Augochlora (Augochlora) daphnis Smith

Dalmazzo, Milagros & Roig-Alsina, Arturo, 2011, Revision of the species of the New World genus Augochlora (Hymenoptera, Halictidae) occurring in the southern temperate areas of its range, Zootaxa 2750, pp. 15-32 : 25-26

Augochlora (Augochlora) daphnis Smith

(Fig. 5)

Augochlora daphnis Smith 1853: 77 (holotype male from Montevideo [ Uruguay], in NHML, examined, only mesosoma and metasoma preserved). Dalla Torre 1896: 94. Schrottky 1903: 180. Cockerell 1905: 357, 363. Schrottky 1913: 242. Cockerell 1927: 398.

Augochlora (Augochlora) daphnis: Moure & Hurd 1987: 259 . Moure 2007: 762.

Besides the holotype, we have seen no other specimens of this species. As indicated by Moure & Hurd (1987), the type specimen has a glued head, which corresponds to a female of Augochloropsis . Specimens from Buenos Aires referred to A. daphnis by Holmberg (1903) correspond to A. phoemonoe , as can be seen from material preserved at MACN. Bingham (in Cockerell 1897) refers to "cotype" A. daphnis specimens in the British Museum with pectinate hind tibial spurs (a character not present in Augochlora ). Augochlora daphnis may be a rare species in the studied area, or it may be just a mislabeled specimen of a species with a more northern distribution.

Diagnosis. This species can be distinguished by the entirely yellowish tegula, the dense, long pubescence, the lateral angle of the pronotum right angled and with rounded tip, and the areolate sculpture of the mesepisternum anterior to the mesepisternal furrow. According to Smith (1853), the anterior margin of the clypeus, the labrum, the mandibles and the ventral surface of the flagellum are yellow. Among the species studied in the area, A. daphnis is most similar to A. amphitrite , agreeing in general punctation, areolate sculpture of the metanotum, mesepisternum differentially sculptured anterior and posterior to the mesepisternal furrow, tuberculate first sternum, and the longitudinal impression on the scutellum, although weaker.

Female. Unknown.

Male (Holotype). Length of forewing, 4.75.

Color. Mesosoma metallic green with some golden reflections. Tegula entirely yellowish, without anterior green spot. Coxae, trochanters, and femora reddish brown with green reflections, apex of femora and mid and hind tibiae light brown, foretibia and tarsus yellowish brown. Wings hyaline, with yellowish brown veins and pterostigma. Metasomal terga metallic green with violet tints. T1–T6 with black apical bands (on T2 approximately 0.15 times of tergal length). Sterna dark brown, S1 with blue tints.

Pubescence. With white, abundant, plumose hairs. Scutum and scutellum with distinctly plumose, short (0.10– 0.12) and long hairs (0.20–0.30); posterior margin of scutellum and metanotum with long hairs (0.40); hairs on lateral area of mesepisternum long (0.30). Disc of T2 with short, dense pubescence (0.10), shorter than on basal depression of tergum, immediately after gradulus, where hairs are longer (0.16–0.20); disc of T3 with short (0.08) and intermixed, longer hairs (0.28); erect setae on T4–T7 brown to dark brown. Hairs on S1–S5 whitish, on S6 light brown.

Sculpture. Scutum evenly punctured with shiny interspaces, disc of scutum with dense punctures (0.02–0.03), on center of disc separated by 0.2–0.5 puncture diameters. Scutellum with punctures (0.03–0.04) sparser medially, with shiny interspaces. Mesepisternum with dense punctures (0.03–0.04) and shiny interspaces on hypoepimeral area and below scrobal furrow; anterior to mesepisternal furrow areolate-rugulose. Upper part of metapleuron striate. Basal area of metapostnotum entirely strongly striate; striae irregular medially, and regular, parallel, laterally. Disc of T2 with small punctures (0.01–0.02), and punctation finer on posterior terga.

Structure. Lateral angle of pronotum right angled, with rounded tip. Scutellum with weak median longitudinal impression. S1 with median low tubercle. Basal process of gonostylus reduced, with short setae. Ventral process of gonostylus dorsally glabrous, on outer margin with stout setae on apical half, longer than diameter of gonostylus, ventrally with shorter setae restricted to apical third; apex of process rounded. Dorsal process of gonostylus with long setae.

Distribution. Uruguay: Montevideo.

Material studied. 1 male (meso and metasoma only), with following labels: “ Type H. T.” “B. M. Type HYM. 17.a. 1269” “ Daphnis , MtVideo Sm.” “F. Sm. Coll. 79.22” “Montevideo” “it is not the Ttype! W. W. Saunders Coll. 3 but head Ƥ Det. J.S. Moure 1957”.

Floral records: Unknown.