Amegilla (Asaropoda) preissi (Cockerell, 1910)

Leijs, Remko, Dorey, James & Hogendoorn, Katja, 2020, The genus Amegilla (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Anthophorini) in Australia: a revision of the subgenus Asaropoda, ZooKeys 908, pp. 45-122 : 45

Amegilla (Asaropoda) preissi (Cockerell, 1910) Figure 18A-M

Anthophora preissi Cockerell, 1910: 107.

Asaropoda sordidula Rayment, 1931: 179, syn. nov.

Asaropoda sordida Rayment, 1931: 180, syn. nov.

Asaropoda grisescens Rayment, 1931: 181, syn. nov.

Specimens examined.

45 males, 57 females.

Types.

Holotype of A. preissi , female, N.H. occ. Preiss (as New Holland, occidental = Western Australia), 1405, ZMB.

Holotype of A. sordidula , male, Swan River, WA, L. J. Newman, Agriculture (Dept) Western Australia 28866.

Holotype of A. grisescens : female, Geraldton, W. Australia, ANIC.

Holotype of A. sordida : male, Geraldton, W. Australia, L. J. Newman, ANIC.

Decision for synonymy.

Examination and comparison of the female types of A. preissi and A. grisescens did not reveal morphological differences with respect of female diagnostic characters, therefore the name A. preissi has precedence. The sexes of this species were associated using a series of specimens of both sexes with identical locality data in the WAM and VM collections linking females of A. grisescens with males of A. sordida and A. sordidula . The emargination and hair patches of the sterna of the male type of sordida are not different from those of the male type of A. sordidula .

Diagnosis.

Male with rectangular patch of dark and light brown bristles on S4 and angular emarginated apicomedial area of S5 surrounded by branched hairs. Female paraclypeal and supraclypeal marks absent, tibial scopa grey-white, T2 with narrow band of black hairs anteriorly, process on S6 smooth and well defined posteriorly (Fig. 18L ).

Redescription.

Male (VM HYM-35946): Body length 13.5 mm, forewing length 9.7 mm, head width 5.1 mm.

Structure: Inner orbits of eyes almost parallel; head wider than long; clypeal protuberance in profile 0.69 × eye width; mandible with distinct subapical tooth; F1 equal to combined length of next 2.2 flagellomeres; F1 0.63 × as long as scape; F2 0.62 × as long as F3; F3-F10 1.27 × as long as wide; last flagellomere 0.78 × as long as F1; marginal cell length 0.75 distance from apex of cell to wing tip; cu-v of hind wing 0.83 × as long as second abscissa of M+Cu; S5 with apicomedial emargination triangular shaped circa 2.6 × as wide as deep; posterior edge of S5 undulated; S6 with apicomedial emargination circa 3.6 × as wide as deep; marginal zone broad and smooth.

Genitalia: penis valves with well extended shoulders; volsella slender with 5 setae (Fig. 18H ); gonocoxa laterally with some slender setae raising from depressions; apex of gonocoxa with rounded ventral lobe; outer gonostylus circa as long as penis valve base, with long setae at inner surface and apex; inner gonostylus 0.6 as long as outer gonostylus, slightly rectangular shaped with long setae at apex (Fig. 18G ); S7 (Fig. 18E ); S8 broadly rounded (Fig. 18F ).

Pubescence: Head white-grey on genae and labrum, pale brown intermixed with black hairs on clypeus, paraclypeal area vertex and area around ocelli; scutum, scutellum and metanotum pale brown intermixed with black hairs; mesosoma laterally pale brown, black ventrally; fore leg pale brown; mid and hind legs black on inner surface and pale brown on outer surface; metasomal terga T1 with long pale brown erect hairs; T2-T6 with semi adpressed pale brown hairs; T7 hairs brown; T2 anteriorly with entire narrow band of black hairs; S1-S4 with narrow fringes of adpressed short white branched hairs laterally on posterior margins and single rows of erect black hairs near pre-marginal line, hairs on disks erect and black; S4-S5 laterally with plumes of pale brown hairs; S4 apicomedial area with two ovoid patches of anteriomedial directed black bristles, together circa one third of sternum width; S5 with long brown branched hairs on both sides of the emargination; S6 without hairs on marginal zone.

Colouration: Integument dark-brown, apart from: posterior margins of sterna translucent orange-brown; scape yellow below black above; flagellum brown below; labrum yellow with translucent dots near dorsolateral corners; clypeus, supraclypeal and paraclypeal area yellow; mandible yellow at base dark brown at tip; proboscis orange-brown.

Female redescription (VM HYM-35995): Body length 15 mm, forewing length 10.3 mm, head width 5.5 mm.

Structure: Inner orbits of eyes slightly diverging above; head wider than long; clypeal protuberance in profile 0.8 × eye width; mandible with distinct subapical tooth; F1 equal to combined length of almost next three flagellomeres; F1 0.83 × as long as scape; F2 0.83 × as long as F3; F3-F10 circa as long as wide; last flagellomere 0.57 × as long as F1; marginal cell length 0.78 distance from apex of cell to wing tip; cu-v of hind wing 0.8 × as long as second abscissa of M+Cu; S6 with broad parabolically raised smooth area (Fig. 18L ).

Pubescence: Head grey-white on genae, labrum, clypeus, paraclypeal, vertex and around ocelli, intermixed with black hairs on clypeus, around ocelli and vertex; scutum, scutellum and metanotum grey-white intermixed with black hairs; mesosoma laterally grey-white, black hairs ventrally; fore leg with femur and tibia posteriorly with long brown and white hairs; anteriorly with short adpressed white hairs; tarsi pale brown; mid and hind legs black on inner surface and grey-white on outer surface; scopa on hind leg grey-white with streak of pale brown hair below basitibial plate, metasomal terga with grey-white hairs; T2 anteriorly without adpressed black hairs; T5 with brown prepygidial fimbria; T6 with strong pale brown hairs flanking the pygidial plate; S1-S3 with fringes of adpressed white branched hairs laterally on posterior margins and single rows of erect simple black hairs near pre-marginal line, hairs on disks erect and black; S4-S5 on posterior margins with dense rows of erect brown branched hairs.

Colouration: Integument of head, mesosoma and metasomal terga dark-brown with pale brown translucent posterior margins; sterna and legs brown; scape brown; flagellum brown below and darker above; labrum pale yellow with translucent dots near dorsolateral corners; clypeus with yellow inverted T-shape, otherwise brown; supraclypeal area black without yellow mark; paraclypeal area black without yellow mark; mandible yellow at base yellowish brown at tip; proboscis orange-brown.

Remarks.

When Brooks (1993) described A. paracalva he mentioned that A. calva and A. preissi are restricted to New South Wales and Queensland. The ' A. preissi 'referred to by Brooks (1993) actually was A. frogatti , a species from south-east Queensland, that he had synonymised with A. preissi without giving a reason for doing so. Amegilla preissi as we now know it is restricted to south-west Western Australia.

Flower records.

Eucalyptus calophylla ( Myrtaceae ).

Distribution.

Figure 18I .

Figures

Figure 18. Amegilla (Asaropoda) preissi (Cockerell, 1910).