Tarsalia (Astibomelissa) kindahensis, Engel & Michener & Boontop, 2017

Engel, Michael S., Michener, Charles D. & Boontop, Yuvarin, 2017, Discovery of the Bee Tribe Tarsaliini in Arabia (Hymenoptera: Apidae), with the Description of a New Species, American Museum Novitates 2017 (3877), pp. 1-28 : 16-19

Tarsalia (Astibomelissa) kindahensis Engel, new species

Figures 4–6

DIAGNOSIS: Tarsalia kindahensis can be recognized by combination of largely pale castaneous to light testaceous integument on metasoma, legs, and sometimes large portions of mesosoma although nota and much of pleura darker (figs. 4, 6); outer surface of female probasitarsus with dense, long, suberect setae with sinuate or wavy apices; metasomal tergum I without transverse dorsal carina; female metasomal scopa with long, subdecumbant setae with sinuate or wavy apices; male tergum VII with medioapical produced margin weakly bilobate (fig. 5A); male sternum VI apically truncate and with medial tubercle (fig. 5B); male hidden sterna asymmetrical and of characteristic form (fig. 5C); left penis valve hypertrophied (figs. 5E, 5G); and unique possession of yellow facial maculation on female paraocular area and scape, in addition to labrum, clypeus, and supraclypeal area (fig. 6C).

DESCRIPTION: MALE: Total body length 6.72 mm (7.14 mm); forewing length 4.70 mm (5.18 mm). Head wider than long, length 1.69 mm (1.94 mm), width 2.28 mm (2.34 mm); inner margins of compound eyes comparatively straight, parallel in lower two-thirds, slightly diverging in upper third, upper interorbital distance 1.31 mm (1.37 mm), lower interorbital distance 1.16 mm (1.22 mm); apex of clypeus slightly below lower tangent of compound eyes; clypeus weakly protuberant and convex; ocelli at upper tangent of compound eyes; lateral ocelli separated from median ocellus by about one-half median ocellar diameter; lateral ocellus separated from eye by about 1.6× lateral ocellar diameter; lateral ocellus separated from posterior of head by about its diameter; scape short, extending at most to lower border of median ocellus; FI slightly longer than apical width, longer than FII. Intertegular distance 1.41 mm (1.53 mm). Basal area of propodeum weakly defined, about as long as metanotum. Legs without special modifications; mesobasitarsus elongate, straight, spur extending to slightly basad basitarsal midlength; metafemur slightly thicker than mesofemur; metabasitarsus elongate. Forewing with basal vein basad cu-a by 2–3 times vein width; 1m-cu entering second submarginal cell; second submarginal cell shortest, narrowed toward anterior wing margin; 2rs-m arcuate. Hind wing with nine distal hamuli. Metasomal tergum I without carina at angle of anterior- and dorsal-facing surfaces (similar to T. mimetes ); tergum VII gradulus medially pointed posteriorly, without lateral gradular teeth (sensu Baker, 1998), but lateral area instead angulate, apical margin projected, deflexed medially, margin shallowly and broadly emarginate (fig. 5A); sternum V with medioapical margin produced with broad, apically blunt lobe; sternum VI narrowed apically, medioapical margin truncate, with broadly concave, smooth ovoid areas laterally along margin producing narrow medial disc bearing a medial tubercle (fig. 5B); hidden sterna VII and VIII asymmetrical and as in figures 5C and 5D; genitalia as in figures 5E–G, with penis valves markedly asymmetrical (figs. 5E, 5G).

