Tarsaliini Engel, 2015

Engel, Michael S., 2015, Notes on family-group names for bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea), Journal of Melittology 2015 (46), pp. 1-7 : 4

Tarsaliini Engel , new tribe

ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:7E511B3C-6119-4A89-823B-636F574CBA7B

TYPE GENUS: Tarsalia Morawitz, 1895 .

DIAGNOSIS: Bees of moderate size (7–13 mm in length); clypeus often yellow, weakly to moderately protuberant in profile, strongly bent back at side of labrum; lower face often with yellow maculation; labiomaxillary complex with glossa and labial palpus longer than prementum; first two palpomeres of labial palpus long, sheathlike (in contrast to the shortened condition of Ancylaini ); male antennal flagellum not crenulate. Forewing with pterostigma small, as long as wide, scarcely wider than prestigma; pterostigmal margin inside marginal cell weakly or not convex; marginal cell apex not truncate, bent away from anterior wing margin; three submarginal cells present; hind wing with second abscisssa of M+Cu half as long as vein M or less [several Ancyla Lepeletier de Saint Fargeau have this vein slightly more than half as long as vein M, contra Michener’s (2007) key to tribes of Apinae ]. Metatibial and metabasitibial scopa large, dense, composed of long, plumose setae; basal area of propodeum with subhorizontal area [particularly well developed in Tarsalia persica (Warncke) ], subhorizontal area punctate and setose (area poorly developed, impunctate, and asetose in Ancylaini ). Metasomal tergum I with weak carina at angle of anterior-facing and dorsal-facing surfaces; female sterna II– V with scopa composed of dense setae; male tergum VII setose, medially produced and truncate to weakly bidentate, pygidial plate occupying most of dorsum of tergum, laterally defined by carina; male sternum VII and genitalia asymmetrical.

INCLUDED GENERA: Presently only the nominate genus is included.

COMMENTS: The genus Tarsalia has long been grouped with Ancyla in the tribe Ancylaini (e.g., Michener, 1944, 2007; Engel et al., 2008). However, the monophyly of this grouping is suspect ( Baker, 1998; Praz & Packer, 2014), and it seems apparent that Tarsalia is more closely related to Eucerini than to Ancyla .