Trigona (Nostotrigona) recursa Smith, 1863

Ribeiro, Cristiano Feitosa, Nogueira, David Silva, Oliveira, Favízia Freitas De & Oliveira, Marcio Luiz De, 2023, Review of Trigona (Nostotrigona) Engel, 2021 from Brazil with description of three new species (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini), Zootaxa 5306 (3), pp. 349-366 : 351-353

Trigona (Nostotrigona) recursa Smith, 1863

( Fig. 1A–D ; 6A–C )

Trigona recursa Smith, 1863: 508 [original description]; Ihering 1904: 11 [as Trigona recurva (sic); geographic record]; Lutz 1924: 205, 208, 212, 216 [taxonomic characters, mouthparts, figure 20AX: metaleg]; Ihering 1930: 688, 701 [as Trigona recurva (sic); citation]; Moure 1950: 70 [comparative notes]; Baumgartner & Roubik 1989: 13, 14, 16 [biology, altitudinal range]; Camargo & Roubik 1991: 35 [necrophagy]; Laroca & Almeida 1994: 101 [biology, citation]; Camargo 1996: 81 [geographic record, nest]; Kerr et al. 1996: 35 [figure 2G: nest, citation]; Pedro 1996: 250 [list of species]; Silveira et al. 2002: 92 [partim, list of species, geographic range]; Jarau et al. 2003: 366, 367, 368, 369, 370, 371, 372 [biology, geographic record]; Rebêlo et al. 2003: 268, 272 [partim, geographic range, citation, geographic records]; Jarau et al. 2004: 233-239 [geographic record, biology, figures 1a-c, 2a-c]; Lorenzon & Matrangolo 2005: 292, 294, 295 [geographic record, biology, citation]; Rasmussen & Camargo 2008: 103, 104, 105, 107, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113 [partim, list of species, GenBank accession numbers, figure 10: subterranean nest entrance, nest architecture, biology, phylogeny]; Rasmussen & Cameron 2010: 212, 216, 218, 225 [partim, as Trigona aff. recursa , phylogeny]; Camargo et al. 2013 [partim, catalog, geographic distribution]; Oliveira et al. 2013: 21, 199, 200, 201, 202, 203, 230, 231 [partim, nest entrance, morphology, geographic distribution, taxonomic characterization, biology, citation, key, figure 17, 366-372]; Pedro 2014: 352 [partim, list, geographic range]; Rasmussen & Delgado 2019: 23, 60, 61 [partim, list of species, nest entrance, geographic records, figures 6K, 30]; Gŗter 2020: 5, 72, 163, 287, 353, 356, 357, 358 [biology, list of species]; Imperatriz-Fonseca & Alves 2020: 40, 259, 260 [partim, figure 5G: nest subterranean, citation, biology, geographic distribution, geographic record, illustration, nest]; Nogueira et al. 2020: 70, 73 [list of species, diagnostic characters, biology].

Melipona recursa: Peckolt 1894: 223 [nesting site: hollow of tree (?)]; Dalla Torre 1894: 583 [as Melipona recurva (sic); list of species].

Trigona (Trigona) recursa: Schwarz 1940: 1 , 4-5 [geographic records, comparative notes, notes on types, nesting site]; Schwarz 1948: 83, 115, 126, 201, 203, 205, 208, 214, 223-229, 257, 336 [hamuli, citation, nest subterranean, key: worker, male, comparative note, synonymy, diagnostic characters, description: worker, male, notes on types, geographic records, figures 13-15]; Gonçalves 1973: 3, 11 [geographic record]; Wille & Michener 1973: 15, 26, 50, 61, 72 [nesting site: among roots of tree, in ground, nest characteristics, citation]; Camargo 1974: 460, 462, 463, 464 [nest, citation]; Michener 1974: 337 [figure 29.8: nest, citation].

Trigona (Nostotrigona) recursa: Engel et al. 2021: 81 , 82, 83 [classification, taxonomic characters, figures 144-146, 149]; Oliveira & Nogueira 2023 [partim, catalog, geographic distribution].

