scale bar: 1.0 mm, all at same scale.

Figure 14. Map of distribution records for Oxystoglossella of the A. morrae and A. iphigenia species groups: (A) A. antonita, A. morrae, A. obidensis sp. nov. and A. thalia; (B) A. brevipilosa sp. nov., A. cymatoides, A. erubescens and A. laevinota sp. nov.; (C) A. iphigenia, A. matucanensis and A. phoenicis.