Thygater luederwaldti ( Schrottky 1910 )

Freitas, Felipe V. & Silveira, Fernando A., 2017, Synopsis of the bee genus Thygater Holmberg 1884 (Hymenoptera, Apidae) in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, with the description of a new species and a key to all Brazilian species, Zootaxa 4238 (1), pp. 1-29 : 16-17

Thygater luederwaldti ( Schrottky 1910)

( Fig. 10 )

Tetralonia luederwaldti Schrottky 1910 ;

Thygater (Nectarodiaeta) luederwaldti ; Urban 1967; Urban, Moure & Melo 2012.

Diagnosis. Females of T. luederwaldti can be easily identified by the unique combination of whitish pilosity on mesoscutum and scutellum and ferruginous pilosity on apical terga ( Fig. 10 .B, C) and sterna. Males can be distinguished from T. latitarsis , its most similar species, by the almost entirely whitish pilosity on mesossoma ( Fig. 10 .E, F) (whitish pilosity restricted to mesoscutum and scutellum in T. latitarsis — Fig. 8 .D, E, F).

Description ♀: Integument black, except dark brown on hind legs; on wing membranes dark, wing veins dark brown, translucent-amber areas on apex of marginal zones of S1 – S4; on clypeus, reticulate, coarsely punctate; densely papillate on wings beyond venation; terga punctate, denser basally, their smooth translucent-amber areas on apex of marginal zones narrow, shorter than any flagellomere; translucent-amber areas on apex of marginal zones of terga without translucent areas; sterna lineolate, finely punctate. Pilosity fuscous, except white on mesoscutum and scutellum, ferruginous on T4 – T6 and S4 – S6; on labrum thick, thicker on clypeus; on mesosoma dense, especially on mesepisternum, on metassoma dense, denser, hiding the integument, on T5 and T6; forming dense fringe on S5 that hides its marginal zone; S6 short and dense laterally, with glabrous, mid longitudinal band. Structure —malar area 1/3 as long as basal mandibular width; clypeus weakly convex, with weak mid-longitudinal keel; S6 with mid longitudinal keel.

♂: Integument black, except lighter on tarsomeres, pale on wing membranes, brown on wing veins, lighter apicad on terga, translucent-amber on apex of marginal zones of T2 – T5; on clypeus reticulate, sparsely punctate; on mesosoma, sparsely punctate on mesoscutum, densely so on mesepisternum; densely papillate on wings beyond venation; on terga, densely punctate, less so apicad; on T1 and T2, lineolate, on T3 – T6 smooth; on sterna smooth, slightly reticulated; marginal zones of T2 – T5 without translucent areas. Pilosity white on head and mesosoma, except on anterior legs and laterally on propodeum where is fuscous; black on metasoma. On metasoma, dense and plumose on T1 and T2, simple on remaining terga; on T6 with a fringe of plumose hairs on apical margin; on sterna, entirely plumose, but interrupted by glabrous discal area on S2 – S4; on S4 forming dense tufts; on S5 forming dense complete fringe; on S6 forming dense longitudinal tuft of plumose hairs. Structure —malar area about as long as basal mandibular width; clypeus weakly convex, with mid longitudinal keel, its basal depression 1/ 5 as long as clypeal length; T7 with deep median emargination forming two flat triangular lobes; S5 with two dentiform projections distally; S6 with mid-longitudinal and lateral carinas.

Holotype (female): “14.815” “ Tetralonia ♀; lüderwaldtii; n. sp; C. Schrottky, det. 1910” “96717” “ Thygater ♀; lüderwaldtii; P. Moure det.” [MZUSP]—examined through the pictures and data in Ramos e t al. (2015).

Variation and taxonomic notes: Urban (1967) mentioned the occurrence of females with dull-yellow instead of bright-ferruginous pilosity on terminal terga.

Additional material examined: (six specimens, 5 ♀♀ and 1 ♂♂) BRAZIL — MINAS GERAIS: Gonçalves — 27/03/2007, F.A. Silveira, 3♀♀ 1♂ [ UFMG]. Rio Grande do Sul: São Francisco de Paula — 26/02/1997, B. Harter 1♀; 27/03/1998, B. Harter 1♀ [PUC–RS].

Distribution in Minas Gerais: This is the first record of the species in the state of Minas Gerais. The known records of the species suggest that, in this state, it might be found along the whole Mantiqueira range and, maybe, in other nearby mountain chains.

Flower records: Lythraceae — Cuphea sp., Gonçalves—MG [UFMG].

Figures

FIGURE 8. T. latitarsis — ♀: A — frontal view; B — lateral view; C — dorsal view (UFMG 37923). ♂: D — frontal view; E — lateral view; F — dorsal view (UFV Araponga, MG, Brasil, 16 / 04 / 1989, E. F. Morato; Parque Florestal da Serra do Brigadeiro, MG). Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 10. T. luederwaldti — ♀: A — frontal view, B — lateral view, C — dorsal view (UFMG 39829); ♂: D — frontal view, Elateral view, F — dorsal view (UFMG 39851). Scale bar = 1 mm.