Integument somewhat shining. Labrum with coarse, shallow, contiguous punctures, otherwise smooth. Clypeus with coarse, faint, shallow punctures separated by less than a puncture width, except slightly more spaced along borders and more oblique, approximately separated by a puncture width or sometimes slightly more, integument between punctures smooth. Supraclypeal area with smaller, more well-defined punctures, separated by a puncture width, except medially slightly more separated, integument otherwise smooth. Face below level of antennae with small, faint, scattered punctures, separated by less than a puncture width along border with clypeus and subantennal sulcus, then becoming sparser toward inner margin of compound eye such that paraocular margin impunctate, integument between punctures smooth. Face above level of antennae with small, well-defined punctures separated by less than a puncture width, integument between punctures faintly imbricate; punctures sparse in short, broad triangular patch immediate anterior to median ocellus and absent in paraocular margin where integument is strongly imbricate; ocellocular space medially as on upper face but with punctures absent along outer border of lateral ocellus and in paraocular margin bordering compound eye, former patch smooth, latter strongly imbricate; vertex as on upper face; gena as on upper face except punctures smaller and becoming gradually more widely spaced ventrally such that on lower gena punctures separated by 2–3 times a puncture width, integument between punctures smooth; postgena with minute punctures similar to those on lower gena except sparse, integument otherwise smooth. Pronotum with sparse, minute punctures, integument otherwise smooth. Mesoscutum with small, well-defined punctures separated by less than a puncture width, with some posteromedially separated by about a puncture width, integument between punctures; tegula generally smooth to faintly imbricate, with sparse, minute punctures; mesoscutellum with punctures as on mesoscutum except somewhat larger and coarser. Metanotum finely imbricate with scattered, shallow, faint punctures. Pleura with small, well-defined punctures, integument otherwise smooth except more imbricate in area of mesepisternal border with metepisternum; punctures on hypoepimeral area becoming oblique ventrally, nearly contiguous, except sparse along scrobal sulcus; punctures on preepisternal area smaller, becoming shallower, fainter, and oblique toward anterior margin; punctures on mesepisternum below scrobal sulcus becoming fainter along posterior border and on ventral-facing surface; metepisternum imbricate with sparse punctures. Basal area of propodeum largely obscured by setae, integument apparently imbricate and coarsely punctate; posterior and lateral surfaces of propodeum faintly imbricate to smooth, with scattered, small punctures. Metasomal terga with minute, well-defined punctures separated by less than a puncture width, except anterior-facing depression of tergum I largely smooth and narrow apical margins of terga smooth, integument between punctures smooth; sterna as on terga except punctures coarser and integument otherwise more imbricate.

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Coloration of head generally testaceous to black (lighter in holotype male, darker in paratype male), except labrum entirely yellow; mandible largely yellow except dark reddish brown to black apically; clypeus and supraclypeal area entirely yellow; paraocular area yellow below level of antennae and broadly along compound eye in lower half of upper face; paraocular area in upper half of face above antennae dark brown to testaceous; scape yellow, pedicel and flagellomeres I and II yellowish brown; remainder of flagellum orange. Pronotum dark reddish brown to testaceous (testaceous in holotype male, dark testaceous along borders blending to dark reddish brown posteriorly in paratype male). Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum dark testaceous to black; tegula semitranslucent; metanotum testaceous to dark reddish brown; pleura testaceous to dark reddish brown; basal area of propodeum dark testaceous to black, remainder of propodeum testaceous to dark reddish brown. Legs testaceous. Wing membranes hyaline, faintly parchment colored; veins yellowish brown to dark brown. Metasoma testaceous.

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Pubescence white and often obscuring integument on frons, vertex, gena, mesosoma, tibiae, tarsi, and metasomal terga where such setae usually appressed to decumbent and plumose (setae with numerous, minute branches along length of rachis, giving feathered appearance: similar to short-branched setal forms described by Saunders, 1878, and Braue, 1913), setae of mesoscutum not squamiform, typically as long as or slightly longer than ocellar diameter (setae abraded from large areas of mesosoma and anterior metasomal terga on paratype male, allowing view of integumental sculpture); labrum with transverse, medial patch of short, erect, branched setae; setae below level of antennae typically sparse, suberect to erect, long, and minutely branched, similar setae on postgena; mesosoma with setae less prominent on preepisternal area and posteroventrally on mesepisternum and anteroventrally on lateral propodeal surface; tergal setae largely short and appressed; sternal setae longer, suberect, and posteriorly directed.

