Scaptotrigona tatacoensis Engel, 2022

Engel, Michael S., 2022, Notes on South American stingless bees of the genus Scaptotrigona (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Part II: Subgroup A of the postica species group, Journal of Melittology 2022 (110), pp. 1-51 : 29-32

Scaptotrigona tatacoensis Engel , new species

ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:BA469BDE-2AFE-45CF-AD59-23758A10EC89

( Figs. 44–48 )

DIAGNOSIS: This is a distinctive, smaller species of Scaptotrigona , currently known only from the Tatacoa “desert” (tropical dry forest) of Colombia. Like some larger species, it has striped markings on the mesoscutum, but can be distinguished by the separation of the dark region of the frons from the inner orbits by a strip of yellow orange to reddish orange, by the striping on the posterior of the head, and the black bristles of the mesobasitarsus and metabasitarsal margins.

DESCRIPTION: As described for S. ederi (vide supra), with the following modifications: ⚲: Total body length approximately 5.5–6.0 mm, forewing length (to base of humeral sclerite) 5.4–5.8 mm. Head wider than long, width 2.27–2.36 mm, length 1.88–1.91 mm; compound eye length 1.33 mm; upper interorbital distance 1.52–1.53 mm, lower interorbital distance 1.42–1.44 mm. Scape length 0.88 mm, slightly longer than torulocellar distance, torulocellar distance 0.82–0.85 mm. Clypeus approximately 1.75–1.8× as wide as long, length 0.61 mm, width 1.06–1.09 mm. Malar area approximately 1.6× flagellar diameter or 0.73–0.75× basal mandibular width. Preoccipital ridge carinate, lamellate dorsally, with bordering medial and lateral indentations deep, carina interrupted laterally by deep concavity, lower margin of concavity with carina forming acutely rounded angle projecting upward as a short lamellate tooth, upper margin of concavity with preoccipital lamella extending into upper third of concavity.

Integument of labiomaxillary complex yellow orange; labrum reddish orange; mandible reddish orange; clypeus orange, epistomal sulcus well delineated by dark brown to black; supraclypeal area orange to reddish orange; malar space orange; face below upper tangent of antennal toruli orange blending to reddish orange and reddish brown on lower frons medially above antennal toruli, narrow strip of orange extending upward along inner and upper orbit, frons and vertex dark brown to black except typically small areas of orange anterior to median ocellus and lateral to lateral ocelli; ocellocular area dark brown except laterally where separated from upper orbit; posterior of head orange to reddish orange with strips of dark brown extending from ocellocular area to preoccipital carina, preoccipital carina black; gena and postgena orange to reddish orange; scape orange to reddish orange; pedicel and flagellum brown, with flagellum more orange ventrally. Mesosoma largely dark brown to black except orange to reddish orange on pronotum; pronotal lobe; mesoscutum except along extreme lateral border, posterior border, and with faint longitudinal strips from notauli to posterior border; mesoscutellum (except V-shaped incision); most of mesepisternum except large ventral area of dark brown; small area on metepisternum anteriorly; and lateral surface of propodeum centrally; tegula wholly yellow orange and semi-translucent; legs orange to reddish orange. Metasoma generally dark brown to black except anterior-facing surface of tergum I orange to reddish orange or reddish brown, dorsal-facing disc of tergum I posteriorly orange, sometimes with orange encompassing nearly entire dorsal surface; tergum II with broad areas of orange apically and narrow yellowish marginal zone; terga III – IV with narrow yellow marginal zones obscured by tomentum; sterna largely orange to reddish brown.

As for S. ederi except areas of short, plumose setae yellow to pale yellow instead of white; metepisternum and lateral surface of propodeum obscured by dense, plumose, yellow setae; dorsal-facing surface of tergum I with largely simple setae, minute, decumbent, yellow, plumose setae sparse, typically in small areas laterally. Bristles of vertex erect, simple, yellow to fulvous, sometimes even dark fulvous; pronotal dorsolateral margin near and anterior to pronotal lobe with long, arched, yellow to fulvous bristles; mesoscutum anterior and lateral borders with erect bristles, those on lateral border short, anterior margin with largely fulvous bristles, sometimes intermixed with yellow or dark fulvous bristles; tegula with short, suberect, yellow bristles anteriorly; mesoscutellum with abundant, elongate, erect bristles posteriorly, such bristles minutely pectinate apically, discal bristles shorter, mesoscutellar bristles largely yellow fulvous to dark fulvous on disc, those on apical margin yellow to fulvous; mesepisternal bristles as in S. ederi except yellow to fulvous. Legs with abundant bristles, bristles typically yellow to fulvous except noticeably intermixed with fuscous to black bristles on prolateral surface of protibia apically, prolateral surface of probasitarsus, prolateral and marginal surfaces of mesotibia, prolateral surface of mesobasitarsus, metafemur apically, metatibia, along metabasitarsal margins; corbicular and marginal bristles black, marginal bristles intermixed with some yellow to fulvous bristles; prolateral surface of metabasitarsus with scatered fine, simple, yellow setae (noticeably thinner than marginal bristles), intermixed with some fine black setae; penicillum black; rastellum fulvous. Metasoma with numerous, prominent, suberect to subdecumbent, yellow bristles on terga III – V arising from tomentum, as well as similar bristles scattered on tergum II.

♀: Latet.

♂: Latet.

HOLOTYPE: ⚲, Colombia: Huila, Villavieja, Desierto de la Tatacoa , 3°13’N, 75°10’W, Enero 4–8 2006 [4–8 January 2006], J. Florez ( SEMC).

PARATYPES: 6⚲⚲, Colombia: Huila, Villavieja, Desierto de la Tatacoa , 3°13’N, 75°10’W, Enero 4–8 2006 [4–8 January 2006], J. Florez ( SEMC) .

ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet is taken from the type locality, the Tatacoa Desert of Huila Department, Colombia. The name is formed from Tatacoa and the Latin suffix – ēnsis, which is added to a toponym to indicate “from” or “of”.

Figures

Figures 44–46. Worker of Scaptotrigona tatacoensis, new species. 44. Lateral habitus. 45. Dorsal habitus. 46. Facial view.

Figures 47–48. Worker of Scaptotrigona tatacoensis, new species. 47. Dorsal, slightly oblique, view of head. 48. Prolateral surface of metatibia, metatarsus, and metapretarsus.