Euglossa (Euglossella) cupella Hinojosa-Díaz & Engel, 2014

Hinojosa-Díaz, Ismael A. & Engel, Michael S., 2014, Revision of the orchid bee subgenus Euglossella (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Part II: The viridis and mandibularis species groups, Journal of Melittology 2014 (36), pp. 1-108 : 60-62

Euglossa (Euglossella) cupella Hinojosa-Díaz & Engel , new species

ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:BFDA80E3-EB7A-4E33-8997-475EE84C587A

( Figs. 84–87, 170)

DIAGNOSIS: Labiomaxillary complex in repose reaching first metasomal sternum; upper and lower interorbital distances equal (at most marginally different) ( Fig. 86); malar area short (less than 0.25 mm, or noticeably shorter than diameter of mid-flagellar articles) ( Fig. 86); pronotal dorsolateral angle projected as a lamella; mesoscutellar tuft teardrop shaped, composed of dense, dark setae, occupying two thirds of mesoscutellum length ( Fig. 84); metabasitarsus with anterior and posterior margins noticeably convex ( Fig. 87); metasoma noticeably wider than head (about 1.07 times or over) ( Fig. 84); head green ( Fig. 86); scape brown with no ivory or yellowish coloration ( Fig. 86); mesosoma and metasomal terga green ( Figs. 84–85); mesoscutellum densely punctate (punctures contiguous in most areas) ( Fig. 84); mesepisternum densely punctate (punctures contiguous in central areas) ( Fig. 85); metasomal terga densely and evenly imbricate-punctate ( Fig. 84); mesosomal vestiture dominated by fuscous setae, slightly darker than in other species ( Figs. 84–85).

DESCRIPTION: ♀: Structure. Total body length 10.30 mm (9.63–10.81; n=5); labiomaxillary complex in repose reaching first metasomal sternum ( Fig. 85). Head length 2.62 mm (2.56–2.78; n=5); head width 4.58 mm (4.52–4.67; n=5); upper interorbital distance 2.24 mm (2.15–2.33; n=5); lower interorbital distance 2.16 mm (2.11–2.22; n=5); upper clypeal width 1.20 mm (1.11–1.26; n=5); lower clypeal width 1.98 mm (1.93–2.04; n=5); clypeal protuberance 0.62 mm (0.59–0.67; n=5); clypeal ridges, labral ridges, and labral windows as described for E. viridis , orientation of paramedial ridges intermediate between condition present in E. viridis and males of E. cyanea ; labrum rectangular, wider than long, length 0.94 mm (0.89–1.00; n=5), width 1.13 mm (1.11–1.19; n=5); anterior margin of labrum arched outwards with subapical carina ( Fig. 86); interocellar distance 0.35 mm (0.33–0.36; n=5); ocellocular distance 0.64 mm (0.61–0.67; n=5); first flagellar article longer [0.55 mm (0.52–0.59; n=5)] than second and third flagellar articles combined [0.37 mm (n=5)]; length of malar area 0.15 mm (0.13–0.16; n=5). Mandible tridentate. Pronotal dorsolateral angle as in E. viridis ; intertegular distance 3.58 mm (3.48–3.78; n=5); mesoscutal length 2.72 mm (2.63–2.78; n=5); mesoscutellar length 1.27 mm (1.22–1.30; n=5); posterior margin of mesoscutellum as in E. viridis ( Fig. 84); mesotibial length 2.20 mm (2.15–2.30; n=5); mesobasitarsal length 1.97 mm (1.85–2.22; n=5), maximum width 0.67 mm (0.59–0.74; n=5); metatibia triangular (right triangle) ( Fig. 87); metatibial anterior margin length 3.16 mm (3.00–3.41; n=5); metatibial ventral margin length 1.97 mm (1.90–2.07; n=5); metatibial postero-dorsal margin length 3.54 mm (3.41–3.78; n=5); metabasitarsal length 1.79 mm (1.67–1.85; n=5), proximal margin width 1.00 mm (0.96–1.11; n=5). Forewing length 8.28 mm (8.07–8.52; n=5); hind wing with 19–23 (n=5) hamuli. Maximum metasomal width 4.91 mm (4.78–5.11; n=5).

Coloration. Generally as described for females of E. perviridis , only with stronger golden-bronzy iridescence throughout ( Figs. 84–87).

Sculpturing. As described for male (and by extension for female) of E. perviridis ( Figs. 84–86).

Vestiture. Head, mesosoma, and metasoma as in E. viridis ( Figs. 84–86). Mesoscutellar tuft and corbicula as in females of E. viridis / azurea ( Figs. 84, 87).

♂: Unknown.

ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet is taken from the Latin word cupa, meaning “barrel”, and the diminutive suffix – ella (together meaning, “small barrel”), as a reference to the characteristic shape of the metabasitarsus in the species.

HOLOTYPE: ♀, Venezuela : “ VENEZUELA: BO. [Bolivar]; Sta. Elena; 21 II 1967; R. L. Dressler 618 [mixed handwritten]” ( FSCA).

PARATYPES (4♀♀): Venezuela : 4♀♀, all with same data as holotype except date “ 20 II 1967 ” (three in FSCA, one in SEMC) .

COMMENTS: As mentioned in the comments for the previous species (vide supra), those females upon which E. cupella is based are likely part of the series from the Guiana Shield region mentioned by Dressler (1985) during his proposal of E. perviridis . Although superficially similar to E. cetera , the shape of the metabasitarsus is also characteristic in this species, having noticeably convex anterior and posterior margins, (giving it a barrel-shaped appearance, as alluded to by the name of the species). The five females examined for this species also have a characteristically wide metasoma in relation to the head width (metasoma about 7% wider than the head on average), which also can be used to separate them from E. cetera and E. ashei as the latter two have a metasomal width almost equivalent to the head width (less than 2% wider on average). Euglossa cupella can be separated from females of E. perviridis (which have a metasoma to head ratio similar to E. cupella ) by the already mentioned shape of the metabasitarsus. The five known specimens of the species are from Santa Elena, State of Bolivar, Venezuela ( Fig. 170).