Diagnosis: Integument predominantly black. Clypeus with abundant silvery decumbent hair on the lower paraocular area, and sparse and slightly brown on the upper half of the face. Mandible dark brown in the basal half and reddish-brown in the apical half, with five teeth. Clypeus and scape with setae of length approximately 0.14 mm (about 0.9× the diameter of the scape). Clypeus with wide distance between the epistomal suture and inferior tangent of the antennal socket, approximately 0.7× the scape diameter. Scape reddish-brown dorsally, and slightly brownish ventrally and basally on the sixth. Malar area approximately 0.8× the diameter of the scape. Carina post-ocellar strongly elevated. Vertex with setae of length approximately 0.22 mm, about 1.5× the diameter of the scape. Mesoscutum with setae of length approximately 0.22 mm, about 1.5× the scape diameter, scutellum with longer setae (0.38 mm), approximately 2.5× the scape diameter. Metatibia relatively narrow and shallow, approximately 3.1× longer than wide. Metabasitarsus with anterior and posterior margins subparallel, apex slightly concave. Wing membranes hyaline. Veins C, R and M+Cu slightly darkened, the other veins and pterostigma brownish. Metasoma elongated, approximately 2× longer than wide. Total body length approximately 5.3 mm.

Geographic distribution ( Fig. 8 ): Brazil (Ceará, Goiás, Maranh„o, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Piauí, S„o Paulo, Tocantins).

Biological note: T. recursa builds underground nests, and its nest defense behavior is not aggressive ( Rasmussen & Camargo 2008). According to Jarau et al. (2003), this species has a facultative necrophagous behavior.

Examined type material: One worker (lectotype) was examined through of digital image. Label data: Type / 9 / Brazil / Trigona recursa Smith / Smith coll. pres. by, Mrs. Farren White. 99-303 / B.M. TYPE HYM . 17B, 1084. / BMNH (E) #969532, (BMNH).

Additional material examined: (68 workers): BRAZIL, Ceará: P. N. Ubajara, –3.83830°/–40.89803° / 14–19.ii. 2013, 846 m. a. M.L. Oliveira leg., 32 ( INPA) ; idem, except “ 22–25.iv.2012 / Gameleira. 846 m. a. 03.83830° S, 40.89803°W, Oliveira & Somavilla”, 2 ( INPA) ; idem, except “ Mirante. 846 m. a”, 1 ( INPA) ; Crato , IFCE, –7.205682, –39.447711, 23.vi.2015, P.B. Andrade Leg., 8 ( INPA) ; Maranhão: Carolina, Baln. [balneário] Urupuxete , 071025S–472557, 12.xii.2001, J.A. / Rafael, F.L. Oliveira & J. Vidal, Malaise, 1 ( INPA) ; Piauí: P. N. Sete Cidades, –4.09909°/–41.70952° / 09.ii. 2013, 193 m. a. Em voo, M.L. Oliveira leg., 13 ( INPA) ; idem, except “ 08.ii.2013 ”, 4 ( INPA) ; idem, except “ 10.ii.2013 ”, 6 ( INPA) ; Tocantins: Jalap „o, Mateiros, Rio Novo , 400m, 10°33’24”S – 46°35’38”W / 31.iii.2008, coleta manual, J.A. Rafael & F.F. Xavier F°, 1 ( INPA) .

Comments: Our investigations indicate that Trigona (Nostotrigona) recursa is not widely distributed in the Brazilian Amazon. As referred to earlier, it is possible that specimens reported in the literature as Trigona recursa Smith in the Brazilian Amazon are actually several undescribed species, as corroborated by Camargo et al. (2013).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Worker of Trigona (Nostotrigona) recursa Smith, 1863. A—Lateral habitus. B—Head, frontal view. C—Dorsal habitus. D—Metatibia and metabasitarsus. Scale bars: 1 mm.

FIGURE 6. Heads, scape and metatibia of the T. (Nostotrigona) species. A–C—Trigona (Nostotrigona) recursa Smith, 1863: A, head, frontal view (red arrow indicating the area between the epistomal suture and the inferior tangent of the antennal socket); B, scape; C, metatibia, lateral view; D–F—Trigona (Nostotrigona) daianeae sp. nov.: D, head, frontal view; E, scape; F, metatibia, lateral view; G–I—Trigona (Nostotrigona) juvenili sp. nov.: G, head, frontal view; H, scape; I, metatibia, lateral view; J–L—Trigona (Nostotrigona) permodica Almeida, 1992: J, head, frontal view; K, scape; L, metatibia, lateral view; M–O—Trigona (Nostotrigona) mandaloriana sp. nov.: M, head, frontal view; N, scape; O, metatibia, lateral view Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 8. Geographical distribution of Trigona (Nostotrigona). Scale bar: Kilometers.