Austellurgus Ramos & Melo, 2021

Ramos, Kelli S. & Melo, Gabriel A. R., 2021, Three new genera of Protandrenini bees from South America (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Andreninae), Revista Brasileira de Entomologia (e 20210096) 65 (4), pp. 1-10 : 2-3

Austellurgus Ramos & Melo , new genus

( Fig. 1 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:43CCA6EE-0BA4-493B-98E9-C6BAD127E851

Type species: Protrandrena avulsa Ramos & Melo , 2006.

Diagnosis and comments. This is a very distinctive genus of Protandrenini for the combination of the following features present in both sexes: uniformly dense body punctation, protuberant interantennal area, orbits slightly convergent below, tentorial pit at intersection of outer subantennal and epistomal sutures, antennal flagellum clearly longer than head; well-developed pronotal lamella, forewing with two submarginal cells, and basal portion of metapostnotum striate and glabrous. Female scopa loose with simple hairs ( Fig. 1H ); middle tibial spur finely toothed on distal half, hind tibial spur straight apically; sterna without modified hairs on premarginal areas. The male is also recognized by the toothed margin of hind tibia; metasoma parallel-sided; postgradular area strongly depressed in relation to disc ( Fig. 1E ); mandible simple; T2 with shallow lateral fovea; genitalia lacking a basal sclerite.

Ramos and Melo (2006) provided additional diagnostic characters that distinguish Austellurgus from other genera of Protandrenini. The presence of a well-developed pronotal lamella is only found in Pseudopanurgus Cockerell, Parapsaenythia Friese, and females of Chaeturginus Oliveira & Moure. Austellurgus differs from the first genus mainly by the fore coxa of female unmodified and margin of hind tibia of the male toothed, and it is distinguished from the second genus mainly by the glabrous eyes. The antennal flagellum longer than head, S2 to S5 of female without modified hairs, scopa of female with simple hairs, integumental surface densely punctate, and metapostnotum striate basally differentiate the new genus from Chaeturginus.

Description. Moderate-sized bees, body about 7 mm in length. Color dark brown to black, with yellow areas on head and legs of male. Pubescence predominantly sparse with white to pale yellow color; prepygidial and pygidial fimbria brown on female ( Fig. 1I ). Eyes and basal area of metapostnotum glabrous ( Figs. 1A and G ); pronotal collar, mesoscutum, scutellum and metanotum with very short hairs; on dorsolateral portion of mesepisternum, very short and gradually increasing in length on lower half of lateral mesepisternum; hind tibial scopa loose, setae long and simple ( Fig. 1H ); disc of metasomal terga with very short setae and posterior margin with long hairs; metasomal terga without hair bands; disc of sterna with abundant erect, simple, and long hairs on female and decumbent, short, and plumose hairs on male. Integumental surface predominantly closely punctate; metapostnotum with a transversely striate basal depression and dorsal lateral portions unpunctured, finely reticulate ( Fig. 1G ); disc of metasomal terga closely punctate with punctures becoming finer and shallower on distal terga (Fig. H); marginal zone of metasomal terga micropunctured on female and finely reticulated and shiny on male ( Figs. 1E and H ); metasomal sterna weakly reticulated among the punctures; pygidial plate with transverse microsculpture on female ( Fig.1I ) and absent on male. Facial foveae well marked ( Figs. 1A and D ); tentorial pit at intersection between outer subantennal and epistomal sutures; eye inner orbits slightly convergent below; antennal flagellum longer than head; mandible simple ( Figs. 1C and F ); lamella of pronotal collar well developed; omaulus smoothly curved from lateral to anterior mesepisternal surfaces; forewing with two submarginal cells, first submarginal cell distinctly longer than second; pterostigma clearly wider than prestigma, margin within marginal cell convex ( Figs. 1A and D ); mid tibial spur serrate; hind tibia of male toothed on outer margin; tarsal claws bifid; basal portion of metapostnotum shorter than metanotum; lateral fovea of T2 very shallow, almost inconspicuous; lateral line evident at least on T1–T2; metasoma broader than mesosoma in female and parallel-sided in male; basal portion (adjacent to pregradular area) of metasomal terga shallow in female and distinctly depressed in male (in relation to disc). Apex of S6 slightly U-emarginated; S7 of male with long slender distal lobes, constricted at their bases and with retrorse extensions at the apices; distal process of S8 elongate, gradually tapering apically with very sparse tiny hairs at apices; genitalia lacking a basal sclerite; gonostylus long and fused with gonocoxite.

Included species. The genus currently includes only the type species, Austellurgus avulsus ( Ramos and Melo, 2006) .

Distribution. Southeastern Brazil, in the states of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo ( Ramos and Melo , 2006).

Etymology. The name of the newly proposed genus is a combination of the word from Latin austellus, gentle southern wind, plus -urgus, taken from the andrenine genus Panurgus . The gender is masculine.

Figures

Figure 1 Austellurgus avulsus (Ramos & Melo, 2006), paratypes. A, head of female in frontal view.B, female in lateral view. C, labrum and mandible of female in frontal view. D, head of male in frontal view.E, male in lateral view.F,labrum and mandible of male in frontal view. G, mesosoma of male in dorsal view.H, metasoma of female in dorsal view. I, apex of female metasoma, showing the pygidial plate. Scale bar: 0.5 mm.