FEMALE: As described for male, except as follows: total body length 7.50 mm; forewing length 5.00 mm. Head wider than long, length 1.81 mm, width 2.44 mm; inner margins of compound eyes comparatively straight, slightly convergent below, upper interorbital distance 1.51 mm, lower interorbital distance 1.33 mm; lateral ocelli separated from median ocellus by about one-half median ocellar diameter; lateral ocellus separated from eye by about 2.0× lateral ocellar diameter; lateral ocellus separated from posterior of head by about its diameter; scape short, extending to slightly less than distance to lower border of median ocellus; FI elongate, length about twice apical width, about twice as long as FII. Intertegular distance 1.56 mm.

Coloration as in darker male (above) (fig. 6).

Pubescence as in male except for sex differences: probasitarsus with fine, erect to suberect setae with distinctly sinuate or wavy apices; metatibial and metabasitarsal scopa composed of dense, elongate, plumose setae; metasomal sterna II–V with rows of elongate, subdecumbent setae with sinuate or wavy apices, forming distinct scopa; sternum VI with medioapical patch of dense, short, erect setae.

HOLOTYPE: ♂, Saudi Arabia: Riyadh, al-Amariah [al-‘ Amāriah, a locality about 12 km west of Riyadh], Majra [Mazra‘ah] al-Gasim [al-Qasim, farm], 23.v.2011 [23 May 2011], M.A. Hannan ( KSMA).

PARATYPES: 1♀, Saudi Arabia: Riyadh, al-Amariah [al-‘Amāriah], Majra [Mazra‘ah] alGasim [al-Qasim, farm], 19.vi.2011 [19 June 2011], M.A. Hannan & I. Naser (SEMC); 1♂, Saudi Arabia: Qassim [al-Qassim], Unizah [Unayzah], al-Watania Farm, Rowdah, 29.v.2013 [29 May 2013], M.A. Hannan; Pulicaria undulate [sic] [ Pulicaria undulata ] (SEMC).

FLORAL RECORD: The paratype male was taken while visiting flowers of Pulicaria undulata (L.) C.A. Mey ( Asteraceae : Asteroideae : Helianthodea: Inuleae), a rather common annual herb in the region, known as false fleabane or regionally as “Jethjath” and used in medicinal tea. Regional beekeepers consider P. undulata as a good source for pollen and nectar during the spring.

ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet refers to the ancient kingdom of Kindah, which occupied, among other areas, large portions of the Najd, encompassing the type localities.

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COMMENTS: There is variation in color of the head and mesosoma between the two males, the one from Qassim being darker and similar to the female from al-‘Amāriah, while the male from al-‘Amāriah is distinctly lighter. The lighter male is more testaceous in those areas where the Qassim male is dark testaceous to dark reddish brown, and dark testaceous to reddish brown in those places where the female and male from Qassim are dark reddish brown to black. However, despite these color differences, the integumental, structural, and genitalic traits are identical between the males. The male of T. kindahensis superficially resembles to some degree the male of the sympatric Tetraloniella (Tetraloniella) persiciformis Alqarni et al. (2012) , a eucerine that has also been taken visiting flowers of P. undulata .

Figures

FIGURE 4. Holotype male of Tarsalia (Astibomelissa) kindahensis Engel, new species, from central Saudi Arabia. A. Lateral habitus. B. Dorsal habitus. C. Facial view.

FIGURE 5. Male terminalia of Tarsalia (Astibomelissa) kindahensis Engel, new species, from central Saudi Arabia; note the pronounced asymmetry of the penis valves (arrows). A. Dorsal view of metasomal tergum VII. B. Ventral view of metasomal sternum VI. C. Ventral view of metasomal sternum VII. D. Ventral view of metasomal sternum VIII. E. Genital capsule, ventral view. F. Genital capsule, lateral view. G. Genital capsule, dorsal view.

FIGURE 6. Paratype female of Tarsalia (Astibomelissa) kindahensis Engel, new species, from central Saudi Arabia. A. Lateral habitus. B. Dorsal habitus. C. Facial view.