Urbanthidium, Parizotto & Melo, 2022

Parizotto, Daniele R. & Melo, Gabriel A. R., 2022, The bee subtribe Epanthidiina, a new taxon for the Neotropical clade of Anthidiini (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Megachilinae), Revista Brasileira de Entomologia (e 20220006) 66 (2), pp. 1-5 : 2-4

Urbanthidium gen. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:BE0A9B8D-175B-47AE-A7D2-A7BF8D8AA3A8

Type species: Anthodioctes gracilis Urban, 1999

Diagnosis and comments. Urbanthidium gen. nov. can be recognized for the mandible with a concave basal area on the external surface, followed apically by a hump in females; a distinctly broad gena, lacking a crest along the outer orbit, and with shallower punctures than remainder of head; basal area of metaposnotum with foveae more weakly differentiated medially; and elongated metasoma. The new genus is most closely related toAnthodioctes Holmberg,Bothranthidium Moure and Nananthidium Moure sharing with them a coarse punctation and presence of carina along the inner orbits, in the preoccipital area and pronotal lobe. These genera also have a transverse carina along the transition between the anterior and the posterior surfaces of the T1. Urbanthidium gen. nov. resembles Bothranthidium and Nananthidium in its more elongated metasoma. The metasoma of Anthodioctes is distinct, especially in males whose sterna and apical segments are shorter than in Urbanthidium gen. nov. The gena of the new genus is distinctly broad, being about as wide as the width of the compound eye, in lateral view, in females, and slightly narrower than compound eye in males. Additionally, the gena has a shallower punctation compared to that on the remainder of the head and it lacks a crest along the outer orbit. In Anthodioctes, Bothranthidium and Nananthidium the scutoscutellar sulcus is broad and deep, with the disc of the axilla and scutellum convex, while in Urbanthidium gen. nov. the sulcus is narrow and the disc of the axilla and scutellum mostly flat. The new genus also differs from these three genera by its less differentiated fovea on the basal area of the metapostnotum. In these three other genera the basal area has well-delimited foveae, marked posteriorly by a sharp edge with the remaining portion of the metapostnotum.

Description. Integumental surface predominantly densely punctate, punctures mostly coalescent. Head and mesosoma densely punctate, with punctures distinctly shallower and larger in the gena. Terga with shallower and smaller punctures than mesosoma.Supraclypeal area with juxtantennal carina; clypeus short, with apical tubercles; mandible large with strong and protuberant acetabular carina and with a concave basal area; apical margin with four teeth; apical tooth longer than following, the second tooth near the first, the third and fourth smaller, and equidistant. Occipital carina long, from the vertex to the hypostomal carina. Gena as large as the width of compound eyes in female and little narrower in the male. Pronotal lobe with short carina; narrow scutoscutellar suture; disc of axilla and scutellum relatively flat; scutellum with carina on the apical margin and projected over the metanotum. Omaulus carinated, extending onto ventral area of mesosoma;ventral region of mesepisternum, coxa, trochanter and base of femur with curved hairs; basal area of metapostnotum with weak foveae, slightly more pronounced laterally; propodeal spiracle with fovea delimited posteriorly by a carina; arolia present in both sexes. Transverse carina present on T1; scopae with simple hairs; S2-S6 of male long, 2.5x wider than long and with dense pilosity. Genitalia of male with short inconspicuous hairs.

Included species. The new genus is proposed for two species previously described in Anthodioctes : Urbanthidium gracile (Urban, 1999) comb.nov. ( Figs 1 A-C), Urbanthidium psaenythioides (Holmberg, 1903) comb. nov. ( Figs 1 D-F). Females and males of these two species are illustrated in Figure 1 .

Distribution. The new genus is restricted to southern South America, occurring in Argentina, Paraguay, and southern Brazil.

Etymology. The genus is named in honor of Prof.Danuncia Urban, in recognition of her contributions for the systematics of bees, in particular of the fauna of Anthidiini from the Neotropical region.

Figures

Figure1 Species ofUrbanthidium gen.nov.A-C,Urbanthidium gracile. A.Female,habitus in lateral view.B.Female head,in frontal view.C.Male head (holotype),in frontal view.D-F, Urbanthidium psaenythioides. D.Female,habitus in lateral view.E.Female head, in frontal view.F.Male head,in frontal view.A and D, and B,C,E and F,respectively at same scale.