Systropha curvicornis ( Scopoli, 1770 )

Niu, Ze-Qing, Wu, Yan-Ru & Huang, Da-Wei, 2005, A Taxonomic Study On The Four Genera Of The Subfamily Rophitinae From China (Hymenoptera: Halictidae), Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 53 (1), pp. 47-58 : 48-50

Systropha curvicornis ( Scopoli, 1770)

( Fig. 1 , A-I)

Eucera curvicornis Scopoli, 1770: 9 .

Andrena spiralis Olivier, 1789: 135 .

Andrena labrosa Eversmann, 1852: 22 .

Systropha curvicornis - Ponomareva, 1967: 681-682; Ebmer, 1988: 689; Pesenko et al., 2000: 131-134.

Material examined. – 1 female, China, Xinjiang, Altay, coll. Shuyong Wang, 16 Aug.1960 ; 1 male, China, Xinjiang, Fuhai, coll. not record, 16 Jul.1996 .

Redescription. – Female: Body length 9.0–10.0 mm. Face, mesoscutum and metasomal terga black, without metallic reflections. Head wider than long, narrower than mesoscutal width. Antennal socket placed on lower half of face, separated from upper clypeal margin by little more than diameter of socket; upper end of subantennal suture directed towards lower margin of antennal socket. Flagellum 10 segmented; scape 4 times as long as the most width; F1 longer than F2 and F3, but as long as F2 and F3 combined ( Fig. 1 , B); F2 wider than long. Frons flattened, without longitudinal ridge medially; frontal carina present; frons only with usual hairs, without spines. Apex of labrum rounded; labral process absent. Clypeus 2 times as broad as long, basal half with dense and round punctures, apical half punctures sparser. Supraclypeus with smaller punctures than clypeal ones. Epistomal suture between the anterior tentorial pits being only weakly arched. Labial palpus with the third segment on same axis as the second and also rather broad basally, only the fourth being freely articulated; the second segment of labial palpus longer than the third or the fourth one, at least 5 times as long as the fourth one’s length. Maxillary palpus sixsegmented. Mandible with 2 preapical teeth. Distance of lateral ocellus to vertex 0.5 times as long as that of lateral ocellus to eye; distance between lateral ocelli 1.3 times as long as distance of lateral ocellus to eye. Gena nearly as wide as eye. Forewing with 3 submarginal cells; the second submarginal cell less than half of the first one; distal crossveins as strong as the first submarginal crossvein; basal vein slightly curved; marginal cell sharply pointed at distal end; distance from apex of stigma to apex of marginal cell longer than that from apex of marginal cell to wing tip. Tegula not enlarged, blackish brown. Dorsal surface of propodeum shorter than scutellum, 0.42 times as long as scutellar length, 1 time as long as metanotal length; dorsal enclosure of propodeum with irregular rugulose sculptures, intersculptures shagreened. Mesoscutum with round and deeper punctures, doubly-punctate. Episternal groove not a real groove, but a shallow valley. Metasomal terga with 6 segments exposed, without hair bands, but with dense long dark hairs; posterior margin of metasomal terga blackish brown, transparent; T5 without longitudinal median zone, T5 with blackish hairs; T6 without pygidial plate. Middle tibial spur normal, 1/2 as long as basitarsus, pointed apically, pecten not obvious; hind basitarsus with apical process, the process without penicillus; hind trochanteral and femoral scopa reduced; metabasitibial plate present.

Male: Body length 8.5–9.5 mm. Face, mesoscutum and metasomal terga black, without metallic reflections. Head wider than long. Distance of lateral ocellus to vertex 0.83 times as long as distance of lateral ocellus to eye; distance between lateral ocelli 1.67 times as long as distance of lateral ocellus to eye. Labial palpus with the third segment on same axis as the second and also rather broad basally, only the fourth being freely articulated; the second segment of labial palpus longer than the third or the forth one, at least 5 times as long as the fourth one’s length. Maxillary palpus sixsegmented. Antennal socket placed on lower half of face, separated from upper clypeal margin by a little more than diameter of socket; upper end of subantennal suture directed towards lower margin of antennal socket; antenna five last

flagellomeres rolled to triangular spiral; flagellomere without special depressed area, lower surface without longitudinal groove; scape 2.4 times as long as its maximum width; F2 longer than wide, nearly as long as F3 ( Fig. 1 , C). Frons flattened, without longitudinal ridge medially; frontal carina absent. Mandible with 2 preapical teeth. Gena narrower than eye. Forewing with 3 submarginal cells ( Fig. 1 , A); the second submarginal cell less than half of the first one; basal vein slightly curved; distal crossveins as strong as the first submarginal crossvein; marginal cell sharply pointed at distal end; distance from apex of stigma to apex of marginal cell longer than that from apex of marginal cell to wing tip. Episternal groove not a real groove, but a shallow valley. Tegula not enlarged, blackish brown. Dorsal surface of propodeum shorter than scutellum, 0.45 times as long as scutellar length, 1 time as long as metascutellar length. Scutellum without lateral teeth on posterolateral extremities. Metasomal terga with 7 segments exposed, without hair bands, but with dense long dark hairs, posterior margin of metasomal terga not transparent; T5 normal, without lateral teeth; T7 broadly emarginate posteriorly ( Fig. 1 , I), T7 with pygidial plate not margined by sharp carina. Genitalia without lower gonostylus as appendage; gonostylus broader, partly or not separated from gonocoxite; volsella present, produced to a fingerlike hairy process, hairs shorter and sparser ( Fig. 1 , H). S2 and S3 with long sharp lateral teeth ( Fig. 1 , D); S4- S5 normal, S4 without yellow hairs, S5 weakly emarginate posteriorly; S6 flattened, without blister-shaped thickenings and median ridge, S6 sheet-like, emarginate midapically, without posterolateral marginal projection ( Fig. 1 , E); S7 and S8 usually elaborate, large, heavily sclerotized, often separated; S7 furcated apically, not covered with long hairs, and without distinct dorsal lobe ( Fig. 1 , F); S8 with a pairs of pointed basal lobes, and with enlarged apical process ( Fig. 1 , G). Middle tibia normal, not broadened distally, outer surface not concave; middle tibia only with one spiniform process apically; middle femur broadened; hind femur and tibia normal, not broadened.

Distribution. – Palearctic, from Spain to Altai and northwestern China, in Europe to Poland and southern Lithuania in the north. Common in South and Central Europe, southwestern and Central Asia ( Pesenko et al, 2000)

Figures

Fig. 1. Systropha curvicornis (Scopoli, 1770):A, male forewing; B, lateral view of female antenna; C, lateral view of male antenna; D, lateral view of male S2 and S3; E, ventral view of male S6; F, ventral view of male S7; G, ventral view of male S8; H, dorsal view of male genitalia; I, dorsal view of male T7.