Mexalictus (Georgealictus) jovelus Dumesh, 2013

DUMESH, SHEILA, 2013, <p> <strong> Revision of the rare Mesoamerican bee genus <em> Mexalictus </ em> (Hymenoptera: Halictidae) with the description of </ strong> <br /> <strong> 21 new species </ strong> </ p>, Zootaxa 3708 (1), pp. 1-80 : 66-68

Mexalictus (Georgealictus) jovelus Dumesh , new species

( Figs. 172–173 )

Holotype. Female. MEXICO, Chiapas, San Cristóbal las Casas , 7200ft. 29 May 1969 [ CNC].

Diagnosis. This species can be distinguished from others by the following combination: metallic reflections absent except for weakly metallic metapostnotum; mesoscutellum and metanotum with dense apressed yellow hairs; and sterna each uniformly coloured basally to apically.

Description. Female (Holotype): Body length 9.5–9.6mm, wing length 7.7–7.8mm, head width 2.0– 2.1mm, ITW 1.45–1.50mm. Head: round, L:W = 1:1. (1) Labrum and mandible: with subrectangular basal area, flattened basal elevation, narrow triangular distal process; mandible basally black, becoming red in apical 1/3. (2) Clypeus: brassy in basal 2/3, becoming shiny brown apically; length 4/5 length of supraclypeal area, 3/4 of length below lower ocular tangent, weakly convex in lateral view; punctures dense basolaterally, separated by <1pd, medially larger and sparser, separated by 1–2pd, punctures becoming more sparse, larger and coarser apically. (3) Supraclypeal area: dull, convex, more protuberant than clypeus, length subequal to apical width; punctation dense apicolaterally, separated by <1pd at extreme corners, becoming sparser medially, separated by 1–3pd. (4) Lower paraocular area: mostly dull becoming shiny towards paraocular lobe; punctation becoming less crowded below antennae, especially towards supraclypeal area (2pd), very finely punctate laterad of paraocular lobe towards inner margin of compound eyes, punctures separated by 2–3pd. (5) Frontal area: punctures dense and crowded, separated by 0.25pd at most; frontal line carinate between antennae, from basal third of supraclypeal area to 2MOD anterior to median ocellus, with a visible line reaching median ocellus; vertex with a weak transverse depression. (6) Vertexal area: shiny, with a weak transverse depression; OOD = 2.1MOD, IOD = 2MOD, OVD = 1.5MOD; punctures dense and crowded, separated by 0.25pd at most, coarse and crowded medially, separated by 1–2pd laterally. (7) Genal and hypostomal areas: genal area narrower than compound eye in lateral view, shiny with fine punctures; hypostomal area nearly impunctate, bare and dull. (8) Antenna: scape reaching past median ocellus, pedicel slightly longer than wide, F2 shorter than F1, flagellomeres slightly increasing in length apically, F2–F5 wider than long, F6–F9 quadrate, F10 longer than wide. Mesosoma: (9) Pronotum: smooth, impunctate, slightly shiny laterally, dorsally dull, mostly bare; pronotal lobe pubescent, bearing pale branched hairs. (10) Mesoscutum: dark brown, mostly dull, slightly shiny laterally; granular along margins and median line; pubescence pale; punctures separated by 1pd in central disc becoming more sparse anteriorly, separated by 2–3pd. (11) Mesoscutellum: entirely dull, medial line slightly depressed; punctures fine and dense, separated by 1pd. (12) Metanotum: dull, punctures separated by 2–3pd; pubescence dense basally. (13) Mesopleuron: dull, evenly punctate, punctures separated by>4pd, pre-episternum with coarser somewhat obscure punctures; hypoepimeral area and central episternum nearly impunctate. (14) Metapleuron: transversely striate basally, striation weakened, otherwise weakly dull, punctures fine, separated by>1pd. (15) Metapostnotum and propodeum: metapostnotum dorsally bare, weakly granular, length 0.85X length of mesoscutellum dorsal surface with striation present basally, normal throughout, extending to apical 2/3; propodeum strongly sloping posteriorly. (16) Wings: marginal cell tinted dark brown, venation dark brown on marginal and basal veins; 1 st recurrent vein meeting 2 nd transcubital vein. (17) Tegula: brown, anteriorly dull becoming shiny posteriorly, anteriorly punctate with long pubescence. (18) Foreleg: tarsi with hairs pale whitish, basitarsus parallel sided, about 4X as long as width, hairs thick, erect and spine-like with a lateral patch of short golden erect hairs distally; tibia distally broadened, about 2.5X as long as greatest width, with pale brownish erect hairs, longest ventrally; femur about 3X as long as greatest width, with branched dark sparse hairs ventrally, nearly bare dorsally; trochanter slender, about 2X as long as distal width, with hairs erect; coxa subtriangular, slightly depressed laterally, with branched pale hairs. (19) Middle leg: as foreleg, except as follows: basitarsus without lateral patch of short hairs distally; tibia with apicoventral patch of pale, long and dense pubescence on apical 2/3; femur with a lateral patch of dense short golden hairs proximally, and a patch of black long hairs near proximal margin; trochanter distally broadened, length 1.5X width; coxa somewhat hidden within ventral pleuron. (20) Hind leg: as middle leg, except as follows: basitarsus 3.5X as long as greatest width with several branched hairs, pubescence less dense than on tibia; tibia slender, 4X as long as greatest width, densely pubescent, hairs brown-black, long and erect; femur 4X as long as greatest width, without lateral patch of hairs, scopa well developed, with long pale branching hairs, somewhat sparse; trochanter and coxa with long, branching, pale brownish pubescence; trochanter much shorter, nearly as long as wide; coxa similar to that of foreleg; tibial spurs translucent yellow, apically darkened; inner hind tibial spur brown, microserrate, with over 15 short, close teeth; outer hind tibial spur weakly curved at apical 1/3. Metasoma: (21) Terga: T1 shiny brown with a medial yellow band apical margin hyaline, minutely punctate; T2–T5 dull and brown without metallic reflections; pubescence pale, long and branched on T1, short and pale on T2–T4, long and apically dark on T5, sparse long hairs about 3X as long as short erect hairs. (22) Sterna: S1 with white long pubescence basally, S2–S5 with hairs long and black, shorter pale hairs along apical margin, S6 with few short and erect black hairs on apex, otherwise bare.

Male: unknown.

Material examined. MEXICO, Chiapas, San Cristbal las Casas , 7200ft. 29 May 1969 (holotype female [ CNC]); Chiapas, San Cristbal las Casas, 7200ft. 3-7 June 1969 (paratype female [ CNC]); Chiapas, San Cristbal las Casas, 27-V-3-VI-1990, B. Gill, F.I. T ., 2400m (paratype female [ CUIC]); Chiapas, San Cristbal de las Casas , Huitepec, 2330m, N1644’15/W9240’31, 30-03-2009, wpt 25, SAGOT Pn 15 (paratype female [ ECOSUR], barcode label 03763H01- MEX).

Etymology. This species is named after the native Tzotzil name for San Cristóbal de las Casas: Jovel, the only locality known for this species.

Comments. Metallic reflection on the head and mesosoma is variable among specimens. The specimen collected by B. Gill in 1990 has a metallic green head, while the other three specimens have faint to non- metallic heads. The striation on the metapostnotum of the same specimen is obscure medially and only distinct laterally, whereas other individuals have strong regular striation throughout.

Figures

FIGURES 172–173. Mexalictus jovelus Dumesh, n. sp., 172. Female lateral habitus, 173. Female head. Scale bars = 1mm.