Trichocolletes lacaris, Batley, 2012

Batley, Michael, 2012, Revision of the Australian Bee Genus Trichocolletes Cockerell (Hymenoptera: Colletidae: Paracolletini), Records of the Australian Museum (Rec. Aust. Mus.) 64 (1), pp. 1-50 : 24

Trichocolletes lacaris n.sp.

Figs 27 , 62 , 99

Type. Holotype ♂, Lake Callabonna , South Australia, 1 Aug. 1969, H. Mincham, in SAM 32-024564 .

Specimens examined. The holotype and the following. South Australia: ♀, data as for holotype, SAM (32-024565) ; 3♂, Lake Palankarinna , 28–31 Jul. 1984, D. Lacis, SAM (32-024560–62) ; ♀, NE edge Lake Puntawolona Tirari Desert , 21 Aug. 1971, M. Archer, WAM (13798) ; ♂, Tirari Desert Lake Ngapakaldi, eastern shore, 6Aug.1984, D. Lacis, SAM (32-024563) . Western Australia: ♂, 7♀, 7 mi E Carnarvon , 21 Aug. 1971, T . F. Houston, on Swainsona occidentalis, SAM (32-024671–78); ♀, off Kendrew Island (20.5889°S 116.5639°E), 26 Jul. 1999, S. M. Slack-Smith & M. Hewitt, at sea, WAM (27144).

Diagnosis

Length c. 12–13 mm; eyes hairy; metasomal bands wide, silver, ferruginous across anterior margins; legs black. Male S7 with broad, rounded lateral lobes and short posterior projections ( Fig. 62 ). Female hind tarsal claw without an inner ramus.

Variation

Specimens from Western Australia had noticeably darker pubescence than those from South Australia, but were otherwise indistinguishable. The solitary male from Western Australia was smaller (length 10 mm) and had fore and hind basitarsi that were shorter and hence stouter by c. 25% than males from South Australia, but otherwise differed only in colour. As leg shape may vary allometrically and colour variation might be environmentally induced ( Rayment, 1929), the species was not divided based on a small number of available specimens.

Descriptions

Male (holotype).— Head width 4.50 mm, body length 12.8 mm. Relative dimensions: HW 50, HL 33, UID 33, UFW 34, LID 31, DMA 31, HVO 5, WOC 14, MOD 4, OOD 10, IAD 9, ASD 3, AOD 9, ML 21, BMW 6, MSL 1.0, SL 14, SW 3, FL c. 44.— Eyes hairy; face almost quadrate; length malar space c.0.2× basal mandibular width; length flagellum less than head width, middle flagellomeres c. 1.5× as long as wide. Legs slender; fore basitarsus thickened strongly near calcar; hind tarsus 1.1× as long as hind tibia; hind basitarsus 4.9× as long as wide; hind basitibial area with strong posterior carina extending well past apex. In the specimen from Carnarvon, the carina is complete and the basitibial area distinctly elevated above the surrounding area ( Fig. 27 ). Genital capsule similar to that for T. orientalis n.sp. (Fig. 37); S7 with broad, rounded lateral lobes and short posterior projections ( Fig. 62 ).—Distitarsi and flagellum (partly or wholly) ventrally orange-brown; labrum, mandible and remainder of tarsi dark brown. T 1–5 with broad, silver bands, ferruginous across anterior margins.— Scutum pit-reticulate with dull sheen and close, small punctures.— Face with dense, long, erect, finely-branched, pale orange hair. Scutum closely covered with long, finely-branched, pale orange hair; fore basitarsus with long white plume; mid trochanter and hind femur with very long, white, plumose hair.

Female ( SAM 32-024565).— Head width 4.60 mm, body length 13.9 mm. Relative dimensions: HW 50, HL 35, UID 31, UFW 34, LID 32, DMA 32, HVO 5, WOC 14, MOD 4, OOD 9, IAD 8, ASD 3, AOD 10, ML 24, BMW 7, MSL 1.0, SL 15,

SW 3, FL c. 33.— Eyes hairy; face broad, inner orbits parallel; length malar space c. 0.2× basal mandibular width; clypeus gently convex transversely; middle flagellomeres c. 1.4× as long as wide; inner hind tibial spur with c. 8 long teeth; tarsal claws simple; pygidial plate entire with flat or slightly upturned margin.—Integument black, except distitarsi orange-brown, legs occasionally, mandible, labrum apically and pygidial plate dark brown. T 1–4 with wide silver bands, ferruginous across anterior margin.— Clypeus weakly reticulate, closely to densely punctate; scutum dull with moderately strong pit-reticulation and close to dense, small punctures.— Face with long, plumose, white hair, open or close on clypeus and supraclypeal area, dense in paraocular areas and on frons; vertex with long, plumose, cream or pale brown hair. Scutum and scutellum with plumose, cream or pale brown hair of moderate length; prepygidial fimbria white or very pale brown.

Remarks. Similar to T. brunilabrum n.sp., from which males may be distinguished by the shape of S7 and females by the absence of an inner ramus on the hind tarsal claw and the larger size. This species also resembles T. micans n.sp. and T. tuberatus n.sp. (see below).

Etymology. The specific name is a Latin adjective meaning of a lake referring to several of the collection sites.

Distribution. Arid regions of South Australia and coastal Western Australia north of Shark Bay ( CAR, FLB, PIL, SSD) ( Fig. 99 ).

Figures

Figs 24–27. Basal area of hind tibia of Trichocolletes males: (24) T. maximus, (25) T. brachytomus n.sp., (26) T. pulcherrimus, and (27) T. lacaris n.sp.

Figs 56–67. Seventh sternum of Trichocolletes males.

Figs 92–103. Known distribution of Trichocolletes species.