Colletes, LATREILLE, 1802

Ferrari, Rafael R & Packer, Laurence, 2021, Morphological phylogeny and review of the generic classification of Colletinae (Hymenoptera: Colletidae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 193 (1), pp. 199-216 : 210

COLLETES LATREILLE, 1802

( FIG. 1G–P )

Type species: Apis succincta Linnaeus, 1758 .

Evodia Panzer, 1806 . Type species: Apis calendarum Panzer, 1806 (junior synonym of Apis succincta Linnaeus, 1758 ).

Monia Westwood, 1875 (junior homonym of Monia Gray, 1850 ). Type species: Monia grisea Westwood, 1875 .

Monidia Cockerell, 1905 [new name for Monia Westwood (not Gray)].

Colletes (Puncticolletes) Noskiewicz, 1936 . Type species not designated, thus not valid.

R h y n c h o c o l l e t e s M o u r e, 1 9 4 3. T y p e s p e c i e s: Rhynchocolletes albicinctus Moure, 1943 .

Diagnosis: Among the Colletinae , the species of Colletes can be readily diagnosed by the subhorizontal surface of the metapostnotum with a series of longitudinal carinae or sinuous short striae (modified from: Michener, 1989; see also Fig. 4E ) in both sexes [subhorizontal surface of the metapostnotum without carinae or striae ( Fig. 4C, D ) in both sexes of the other genera]. Also, the second recurrent vein of the forewing is almost always sigmoidal in Colletes (modified from: Toro & Cabezas, 1977; see also Fig. 3D ), although in a few species of the genus (e.g. C. atripes Smith, 1854 and C. albicinctus ) it may be only slightly arcuate outwardly ( Fig. 3C ), as it is in both Mourecotelles and Xanthocotelles . Colletes is also unique among the Colletinae in having the horizontal surface of T1 subequal in length to T 2 in males (modified from: Michener, 1989; see also Supporting Information, Fig. S12D) [horizontal surface of T1 much shorter than T2 (Supporting Information, Fig. S12C) in males of Hemicotelles , Mourecotelles and Xanthocotelles , except X. basitarsalis and X. tarsalis ]. Females of Colletes can be further differentiated from those of Hemicotelles by T6 without a posteromedial longitudinal ridge (this study; Supporting Information, Figs S9A–C) [T6 with such a ridge (Supporting Information, Fig. S11B) in Hemicotelles ]; and from those of both Mourecotelles and Xanthocotelles by apical and preapical mandibular teeth forming an obtuse angle (modified from: Toro & Cabezas, 1977; see also Supporting Information, Fig. S6E ) [mandibular teeth forming a right angle (Supporting Information, Fig. S6F ) in Mourecotelles and Xanthocotelles ].

Additional species: For an updated checklist refer to Ascher & Pickering (2020).

Comments: Colletes includes representatives on all continents inhabited by bees (except Oceania), and is by far the most diverse genus of Colletinae with nearly 520 valid described species ( Ascher & Pickering, 2020), from a suggested total estimated to be 700 ( Kuhlmann et al., 2009). Indeed, the large number of new species described in recent taxonomic treatments of the genus [reviewed by Ferrari et al. (2020)] suggest that there is still a considerable number of species yet to be discovered. As delimited herein, Colletes also includes Rhynchocolletes , as previously proposed by Michener (1989, 2007).

Figures

Figure 1. Lateral habitus of some Colletinae showing some of their diversity. A–P, females, Hemicotelles magallanes (A), H. ruizii (B), Mourecotelles mixtus (C), Mourecotelles sp.1 (D), Xanthocotelles atacama (E), X. fritzi (F), Colletes cyanescens (G), C. cyaniventris (H), C. fulvipes (I), C. halophilus (J), C. nigritulus (K), C. petropolitanus (L), C. rugicollis (M), C. slevini (N), C. solidaginis (O) and C. zuluensis (P). Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figure 3. Diagnostic features of Colletinae. Numbers shown in red indicate derived character states. A–D, lateral view of male forewing, Hexantheda entrerriana (A), Hemicotelles ruizii (B), C. albomaculatus (C) and C. rufipes (D); E, F, dorsal view of female metasomal apex, C. gilvus (E) and Bicolletes rufiventris (F). Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figure 4. Diagnostic features of Colletinae. Numbers shown in red indicate derived character states. A, B, Lateral view of male propodeum, Trichocolletes dowerinensis (A) and Colletes gilvus (B); C–E, posterior view of male metapostnotum, Xanthocotelles atacama (C), Hemicotelles magallanes (D) and C. atripes (E); F, ventral view of male S7 of Mourecotelles sp.1. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Figure 6. Most-parsimonious tree (part two) from the EW analysis showing character state changes. Black rectangles represent unique changes and white rectangles represent homoplastic ones. Character numbers are indicated above branches and the corresponding state changes below the branches. Asterisks indicate type species of the genus. The position of Colletes clypeonitens is doubtful (see text). The Colletinae shown are (from top to bottom) Hemicotelles ruizii, C. cyanescens, C. nigritulus and C. slevini.