Mexalictus (Georgealictus) benyamini 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 : 61-63

Mexalictus (Georgealictus) benyamini Dumesh , new species

( Figs. 166–167 )

Holotype. Female. Chiapas, San Cristobal de las Casas, Huitepec, 2290m, N1645’04/W9240’31, 1-05-2009, wpt 23, SAGOT Pn 3 [ ECOSUR]; barcode accession number 03763G09- MEX.

Diagnosis. This species can be distinguished from others by the following combination: head entirely black, supraclypeal area apically widened with punctures even throughout, mesoscutellum with basally elevated midline, metapostnotum centrally depressed, and 1 st recurrent vein meeting1/3 basad of 2 nd transcubital vein.

Description. Female (Holotype): Body length 9.5–9.6mm, forewing length 7.8mm, head width 2.2mm, ITW 1.52–1.55mm. Head: round, L:W = 1.02:1. (1) Labrum and mandible: with subrectangular basal area, flattened basal elevation, narrow triangular distal process. (2) Clypeus: length 0.9X length of supraclypeal area, 3/4 of length below lower ocular tangent, convex in lateral view, not as protuberant supraclypeal area; punctures separated by 1pd basally, coarse and sparse apically (2pd). (3) Supraclypeal area: dull, slightly shiny directly below antennal sockets; strongly convex in lateral view; apically widened, width subequal to length; punctation more or less even throughout, punctures separated by 1–2pd. (4) Lower paraocular area: mostly dull becoming shiny apicolaterally and 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 only between antennae, from basal third of supraclypeal area to 2MOD from median ocellus, with a somewhat obscure line reaching median ocellus. (6) Vertexal area: shiny; OOD = 1.5MOD, IOD = 1.6MOD, OVD = 1.1MOD; punctures obscure medially around ocelli, becoming coarse and dense laterally (<1pd). (7) Genal and hypostomal areas: genal area as wide as compound eye in lateral view, shiny with fine punctures separated by 1pd above, becoming sparser below (2–3pd); hypostomal area shiny, bare, and nearly impunctate. (8) Antenna: scape reaching past median ocellus, pedicel slightly longer than wide, F2 shorter than F1, flagellomeres slightly increasing in length from F2–F10, F2–F5 wider than long, F6–F9 quadrate, F10 longer than wide. Mesosoma: (9) Pronotum: smooth, impunctate, shinier laterally; pronotal lobe pubescent, bearing pale branched hairs. (10) Mesoscutum: dull, appearing granular, especially along margins and median line; densely punctate, punctures separated by 1–2pd in central disc, becoming more crowded basally and laterally past parapsidal line. (11) Mesoscutellum: dull with central disc shiny, medially raised basally, without a medial depression; punctures finer than on mesoscutum, separated by 1pd in central disc, becoming dense towards margins with several larger punctures sparsely among them (>5pd). (12) Metanotum: somewhat shiny, with shallow sparse punctures, separated by>2pd. (13) Mesopleuron: granular and sparsely punctate, punctures separated by 4–6pd; preepisternum weakly granular anteriorly, punctures deep and crowded above, otherwise as on mesopleuron; hypoepimeral area and central episternum mostly impunctate. (14) Metapleuron: transversely striate basally, striation weakened, otherwise weakly shiny and impunctate. (15) Metapostnotum and propodeum: strongly sloping posteriorly dorsally bare and weakly granular, length 0.80X length of mesoscutellum, with a central depression giving a bilobed appearance to the dorsal surface, dorsal striation present basally, strongest laterally, longer medially, extending to apical; propodeum imbricate laterally, 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 submarginal cell 3 vein widths basad of 2 nd transcubital vein. (17) Tegula: brown, anteriorly dull becoming shiny posteriorly, anteriorly punctate with long pubescence. (18) Foreleg: tarsi with hairs brownish-red, basitarsus parallel sided, about 4X as long as width, hairs thick, erect and spine-like with a lateral patch of short brown erect hairs distally; tibia distally broadened, about 2.5X as long as greatest width, with 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 dark brown hairs. (19) Middle leg: as foreleg, except as follows: basitarsus without lateral patch of short hairs distally; tibia with apicoventral patch of dark, 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 dark branching hairs, somewhat sparse; trochanter and coxa with long, branching, dark brown pubescence; trochanter much shorter, nearly as long as wide; coxa similar to that of foreleg; tibial spurs translucent yellow basally, apically half dark red; inner hind tibial spur 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 dark on apical 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. Chiapas , San Cristobal de las Casas, Huitepec, 2290m, N1645’04/W9240’31, 1-05-2009, wpt 23, SAGOT Pn 3 (holotype female, barcode label 03763G09- MEX [ ECOSUR]) .

Etymology. This species is named in honour of Benyamin Lenchner, who has been a great help throughout this study and who assisted in my search for these rare bees in Chiapas, Mexico.

Figures

FIGURES 166–167. Mexalictus benyamini Dumesh, n. sp., 166. Female lateral habitus, 167. Female head. Scale bars = 1mm.