Braunsapis, Michener, 1969

Packer, Laurence, 2018, A new socially parasitic Braunsapis (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Xylocopinae: Allodapini) from Vietnam, with a key to female socially parasitic Braunsapis in Asia, Journal of Melittology 2018 (79), pp. 1-9 : 6

Key to Asian Socially Parasitic Females of Braunsapis

(reference citations in the key are to images of the key characteristic)

1. Metasoma with distinct pale markings, either almost entirely ( Fig. 1 ) or at least broadly towards apices of T1–T6 ( Michener et al., 2003: figs. 1, 10); T6 lacking distinct lateral shoulders ( Fig. 6 ; Michener et al., 2003: fig. 10) ................ 2

__. Metasoma dark except for somewhat translucent apical impressed areas ( Fig. 7 ); T6 with distinct lateral shoulders ( Fig. 7 ; Reyes & Sakagami, 1990: fig. 3) ........ 3

2. T1–T4 mostly dark brown ( Michener et al., 2003: figs. 1, 10); paraocular area with pale mark narrowly extending dorsally almost level with transverse portion of epistomal sulcus ( Michener et al., 2003: fig. 3); T6 dorsal surface weakly convex ( Michener et al., 2003: fig. 1) (S. India) .................... B. bislensis Michener & Borges

__. Only T1 extensively marked with brown ( Fig. 1 ); paraocular area with small pale mark not narrowly extended above ( Fig. 3 ); T6 dorsal surface concave ( Vietnam) .............................................................................. B. scorpius Packer , n. sp.

3. Pronotum with yellow spots, tarsi orange to yellow (N. India) ............................. ........................................................................................ B. kaliago Reyes & Sakagami

__. Pronotum and tarsi dark (Java, Malaysia) .......................... B. breviceps (Cockerell)

Figures

Figures 1–6. Holotype of Braunsapis scorpius, new species. 1. Lateral habitus (scale bar = 2 mm). 2. Mouthparts to show reduced lengths of labial palpomeres and glossa (scale bar = 1 mm). 3. Head, frontal view (scale bar = 1 mm). 4. Close-up of metatibia to show short hairs (scale bar = 1 mm). 5. Base of midleg to show reduced brush of hairs at base of mesofemur and on mesotrochanter (compare to figure 12) (scale bar = 0.5 mm). 6. 6th metasomal segment to show feebly sinuate apical margin, ventral view (scale bar = 0.5 mm).

Figures 7–9. Braunsapis breviceps Michener for comparison with B. scorpius. 7. Dorsal view of metasoma to show depressed surface of T4 and T5 and strongly sinuate sides to T6 in comparison to the situation in B. scorpius (Fig. 6) (scale bar = 1 mm). 8. Detail of mouthparts (scale bar = 0.5 mm). 9. Base of midleg to show unusually strongly developed (albeit not “brush-like”) hairs at base of mesofemur and on mesotrochanter (scale bar = 0.5 mm).