Caenohalictus opaciceps (Friese)

Gonzalez-Vaquero, Rocio Ana & Roig-Alsina, Arturo, 2013, Revision of the species of the bee genus Caenohalictus (Hymenoptera: Halictidae) occurring in Argentinean Patagonia, Zootaxa 3670 (4), pp. 493-515 : 498-502

Caenohalictus opaciceps (Friese)

( Figs. 2 , 3, 5, 10, 11–13, 23–24, 31–32)

Halictus (Paragapostemon) scitulus Vachal 1903: 99 , 124. Lectotype: female, Chile. Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris [Junior primary homonym of Halictus scitulus Smith 1873 ]. Designated by Moure & Hurd, 1987: 182. Halictus opaciceps Friese 1916: 560 . Syntypes: male, female. Chile, Concepción. Museum für Naturkunde der Humboldt Universität, Berlin.

Caenohalictus opaciceps: Alfken 1932: 656 , 658, 659.

Diagnosis. Caenohalictus opaciceps can be distinguished by the following combination of features: male with clypeus clearly produced under the lower orbital tangent by 0.55 to 0.66 of its total length; tarsus and apical half of the mandible yellow and scape brown; S8 five times broader than long. Male genital capsule (Figs. 11–13): igp wide, reaching the penis valve dorsally, entirely covered by short, flattened, truncate, specialized setae; penis valve without outer basal tooth; ogp with short, simple setae; mgl half-moon shaped; va slender, short. Female T3–T4 with hairy marginal zone and compound eyes with whitish hairs as long as 1/2 MOD.

Variation. There is variation in color in the pygidial plate of the male, from dark to light brown, also reported by Rojas and Toro (2000). A few male specimens had a weakly striate metapostnotum. None of the female specimens examined had yellow on the mandibles, labrum, tegulae or legs, as would be expected based upon the identification key of Rojas and Toro (2000); all these structures were brown. One of us (RAGV) has studied a specimen from Valparaíso identified by F. Rojas as C. opaciceps , housed at PCYU. This specimen has the same color pattern as the ones from Argentina included in the present study, suggesting a possible mistake in the key.

Comments. This species, along with C. cyanopygus , represents the most frequently collected species of the genus in the field trips performed. Within a few minutes 103 male specimens were collected near Lago Lolog; they were on flowers of Matricaria inodora among several specimens of Sphecodes sp. ( Halictini : Sphecodina) (7–Feb–2012). Other plants visited by this species: Anacardiaceae : Lithraea caustica ; Apiaceae : Eryngium sp.; Asteraceae : Baccharis rhetinodes , Chrysanthemum sp., Hypochaeris sp., Taraxacum officinale ; Buddlejaceae : Buddleja sp.; Ericaceae : Gaultheria sp.; Escalloniaceae : Escallonia virgata ; Escallonia sp.; Fabaceae : Adesmia sp., Trifolium repens ; Loasaceae : Blumenbachia sp.; Onagraceae : Oenothera sp.; Rhamnaceae : Discaria articulata , D. chacaye , D. trinervis .

Distribution in Argentinean Patagonia. Humid regions of southwestern Neuquén and Río Negro. Also found in Chile: from Atacama to Bío Bío.

