Scaptotrigona (Scaptotrigona) vitorum Engel, 2022

Engel, Michael S., 2022, Notes on South American stingless bees of the genus Scaptotrigona (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Part IV: Four new species of group B from the Andean region, Journal of Melittology 2022 (112), pp. 1-13 : 5-8

Scaptotrigona (Scaptotrigona) vitorum Engel , new species

ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:41C6C879-E0BD-49F1-846B-924224732DC2

( Figs. 4–6 )

DIAGNOSIS: This southern Ecuadorian species superficially resembles an exceptionally dark S. ederi Engel (from Colombia), and both lack a genal projection on the lower portion of the concavity in the lateral preoccipital carina. Aside from those characters of subgroup B ( S. ederi belongs to subgroup A: Engel, 2022b), S. vitorum can be distinguished by the darker and fainter facial markings ( Fig. 6 ) and the more prevalent minute pubescence on the apical half of the clypeus ( Fig. 6 ). Scaptotrigona vitorum occurs in southwestern Ecuador, while S. ederi is found across the southern Andes of Colombia.

DESCRIPTION: As described for S. anaulax (vide supra) except as follows: ⚲: Total body length approximately 5.0– 5.7 mm, forewing length (to base of humeral sclerite) 5.5–5.8 mm. Head wider than long, width 2.47–2.53 mm, length 1.93–2.00 mm; compound eye length 1.37–1.47 mm; upper interorbital distance 1.60–1.73 mm, lower interorbital distance 1.50–1.57 mm. Scape length 0.93 mm, slightly longer than torulocellar distance, torulocellar distance 0.87–0.93 mm. Clypeus length 0.63–0.70 mm, width 1.13–1.17 mm. Malar area long, length 1.6–1.8× flagellar diameter. Preoccipital carina strong, dorsally lamellate and bordered by medial indentation and shallow lateral indentations, laterally carina interrupted by deep concavity, lamella extends into dorsal half of concavity, lower margin of concavity without genal projection (tooth) extending upward into concavity, at most an acutely rounded angle although typically orthogonal.

Integument almost wholly black to dark brown; labrum dark brown; mandible brown to dark brown, typically darker proximally; clypeus largely brown to dark brown, with areas of yellow to yellowish brown centrally, laterally, or paramedially on either side of brown strip from base to near apical margin; supraclypeal dark brown; malar space dark brown; face below tangent of antennal toruli largely semitranslucent or diaphanous yellow to yellow brown, with such yellow narrowly tapering upward along inner ocular margin for distance of less than antennal torular diameter; scape dark brown except lighter brown ventrally, but sometimes light brown to yellow brown extends over nearly entirety of scape; pedicel and flagellum dark brown except ventral surface of flagellum pale brown; remainder of face dark brown to black; vertex and posterior of head black to dark brown; gena dark brown; postgena dark brown except hypostomal borders yellow. Legs largely dark brown to black except trochanters yellowish brown, tarsi yellowish brown except metabasitarsus dark brown with yellowish brown on margins. Wing membranes hyaline and parchment-colored; veins largely yellow to orange along anterior margin. Metasoma dark brown to black except sometimes largely brown on first tergum and basal sternum.

Clypeus and supraclypeal area with minute, shallow, nearly contiguous punctures; lower face with punctures as on clypeus albeit slightly larger and more scatered, such punctures again minute on frons and separated by less than a puncture width, punctures becoming separated up to a puncture width as they blend into ocellocular area; gena with minute punctures separated by less than a puncture width; postgena impunctate and finely imbricate. Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum with small contiguous punctures; pleura with irregular, small, contiguous punctures, punctures weak and integument somewhat granular; punctures of metepisternum smaller and more distinct than those of mesepisternum; propodeum with small contiguous punctures on lateral surface.

Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum with scatered, minute, simple, subappressed to decumbent, fuscous to fulvous setae, such setae more noticeable laterally, such setae distinctly more elongate on mesoscutellum, mesoscutum also with thin, plumose, pale yellow setae at anterolateral corners and somewhat along lateral margins; mesepisternum with short to long, erect to suberect, yellow setae, intermixed with fuscous, fulvous, and black bristles anteriorly, such setae more elongate ventrally. Metasomal terga with minute, appressed to decumbent, simple, fuscous to golden setae, except anterior-facing surface of tergum I glabrous, tergum I with diffuse, thin, pale yellow, plumose setae apicolaterally (such setae often difficult to discern, best viewed in profile or obliquely), terga I–VI covered with dense, appressed to subappressed, yellow, plumose tomentum, such tomentum frequently worn on terga I, II, and sometimes areas of III. Bristles, typically black, as follows: upper frons and vertex with black bristles, those of vertex longest; golden to fuscous bristles along anterior margin of pronotal lobe; mesoscutum anterior and lateral margins with abundant black to golden fuscous or fulvous bristles and some shorter bristles sparsely scatered on disc; tegula with suberect fuscous bristles anteriorly; mesoscutellum with abundant black bristles, intermixed with golden fuscous to fulvous bristles, lower margins with golden bristles; bristles scatered over mesepisternum typically golden except fuscous, golden fuscous, fulvous, and black anteriorly; lateral surface of propodeum with long, erect, yellow bristles arising amid tomentum; legs with numerous black bristles, those of distitarsomeres typically fulvous or intermixed black and dark fulvous; metatibial and metabasitarsal bristles black, intermixed with golden bristles along margins. Metasoma terga II–V with abundant, suberect to subdecumbent yellow or golden bristles, sometimes a few are fulvous, similar bristles longer and more erect on tergum VI, particularly along margin; terga I–II with minute golden bristles apicolaterally.

♀: Latet.

♂: Latet.

HOLOTYPE: ⚲, Ecuador: Prov. El Oro, 10 de Augusto, Palo Solo, Moromoro, Piñas , 3-X-2014 [3 October 2014], P. Vit (collection #108) ( SEMC).

