Xenochlora meridionalis, Melo & Faria & Santos, 2019

Melo, Gabriel A. R., Faria, Luiz R. R. & Santos, Leandro M., 2019, Xenochlora meridionalis sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), a new halictine bee from eastern Brazil as evidence of past connections between Amazonia and Atlantic Forest, Zoologia (e 33805) 36, pp. 1-7 : 2-3

Xenochlora meridionalis sp. nov.

http://zoobank.org/ F2EB6601-DF3A-40B2-926F-4A23AE2DEDD2

Figs 1–7

Diagnosis. The new species resembles X. nigrofemorata and X. ianthina but differs from them in having a greenish brassy upper frons and vertex; an upper gena without metallic reflexes; wings covered with uniformly brown and denser pilosity; plumose pilosity on parocular area and sides of mesoscutum less ramified; punctation on lower half of gena, adjacent to eye orbit, finer and sparser; shallow concavity of upper gena with striation relatively weak and restricted to portion adjacent to vertex and not as developed as striation on anterior corners of mesoscutum; central portion of mesoscutal disc, in the area devoid of metallic luster, with relatively finer and sparser punctation; and disc of T2 with denser punctation, punctures separated by 1–2 pd and about as coarse as those on marginal zone.

Description. Holotype female. Approximate body length: 9.0 mm; maximum head width: 3.15 mm; intertegular distance: 2.25 mm; forewing length, including tegula: 8.4 mm. Integumental Color. Mostly pale ferruginous, with greenish golden reflexes on clypeus, lower frons, gena, and mesosoma; upper frons, vertex, anterior one-fourth, lateral thirds and a narrow band along posterior margin of mesoscutum metallic greenish brassy to bronze. Antennae, tibiae and basitarsi of mid and hindlegs mostly ferruginous to light reddish-brown; apex of mandibles black. Wing membrane hyaline; veins and pterostigma pale reddish-brown to brown. Terga mostly ferruginous, with darker marginal zones, edge of T1–T4 reddish-brown. Pubescence. Mostly pale yellow; upper frons, vertex and most of mesoscutum with reddish-brown to brown pubescence; long erect setae on scutellum and metanotum mostly ferruginous to reddish-brown. Posterior surface and lower outer surface of midtibia, most of outer surface and basal third of inner surface of midbasitarsus, apex of femur, entire tibia except for reddish-brown plumose setae on basal half of its anterior margin, and most of basitarsus of hind leg with conspicuous dark brown to black setae; setae on inner surface of fore tibia, tarsi of fore and mid legs, outer apex and most of inner surface of basitarsus and entire distitarsus of hind leg mostly bright reddish-brown; mesotibial comb mostly reddish-brown with a few black simple setae on posterior basal edge. Wing microtrichia uniformly dark brown to black, relatively sparse on basal two-thirds of wings, distance between them about as long as microtrichium length. Short plumose pubescence on lower parocular area and lateral portions of disc of mesoscutum distinctly less plumose than that on anterior corner of mesoscutum. Tergal pilosity mostly dark brown to black, including that on lateroventral portions of sclerites; erect pilosity on anterior vertical portion of T1 and pilosity bordering medial cleft of T5 pale orange; lateroventral portions of terga with some orange erect setae; S1–S4 with pale yellow pubescence; S5 with mostly orange setae and some intermingled brown setae; tuft on apex of S6 orange. Integumental surface. Punctation on lower half of gena, adjacent to eye orbit, very fine and relatively sparse, punctures separated by 2–4 pd; shallow concavity of upper gena with coarser and denser punctation, its striation relatively weak and restricted to portion adjacent to vertex and not as developed as striation on anterior corners of mesoscutum; longitudinal striation radiating from posterior mandibular condyle well developed and distinctly stronger than that on concavity of upper gena; central portion of mesoscutal disc, in the area devoid of metallic luster, with relatively fine and sparse punctation, punctures separated by 3–5 pd; carinae on basal area of metapostnotum well-marked, medial carina strongest and lateral ones becoming progressively weaker; punctation on disc of T2 relatively dense, punctures separated by 1–2 pd and about as coarse as those on marginal zone.

Structure and measurements (in mm). Head slightly wider than long (3.17:2.91); labral elevation relatively broad, about 2.5x wider than long (0.35:0.14); clypeus about 3.7x wider than long (2.34:0.63); length of subantennal suture about 1.4x interalveolar distance (0.54:0.38) and slightly shorter than alveolo-orbital distance (0.54:0.60); length of scape, including radicle, shorter than distance between clypeus and mid ocellus (1.42:1.55); distance between posterior ocelli subequal to ocello-orbital distance (0.44:0.47); genal spine well developed and pointed ( Fig. 5). Lateral corner of pronotal collar forming a slightly acute angle ( Fig. 6); length of mesoscutum about 0.75x the intertegular distance (1.68:2.22); length of scutellum, along midline, about 1.7x the metanotum length (0.63:0.38); distal hamuli arranged as 3-1-1-1-1-3; inner spur of hind tibia with five teeth in addition to apex.

Type material. Holotype female, “BRA: ES, Linhares Reserva\Vale\23.24. iii.2013 \ 2000m /replica 3/vanilina\L. R. R. Faria e eq. col.” ( DZUP).

Etymology. The new species is named for being the southernmost taxon in the genus Xenochlora , from the Latin meridionalis , meaning “southern”.