Xylocopa (N.) tacanensis Moure, 1949

Lucia, Mariano, Alvarez, Leopoldo J. & Abrahamovich, Alberto H., 2014, Large carpenter bees in Argentina: systematics and notes on the biology of Xylocopa subgenus Neoxylocopa (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Zootaxa 3754 (3), pp. 201-238 : 225-228

Xylocopa (N.) tacanensis Moure, 1949

( Figures 7 , 13 , 58 )

Xylocopa tacanensis Moure, 1949: 457 . Lectotype: ♀, Deposited at DZUP. Type locality: Tucumán (photographs of Lectotype has been examined).

Xylocopa (Neoxylocopa) tacanensis, Hurd & Moure, 1963: 151 .

Diagnosis. The female of this species can be distinguished from other Argentinian large carpenter bees by the following combination of characters: integument black, mesosomal dorsum densely covered with ferruginous hairs, T2–T3 with median pubescence short, 0.3–0.6 times MOD; gena narrow and densely punctate; tegula dark brown. The female of this species resembles that of X. eximia in the pubescence ferruginous on dorsal of mesosoma; however, it differs from that species in the length of median pubescence on T2–T3 and the color of the tegula. This species is only known from females.

Female. Approximate body length 22 mm (20–23.3); head length 5 (4.6–5.3); head width 5.8 (5.4–6.2); mesosoma width 7.3 mm (6.4–8 mm); metasoma width 8.2 mm (7.2–9.4 mm); forewing length 18 mm (17–19 mm); forewing width 5.5 mm (5.2–5.6 mm). Coloration. Integument predominantly black. Antenna and tegula dark brown. Wing dark brown with violet iridescent. Pubescence. Predominantly black, except ferruginous on scutum, scutellum, metanotum, propodeum, mesepisternum below tegula and pronotal lobe. Head with abundant hairs, scattered on supraocular area and upper and inner part of the gena ( Fig. 7 ). Mesosoma with abundant plumose hairs, except hairless on disc and posterior area of scutum. Metasoma with long hairs laterally; T1 with intermixed plumose and simple hairs; T2–T3 with median pubescence short, hairs 0.3–0.60 MOD; T4–5 with median pubescence longer than T2 (3 or 4 times); T6 with long hairs (4–5 times longer than in T2) ( Fig. 13 ). Punctation. Head regularly and densely punctate; median longitudinal area of clypeus smooth, weakly defined. Scutum densely punctate, except impunctate on disc and posteriorly. Metasomal terga regularly and densely punctate, except T2 with median area sparsely punctate. Structure. Head broader than long (proportion 1.1–1.2:1); inner orbits weakly incurved, proportion of upper to lower interocular distance 0.9:1; middle interocular distance 3.7–4.6 mm. Vertex narrow, distance ocelloccipital (to median ocellus) 3.2–4 times MOD; orbitoccipital distance short 0.9–1.1 mm. Lateral ocelli below supraocular line, approximately MOD. Proportions of interocellar to ocelocular distance 0.8–0.9:1, interocellar to ocelloccipital 0.6–0.7:1, ocellocular to alveolocellar 0.8–1: 1, orbitoccipital to ocellocular 1.1–1.2:1, alveolocular to interalveolar 1–1.3:1. Proportion of clypeocellar distance to distance between median ocellus and posterior margin of head (1–1.10:1). Frontal carina moderately elevated, short 0.8–1 mm, apex scarcely exceed upper level of antennal sockets. Clypeus broader than long (proportion 1.9– 2.3:1). Proportion of length of scape, pedicel and first four flagellomeres 3.1–3.3:0.3–0.45:1:0.3–0.4:0.4–0.5:0.4– 0.5. Labrum broader than long, with three basal protuberances the median elongated and triangular shape, the laterals twice wider than median. Scutellum gently rounded as seen in profile. Apex of basitibial plate beyond middle length of tibia, asymmetrically bifid, posterior apical lobe rounded and shorter than anterior lobe.

Male: unknown

Comments. This species does not show considerable variation in the color pattern. The following areas are brown in some female studied: legs, genae, scutellum and metasomal terga. We also examined specimens in which the color of the tegula ranges from dark brown to light brown. This species is similar to X. eximia and having several characters to differentiate both (see diagnosis), however X. tacanensis could be a geographic variation of X. eximia . The discovery of the male of X.tacanensis may reveal if this “variability” is related to geographical variations or are different species.

Distribution ( Fig. 58 ): ARGENTINA: Tucumán, Corrientes and Misiones. Its distribution comprises part of Yungas and Paranaense biogeographic provinces and the southernmost record of this species is North of Corrientes province, approximately parallel 27°. Moure (2008) recorded this species from Brazil.

Type material. Lectotype female ( DZUP), label data: Tacanas, Arg. I-1948 P.J. Arnau Leg// Xylocopa tacanensis Moure 1949 [handwritten]//COTIPO [red label]// LECTOTIPO Xylocopa tacanensis Moure, 1949 [red label]. The lectotype of this species was designated by Urban in 2003.

Additional examined material. A total of 25 specimens (25♀) from ARGENTINA. CORRIENTES. 1♀, Ituzaingó, - X-1978, Fritz ( MLP). MISIONES. 1♀, Posadas, ( MACN). TUCUMÁN. 1♀, Las Cejas, 19-X-1968, Willink ( IFML); 1♀, La Soledad (Cañete) Depto. Cruz Alta, 16-XI-1965, Bucher ( IFML); 1♀, Los Nogales, IV- 1947, Ares ( IFML); 1♀, Tucumán, - X-1941, V.Streikov ( MLP); 2♀, Tucumán, - II-1949, ( IFML); 1♀, Quebrada Cainzo, 30-IV- ¿, G.Golbach ( IFML); 1♀, Amaicha del Valle, - IV-1946, Hayward ( IFML); 3♀, Tucumán, - I-1947, Córdoba ( IFML); 3♀, Famailla, - IV-1947, B.L.García ( IFML); 2♀, Tucumán, - III-1946, Folguer ( IFML); 1♀, Trancas. – II-1947, Golbach ( IFML); 2♀, Cadillal, - XII-1946, De la Sota ( IFML); 1♀, Los Bulacios, 30-I-1948, Ares ( IFML); 2♀, Vizcacheral, - V-1948, B.L.García ( IML); 1♀, San Pedro de Colalao, 30-III-1949, Guanuco ( IFML); 1♀, Trancas-San Pedro de Colalao, - I-1953, J.M.Arnau ( IFML).

Figures

FIGURES 5 – 8. Head of female, frontal view (5 – 7). 5, Xylocopa mendozana, 6, Xylocopa nigrocincta, 7, Xylocopa tacanensis; 8, metasoma of female of Xylocopa atamisquensis, dorsal view.

FIGURES 9 – 14. Metasoma of female, dorsal view. 9, Xylocopa augusti; 10, Xylocopa eximia; 11, Xylocopa frontalis; 12, Xylocopa nigrocincta; 13, Xylocopa tacanensis; 14, Xylocopa mendozana. Scale bars: 2 mm.

FIGURES 57 – 60. Occurrence maps.? = Province cited in bibliography, but not confirmed in this study.