Austroplebeia (Anteplebeina) fujianica, Engel & Herhold & Davis & Wang & Thomas, 2021

Engel, Michael S., Herhold, Hollister W., Davis, Steven R., Wang, Bo & Thomas, Jennifer C., 2021, Stingless bees in Miocene amber of southeastern China (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Journal of Melittology 2021 (105), pp. 1-83 : 40-42

Austroplebeia (Anteplebeina) fujianica Engel, new species

ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:1477B0D0-B05E-4B26-924D-27FCC2E7FAB7

( Figs. 44 , 49–62 )

DIAGNOSIS: As for the subgenus (vide supra).

DESCRIPTION: ⚲: As described for the subgenus with the following minor additions: Total body length 4.4 mm, forewing length (including tegula) 3.6 mm. Head wider than long, width 1.61 mm, length 1.33 mm; upper interorbital distance 1.13 mm, lower interorbital distance 1.03 mm. Scape length 0.51 mm, torulocellar distance 0.67 mm.

Integument generally black to dark brown (coloration sometimes diagenetically altered in places where the integument is less finely preserved); mandible largely yellowish to yellowish brown, with black apical margin; clypeus yellow; supraclypeal area yellow; face below tangent of antennal toruli yellow, with slight extensions of yellow reaching upward along ocular border but not exceeding level of antennal toruli; antenna dark brown, although scape ventrally slightly lighter (perhaps brown to yellowish brown in life); mouthparts brown to yellowish brown; remainder of head black. Mesosoma black except with yellow maculation on pronotal lobe, lateral borders of mesoscutum, axillae, mesoscutellum, and metepisternum; upper portion of mespisternum (including hypoepimeral area) brown to yellowish brown (although darker in some paratypes and so likely either variation or fading due to diagenesis). Wing membranes hyaline clear; tubular veins dark brown to brown, with nebulous veins brown to faint brown. Legs largely dark brown (best observed on some of the paratypes). Metasoma brown to dark brown.

Integument mostly finely and sometimes faintly tessellate, with widely scatered, faint, shallow, minute punctures on upper face, remainder of head apparently impunctate. Mesosoma finely tessellate, more prominently so on mesoscutum; basal area of propodeum finely reticulate. Metasoma finely tessellate, except first metasomal tergum more polished and faintly tessellate and therefore appearing shinier, particularly anteriorly; apical marginal zones of terga not tessellate and sculpturally distinct from discs of terga, instead faintly imbricate; sterna faintly imbricate.

Pubescence largely decumbent and pale. Setae of face largely minute, decumbent, and simple, numerous but not obscuring integument; setae longer and erect on vertex and in ocellocular area; setae of gena like those of face; postgena with scatered, erect, simple setae, particularly along hypostomal area. Mesoscutum with scatered, fine, decumbent, minute, simple setae intermixed with sparse erect, short, simple setae, such erect setae more numerous along anterior border; mesoscutellum with erect setae longer and more numerous, particularly along posterior margin; mesepisternum with scatered, fine, decumbent, minute, simple setae like those on mesoscutum, such setae longer and more erect on lower half of mesepisternum; leg setation as described for subgenus. Metasomal terga with scatered, fine, decumbent, minute, simple setae, such setae particularly sparse on tergum I and intermixed with slightly longer subappressed setae on apical terga; apical tergum with long, erect to suberect, simple setae apically; metasomal sterna with long, erect, simple setae.

♀: Latet.

♂: Latet.

HOLOTYPE: ⚲, NIGP 176057 ; amber, ~14.7 Ma ( Langhian , Miocene , Zhangpu County, China; deposited in the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Nanjing, China.

PARATYPES: 1⚲, NIGP 176058 ; 1⚲, NIGP 176059 , same deposit and repository as holotype; 1⚲, SEMC F002513 , in Division of Entomology , University of Kansas Natural History Museum .

TYPE LOCALITY: Zhangpu County, Zhangzhou Prefecture, Fujian Province, China.

HORIZON: Middle Miocene: Langhian, 14.7 Ma; sedimentary layer II, Fotan Group.

ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet is taken from Fujian Province in southeastern China, the region encompassing the Zhangpu locality.

Figures

Figure 49. Right lateral habitus of holotype worker (NIGP 176057) of Austroplebeia (Anteplebeina) fujianica, new species, in mid-Miocene amber from Zhangpu, China.

Figures 50–51. Workers of Austroplebeia (Anteplebeina) fujianica, new species. 50. Facial view of holotype (NIGP 176057). 51. Right lateral habitus of SEMC F002513.

Figures 52–53. Mesosomal details of workers of Austroplebeia (Anteplebeina) fujianica, new species (note also finely polished reticulate propodeal sculpturing in both specimens). 52. Posterior-dorsal-oblique view of NIGP 176057 (holotype). 53. Posterior-dorsal-oblique view of SEMC F002513.

Figures 54–58. Worker (holotype, NIGP 176057) of Austroplebeia (Anteplebeina) fujianica, new species, µCT scans (yellow highlights indicate areas of yellow maculation; green indicates area of keirotrichiate zone). 54. Facial view (note malar space in relation to diameter of flagellomeres II + III). 55. Dorsal habitus. 56. Prolateral view of metatibia and metatarsus. 57. Retrolateral view of metatibia and metatarsus. 58. Cross-section of metatibia showing gently sloping clivulus.

Figures 59–62. Details of workers of Austroplebeia (Anteplebeina) fujianica, new species. 59. Ret- rolateral view of metatibia and metatarsus of SEMC F002513. 60. Retrolateral view of metatibia and metatarsus of NIGP 176057. 61. Left view of head and mesoscutal dorsum of NIGP 176057. 62. Forewing of NIGP 176057.

Figures 43–44. Lateral habitus µCT scans of workers of Zhangpu stingless bees. 43. Tetragonula (Tetragonula) florilega, new species (NIGP 176093). 44. Austroplebeia (Anteplebeina) fujianica, new subgenus and species (holotype, NIGP 176057). Note differences in malar spaces, metatibiae, and mesoscutella + propodea.