Osirinus parvicollis (Ducke)

Melo, Gabriel A. R. & Zanella, Fernando C. V., 2003, The species of the parasitic bee genus Osirinus (Hymenoptera, Apidae), Journal of Natural History 37 (24), pp. 2919-2929 : 2922-2924

Osirinus parvicollis (Ducke)

( figure 16 )

Osiris sp., Ducke (1908): 79.

Osiris parvicollis, Ducke (1910) : 51 (nomen nudum).

Osiris parvicollis Ducke, 1911: 105 . Holotype female, Brazil: Ceará, Quixadá (depository

unknown). Ducke (1911): 98. Ducke (1913): 105. Friese (1930): 103, 104, 107, 110, 124–125, 127. Shanks (1986): 2, 54.

Osirinus parvicollis, Zanella (2000) : 591.

Comments

Shanks (1986) left this species unplaced in her revision, since she was unable to locate the type specimen. Ducke’s specimen was examined by Friese when preparing his revision of Osiris , and one would assume that it might have been kept in Berlin. However, the type could not be located in the ZMHB collection (F. Koch, 1999, personal communication). Ducke’s species can be confidently placed in Osirinus based solely on his original description: (1) head, in frontal view, wider than long; (2) head surface, including clypeus, without strong punctures; (3) pronotum small, only lateral portions visible; (4) metapostnotum shiny and completetly smooth.

Ducke collected his specimen around Quixadá, a locality within the caatinga domain. The specimen we are interpreting as being conspecific with parvicollis also came from an area covered by caatinga vegetation and which is only 260 km apart from Quixadá. It was collected on flowers of Heliotropium clausseni DC (Boraginaceae) , which was also being visited by Arhysoceble huberi . Ducke also found these two species together on an unidentified Acanthaceae .

This species is very similar to rutilans , the main differences being given in the identification key. Besides those differences, the pubescence on the upper lateral portion of the mesepisternum and on the outer surface of the hind tibiae is slightly denser in rutilans than in parvicollis . The distinct colour pattern of the antenna (dark brown pedicel and flagellum, and light yellowish brown scape) seen in parvicollis might prove to be an additional difference (both antennae are missing from the type of rutilans ).

Material examined

Brazil, Rio Grande do Norte: one female ( FCVZ) , ‘ Serra Negra do Norte — RN, Estação Ecológica do Seridó , 26/II/1995, Zanella FCV Leg’ and ‘0003, 11a02 ’.

Figures

FIGS 6–17. (6–10) Osirinus ruficrus, sp. n.: male, lateral (6), dorsal (7) and ventral view of genitalia (8); ventral view of sterna VII (9) and VIII (10). (11–15) Osirinus santiagoi: male, lateral (11), dorsal (12) and ventral view of genitalia (13); ventral view of sterna VII (14) and VIII (15). (16) Osirinus parvicollis: female, frontal view of head. (17) Osirinus rutilans: female, frontal view of head.