Xylocopa (Schonnherria) auriventris, Villamizar & Fernández & Vivallo, 2020

Villamizar, Germán, Fernández, Fernando & Vivallo, Felipe, 2020, Synopsis of the carpenter bee subgenus Xylocopa (Schonnherria) Lepeletier, 1841 (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Colombia, with designation of lectotypes and the description of two new species, Zootaxa 4789 (2), pp. 301-347 : 305-307

Xylocopa (Schonnherria) auriventris new species

( Figures 11–14 , 77 )

Diagnosis. The female can be recognized by the following combination of characters: large body size (body length~ 21.5 mm); integument dark brown to black except reddish brown-gold on posterior area of terga and sterna, with bluish highlights; wings dark brown with blue and violet iridescence; base of labrum with a distinct, large, single capitate tubercle approximately as large as median ocellus; whitish hairs on clypeus, paraocular area, gena, disc of T4 and lateral sides of T3–T5 and S3–S5; circular to elliptical punctation and short simple hairs barely noticeable on terga, longer on T4–T6. This species is similar to X. dimidiata by the body size, labrum shape and the bluish highlights mainly on head. However, it can be distinguished by its distinct bluish highlights on all tagmata, the reddish brown-gold area on terga and sterna, and the whitish hairs on face, gena and lateral sides of T3–T5. These characters contrast with those found in X. dimidiata , which has integument and pubescence black with slightly highlights except on head and legs. Xylocopa auriventris n. sp. also resembles X. barbarae Lucia & Gonzalez, 2017 , a species recorded from the Bolivian Andes, by the labrum shape, bluish highlights and whitish pubescence on face, gena and lateral sides of T2–T4, but it can be distinguished by the strongest highlights on body, the distinct reddish brown-gold area on metasomal terga and sterna and by the whitish hairs on disc of T4 and on lateral sides of T5 (weak highlights on gena, vertex and mesoscutum, metasomal integument dark brown to black without distinct areas and black hairs on T4 and on lateral sides of disc of T 5 in X. barbarae ).

Description. Holotype Female ( Figs. 11–14 ). Measurements (mm): Approximate body length: 21.5; head width: 8.0; mesosoma width: 8.2; metasoma width; 11.5; forewing length: 18.5. Coloration: Integument dark brown to black except reddish brown-gold on posterior area of terga and sterna; bluish highlights, predominantly stronger on head and metasoma and greenish on mesoscutellum. Tegula dark brown with bluish highlights. Wings dark brown with strong blue and violet iridescence. Pubescence: Black except ferruginous on ventral surface of fore basitarsus and T6 apically; whitish on clypeus, paraocular area, gena and lateral sides of T3–T5 and S3–S5; few white hairs on lateral sides of disc of T4 and on disc of T5. Paraocular area and lower half of clypeus with a mixture of short, simple and plumose hairs (0.3–0.5x OD). Mesosoma with plumose hairs mainly on mesepisternum, scattered near tegula and glabrous on mesoscutal disc; mesoscutellum with scattered plumose hairs toward the posterior margin, disc nearly glabrous. Metasoma with decumbent tufts of long and simple pubescence on lateral sides; T1 with short, dense and simple hairs on disc (0.1–0.4x OD), denser laterally; T2 and T3 with very short simple hairs (0.1–0.3x OD), barely noticeable on T2; T4–T6 with simple hairs, longer than those on anterior terga (0.3–0.8x OD); sterna with long and scattered simple hairs toward distal margins. Surface sculpture: Fine, scattered, circular punctures on vertex and upper gena (2–4x puncture width); circular to elliptical, coarser and denser punctures toward paraocular area and clypeus; “T” shaped smooth surface on upper margin of clypeus. Mesoscutum with uniform circular punctures (2–3x puncture width), coarser and denser near tegula, scattered anteriorly and smooth on disc; mesonotal line conspicuous with similar length to half of mesoscutum, parapsidal lines poorly defined; mesoscutellum with scattered punctures (3–5x puncture width), denser posteriorly near to metanotum. Metasoma with dense, circular to elliptical punctures (1–2x puncture width), finer on disc of terga, coarser toward lateral sides. Structures: Head broader than long (1.2: 1); inner orbits of compound eyes relatively parallel; ratio of upper and lower interocular distances 0.8:1; maximum interorbital distance almost equal than eye length (0.9: 1); clypeus broader than long (2.3: 1), with the length almost equal to clypeo ocellar distance (0.9: 1); interalveolar distance similar than alveolocular distance (0.7: 1); interalveolar distance almost equal to alveolocellar distance (1: 1); vertex broad, lateral ocellus below supraorbital line (0.9x OD); interocellar distance shorter than ocellocular distance (0.7: 1); frontal carina at the same level of antennal sockets with similar size than scape length (0.3x OD); length of F1 longer than the summed length of F2 and F3 and shorter than length of F2–F4 (0.8: 0.8: 0.9); upper half of clypeus slightly more elevated than paraocular area with upper margin inconspicuous. Base of labrum with a distinct, large, single capitate tubercle, approximately as large as median ocellus. Mesoscutellum rounded (lateral view). Metanotum and propodeum subvertical (lateral view).

Floral records. Unknown.

Type Material. Holotype female with the following data label: Colombia, Risaralda, Mistrató, Puerto de Oro, Río de Oro Totumo , 900 m, 01-Sep-1991, F. Fernández / HY2080 ( LABUN).

Type locality and Distribution. ( Fig. 77 ) COLOMBIA: Risaralda: Mistrató .

Etymology. From Latin aureus (gold) and ventris (venter) due to the coloration of the integument reddish brown-gold on the apical area of terga and sterna.

Comments. Xylocopa auriventris n. sp. is also within the historical concept of X. dimidiata proposed by Smith (1874) when he described that species based on a female from Tefé, Brazil, as was denoted by Lucia & Gonzalez (2017) when described X. barbarae . Both species share the same labrum shape, similar body size and punctation on vertex and metasoma, but X. auriventris n. sp. differs by the reddish brown-gold area on metasomal discs and by the whitish pubescence on face, gena, disc of T4 and lateral sides of T3–T5 (pubescence and integument mostly black in X. dimidiata ).

The exemplars of X. dimidiata that we examined in foreign collections are consistent in their features and all occur in the Amazonian region (Boreal Brazilian dominion sensu Morrone, 2014). The single specimen of X. auriventris n. sp. was collected in a locality of the Andean region (Pacific dominion) at approximately 900 m. a.s.l. More specimens need to be collected to identify variations and describe the male of this new species.

Another species that has similarities with this new species by the whitish hairs on face and lateral sides of T3–T5 is X. electa , which occurs in Venezuela and Brazil ( Moure, 2012). A female syntype of this latter species deposited in NHMUK was examined and it is noticeably different from X. auriventris n. sp., mainly by the smaller body size (body length~17, mesosoma width~6.5), integument of head and mesosoma mostly black with weak highlights, labrum with three well-defined tubercles, hyaline wings and punctation on discs of metasomal terga sparser.

Figures

FIGURE 77. Distribution records for Xylocopa auriventris n. sp., X. dimidiata, X. ecuadorica and X. lateralis in Colombia.

FIGURES 11–14. Female of Xylocopa (Schonnherria) auriventris n. sp. (holotype) Fig. 11. Frontal view. Fig. 12. Detail of metasomal terga. Fig. 13. Dorsal habitus. Fig. 14. Lateral habitus. Scale bar 4 mm.