Hylaeus (Paraprosopis) lushanicus, Dathe, 2015

Dathe, Holger H., 2015, Studies on the systematics and taxonomy of the genus Hylaeus F. (10) New descriptions and records of Asian Hylaeus species (Hymenoptera: Anthophila, Colletidae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 65 (2), pp. 223-238 : 234-235

Hylaeus (Paraprosopis) lushanicus spec. nov.

Figures 24–26

Diagnosis: The new species differs from the two previously known species of the subgenus Paraprosopis in this region, Hylaeus concinnus and H. nigrocallosus , by the coarser and sparser punctation of the metasoma and the shagreen tergum 1. The part of the frons near the scape is without a smooth area. The male is unknown.

Description: Female. TL 5.3–5.5 (5.37) mm, WL 4.1–4.2 (4.13) mm.

Head. Proportions HL:HW 0.94, UHW:LHW 1.56, outline nearly circular ( Fig. 24 ). Scapi black, flagella short, black, below brownish. Face marks yellow: paraocular areas filled up to mid of scapus bases, clypeus with spot. Foveae faciales long, converging on vertex, ending closer to ocelli than to compound eye margin.

Clypeus CL:CW 1.24, shagreen, matt, with scattered shallow punctation; border to supraclypeal area indistinct. Supraclypeal area with subtriangular lower portion, upper part narrow, with marked medial furrow, gradually merging to the frons. Frons and vertex shiny, with strong, dense punctation; scapus area streaky, matt; vertex sparsely hairy. Genae widened, in outline sloping below, with tapering punctation; occiput rounded; malae narrow. Labrum and the bifid mandibles black.

Mesosoma prolonged, somewhat depress; pilosity of thorax and propodeum inconspicuous, with sparse white hairs, ventrally somewhat longer. Coloration black, pronotum laterally with two yellow stripes, tegulae and calli with a yellow spot each. Pronotum rounded, anterior margin in the middle line-like narrow, slightly carved, dorsolateral angles blunt. Mesonotum and scutellum shagreen, silkily shiny, punctation moderate, sparse ( Fig. 25 ); metanotum rugose punctate, matt; mesopleurae with similar punctation as mesonotum, a little more scattered and shinier; anterior margin rounded. Legs black, yellow are anterior part of tibiae I and bases of other tibiae; wings lightly browned, venation dark brown. Propodeum rounded, with short horizontal part; basal area at its base with a row of meshes, followed by short longitudinal wrinkles which merge caudally; propodeal furrow broad and shallow, upper triangular part with fine shagreen; terminal area not demarcated, a sharp ridge only very below, surface grid wrinkled, matt.

Metasoma stocky spindle-shaped, coloration black. Tergum 1 finely striated, silkily shiny, punctation scattered, fine; following terga finely shagreen, with fine shallow punctation; tergum 1 apicolaterally with narrow white fringes, depressions without ciliary bands; fringe of last sternum bright.

Types: 4 ♀.

Holotypus: ♀ CHINA. Sichuan Province : Lushan above Qionghai Lake , 27°44.351N 102°20.517E, 6976 ft, pine forest, 05.06.2011, J.S. Ascher, L. Ding, Z. Niu, J.G. Rozen. In coll IZCAS Beijing .

Paratypes: 3 ♀, same data as holotypus. In coll. IZCAS Beijing, AMNH New York, SDEI Müncheberg .

Derivatio nominis: The name is an adjective; it refers to the collecting locality Lushan, Sichuan Province.

Remark: It is difficult to reach Lushan Mt. above Qionghai Lake. This site has open, mature pine forest which is a very different habitat than is generally found further north in Sichuan. It is at the northern limit of species more characteristic of Yunnan, e.g. among birds the Yunnan Nuthatch ( Sitta yunnanensis ). Thus, the Hylaeus species at that Lushan Mt. site would be expected to be distinctive, and further samples would more likely come from dry areas of Yunnan (pine forest) then from well-known mesic sites in Sichuan (Ascher, personal communication).

Figures

Figs 24–26: Hylaeus (Paraprosopis) lushanicus spec. nov.: Holotypus female. – 24 Head in frontal view.25 Head and mesosoma, 26 propodeum and basal terga in dorsal view. – Scale 0.5 mm.