PARATYPES: 12⚲⚲, Ecuador: Prov. El Oro, 10 de Augusto, Palo Solo , Moromoro , Piñas , 3-X-2014 [3 October 2014], P. Vit (collection #108) ( SEMC) ; 15⚲⚲, Ecuador: Prov. El Oro, 10 de Augusto, Palo Solo, Moromoro, Piñas, 3-X-2014 [3 October 2014], P. Vit (collection #109) ( SEMC) ; 5⚲⚲, Ecuador: Prov. El Oro, 10 de Augusto, Palo Solo, Moromoro, Piñas, 3-X-2014 [3 October 2014], P. Vit (collection #112) ( SEMC) ; 4⚲⚲, Ecuador: Prov. El Oro, 10 de Augusto, Palo Solo, Moromoro, Piñas, 3-X-2014 [3 October 2014], P. Vit (collection #107) ( SEMC) ; 7⚲⚲, Ecuador: Prov. El Oro, Machala , 7-I-2015 [7 January 2015], P. Vit (collection #199) ( SEMC) ; 5⚲⚲, Ecaudor: Prov. El Oro, Ciudad Amarillos , La Libertad , Las Lajas , 22-VII-2014 [22 July 2014], P. Vit (collection #42) ( SEMC) ; 5⚲⚲, Ecuador: Prov. El Oro, Via El Carmen , Las Lajas , finca Miraflores , 22-VII-2014 [22 July 2014], P. Vit (collection #40) ( SEMC) ; 4⚲⚲, Ecuador: Prov. El Oro, Moromoro, Piñas , 20-VII-2014 [20 July 2014], P. Vit (collection #38) ( SEMC) ; 2⚲⚲, Ecuador: Prov. El Oro, Moromoro, Piñas , 20-VII-2014 [20 July 2014], P. Vit (collection #39) ( SEMC) ; 1⚲, Ecuador: Prov. El Oro, Moromoro, Piñas , 20-VII-2014 [20 July 2014], P. Vit (collection #36) ( SEMC) ; 2⚲⚲, Ecuador: Prov. El Oro, La Moquillada , Las Lajas , 22-VII-2014 [22 July 2014], P. Vit (collection #47) ( SEMC) ; 6⚲⚲, Ecuador: Prov. El Oro, La Moquillada , Las Lajas , 15-VIII-2014 [15 August 2014], P. Vit (collection #51) ( SEMC) ; 8⚲⚲, Ecuador: Prov. El Oro, Ñalacapa, Iuego Moromoro , Saracay , Piñas , 2-X-2014 [2 October 2014], P. Vit (collection #101) ( SEMC) ; 5⚲⚲, Ecuador: Prov. El Oro, Ñalacapa, Moromoro , Piñas , 10-X-2014 [10 October 2014], P. Vit (collection #116) ( SEMC) ; 6⚲⚲, Ecuador: Prov. El Oro, Ñalacapa, Moromoro , Piñas , 10-X-2014 [10 October 2014], P. Vit (collection #117) ( SEMC) ; 1⚲, Ecuador: Prov. El Oro, Zaruma , 3-X-2014 [3 October 2014], P. Vit (collection #105) ( SEMC) ; 4⚲⚲, Ecuador: El Oro, Juan XXIII, Atahualpa, Piñas , 14-X-2014 [14 October 2014], P. Vit (collection #67) ( SEMC) ; 4⚲⚲, Ecuador: El Oro, Juan XXIII, Atahualpa, Piñas , 14-X-2014 [14 October 2014], P. Vit (collection #66) ( SEMC) ; 4⚲⚲, Ecuador: El Oro, San Roque, Saracay, Piñas , 2-X-2014 [2 October 2014], P. Vit (collection #96) ( SEMC) ; 14⚲⚲, Ecuador: El Oro, San Roque, Saracay, Piñas , 2-X-2014 [2 October 2014], P. Vit (collection #98) ( SEMC) ; 2⚲⚲, Ecuador: El Oro, San Isidro, Las Lajas , 15- VIII-2014 [15 August 2014], P. Vit (collection #60) ( SEMC) ; 5⚲⚲, Ecuador: El Oro, Chica Chica, Paccha, Piñas , 14-IX-2014 [14 September 2014], P. Vit (collection #64) ( SEMC) ; 3⚲⚲, Ecuador: El Oro, Chica Chica, Paccha, Piñas , 14-IX-2014 [14 September 2014], P. Vit (collection #63) ( SEMC) ; 3⚲⚲, Ecuador: El Oro, Chica Chica, Paccha, Piñas , 14-IX-2014 [14 September 2014], P. Vit (collection #62) ( SEMC) ; 5⚲⚲, Ecuador: Prov. Loja, Olmeda, W Andes, 16-X-2014 [16 October 2014], P. Vit (collection #124) ( SEMC) ; 1⚲, Ecuador: Prov. Loja, Olmeda, W Andes, 16-X-2014 [16 October 2014], P. Vit (collection #125) ( SEMC) ; 2⚲⚲, Ecuador: Prov. Loja, Olmeda, W Andes, 16-X-2014 [16 October 2014], P. Vit (collection #125) ( SEMC) ; 7⚲⚲, Ecuador: Prov. Loja, Balsa Real , 30-X-2014 [30 October 2014], P. Vit (collection #185) ( SEMC) ; 9⚲⚲, Ecuador: Prov. Loja, Balsa Real , 30-X-2014 [30 October 2014], P. Vit (collection #186) ( SEMC) ; 2⚲⚲, Ecuador: Prov. Loja, Zapotillo , 30-X-2014 [30 October 2014], P. Vit (collection #187) ( SEMC) ; 1⚲, Ecuador: Prov. Loja, Zapotillo , 30-X-2014 [30 October 2014], P. Vit (collection #188) ( SEMC) ; 2⚲⚲, Ecuador: Prov. Loja, Zapotillo , 30-X-2014 [30 October 2014], P. Vit (collection #190) ( SEMC) ; 4⚲⚲, Ecuador: Prov. Loja, Zapotillo , 30-X-2014 [30 October 2014], P. Vit (collection #191) ( SEMC) ; 5⚲⚲, Ecuador: Prov. Loja, Pindal , 12-XII-2014 [12 December 2014], P. Vit (collection #197) ( SEMC) ; 9⚲⚲, Ecaudor: Prov. Loja, El Trapiche Portovelo-Loja , 5-VII-2014 [5 July 2014], P. Vit (collection #18) ( SEMC) ; 5⚲⚲, Ecuador: Prov. Loja, Valle de Longevidad, Vilcabamba , 27-VII-2014 [27 July 2014], P. Vit (collection #49) ( SEMC) .

ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet honors the extended family of Patricia Vit (her, her parents Giovanna Olivier de Vit and Giovanni Vit, and brothers Daniele, Massimo, and Leonardo) as well as her many years of study in stingless bee biology. Patricia collected the type series and made it available for study. The epithet combines her surname with the genitive plural of the Latin suffix – us (i.e., – orum). The genitive case of this suffix is used to form possessive commemorative epithets (masculine/neuter genitive – i, feminine genitive – ae, masculine/neuter plural – orum, feminine plural – arum, whereby the neuter plural is used for a group of individuals of differing genders).

Figures

Figures 4–6. Workers of Scaptotrigona (Scaptotrigona) vitorum, new species. 4. Lateral habitus. 5. Dorsal habitus. 6. Facial view.