Examined material. ARGENTINA : Neuquén: 3M 1F, Villa Pehuenia, 27–I–2012, R. González Vaquero ( MACN). 1M, Junín de los Andes, 2–II–2012, R. González Vaquero ( MACN). 1M, Junín de los Andes, 16–II–2007, L. Compagnucci ( MACN). 1M, Lanín: Camping Nonthué, 3–II–2012, R. González Vaquero ( MACN). 3M, Lanín: Lago Lácar, 2–II–2012, R. González Vaquero ( MACN). 102M, Camino Lagos Lolog-Curruhué, 7–II–2012, R. González Vaquero ( MACN). 1M, Camino Lagos Lolog-Curruhué, 7–II–2012, R. González Vaquero (IADIZA). 2M, Cabecera E Lago Lolog, 6–II–2012, R. González Vaquero ( MACN). 1M, San Martín de los Andes, 20–III–1964 ( MACN). 2M, San Martín de los Andes, 8–III–1955, A. Ogloblin ( MLPA). 2F, 8k N San Martín de los Andes 1000m, 16/ 22–XI–1997, Malaise trap, C. & M. Vardy ( MACN). 1F, 8k N San Martín de los Andes 1000m, 16/ 22–XI–1997, Malaise trap, C. & M. Vardy ( BMNH). 1F, 8k N San Martín de los Andes 900–1000m, 16/ 22–XI–1997, C. & M. Vardy ( BMNH). 1F, 2k S San Martín de los Andes Quitrahue 820m, 17–XI–1997, C. & M. Vardy ( BMNH). 8F, Nahuel Huapi: Cuyín Manzano, 19/ 21–XII–2010, Compagnucci & González Vaquero ( MACN). 3F, Nahuel Huapi: Confluencia, 22–XII–2010, Compagnucci & González Vaquero ( MACN). 3F, Nahuel Huapi: Confluencia, 14–XII– 2001, Medán, Montaldo & Devoto ( FAUBA). 2F, Nahuel Huapi: Cabecera E Lago Huechulafquen, 15–XII–2010, Compagnucci & González Vaquero ( MACN). 1F, Nahuel Huapi: Cabecera E Lago Huechulafquen, 16–XII–2003, Medán, Devoto & Torretta ( FAUBA). 7F, Nahuel Huapi: Cabecera E Lago Huechulafquen, XII–1997, D. Medán ( FAUBA). 5F, Nahuel Huapi: La Lipela, 9/ 12–XII–2000, Medán, Montaldo & Devoto ( FAUBA). 2F, Nahuel Huapi: Villa Traful, 10–XII–2001, Medán, Montaldo & Devoto ( FAUBA). 1M, Nahuel Huapi: Isla Victoria, I–1943 ( MLPA). 6F, Near Nahuel Huapi –41.02984 –71.312778, 927m, 24–I–2007, vane trap, L. Packer ( PCYU). Río Negro: 1M, Nahuel Huapi: Valle del Challhuaco, 2–II–2011, R. González Vaquero ( MACN). 1M, Nahuel Huapi: NO Lago Gutiérrez, 25–I–2011, R. González Vaquero ( MACN). 5F, Bariloche, XII–1964, A. Giai ( MACN). 2F, Bariloche Ñireco, III–1953, A. Ogloblin ( MLPA). 1F, Pichileufú 30 km E Bariloche, XI–1964, A. Giai ( MACN). 2M, El Bolsón, 1–II–2011, R. González Vaquero ( MACN). 1M, Cholila, I–1965, A. Giai ( MACN). 3M, Ñorquinco, 5–II– 1994, A. Roig Alsina ( MACN). Chubut: 2M, 6km NO El Maitén, 4–II–1994, A. Roig Alsina ( MACN). 1F, INTA Trevelin, 2–XI–2006, A–I. Gravel ( MACN). 2F, INTA Trevelin, 1–XI–2005 / 12–XII–2005, A–I. Gravel ( PCYU). 1F, INTA Trevelin, 13–XII–2006, A–I. Gravel ( PCYU). 1M 4F, INTA Trevelin, 1–XI–2005 / 16–II–2006, M.E. Hollmann ( PCYU). CHILE: Coquimbo: 1F, Chañar, –30.2865 –70.6338, 11–X–2009, J. Gibbs ( PCYU). 1F, Chañar, Los Lavadores, –30.2963 –70.62728, 10–IX–2010, L. Packer ( PCYU). Santiago Metropolitan Region: 1M, Cerro El Roble, 28–XI–2011, González Vaquero & Mondaca ( MACN). Bío Bío: 1M, Concepción Isla Quiriquina, M.R. Espinosa ( MACN).

FIGURES 3–10. 3–4, S4–6, male: 3, C. opaciceps ; 4, C. thamyris . 5–6, disc of T2, male: 5, C. opaciceps ; 6, C. galletue . 7–8, metapostnotum, female: 7, C. thamyris ; 8, C. flammeus n. sp. 9–10, marginal zones of T3–4, female: 9, C. cyanopygus ; 10, C. opaciceps . Scale 200 µm.

FIGURES 11–22. Genital capsule of the male. 11, 14, 17, 20 dorsal view. 12, 15, 18, 21 ventral view. 13, 16, 19, 22 lateral view. 11–13, C. opaciceps . 14–16, C. galletue . 17–19, C. cyanopygus . 20–22, C. flammeus n. sp. Ogp, outer gonostylar plate; igp, inner gonostylar plate; mgl, main gonostylar lobe; vp, ventral plate; va, ventral apophyses. Scale 200 µm.

FIGURES 23–31. 23–29 Head. 23, 25, 27, 29 male. 24, 26, 28 female. 23–24, C. opaciceps . 25–26, C. cyanopygus . 27– 28, C. flammeus n. sp. 29, C. galletue . 30–31 clypeus, female. 30, C. thamyris . 31, C. opaciceps . Scale 200 µm.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 2. 1, mesoscutum of C. thamyris, male. 2, lateral sulcus of T 2 of C. opaciceps, male. Scale 1, 200 µm; 2, 20 µm.