Augochlorodes turrifaciens Moure, 1958

Gonçalves, Rodrigo B. & Melo, Gabriel A. R., 2008, New species of the bee genus Augochlorodes Moure (Hymenoptera, Apidae s. l., Halictinae), Journal of Natural History 42 (19 - 20), pp. 1385-1403 : 1397-1398

Augochlorodes turrifaciens Moure

( Figure 1E )

Augochlorodes turrifaciens Moure, 1958 ; original description. Holotype female (MNRJ) not examined.

Augochlorodes turrifasciens [sic]; description of the nest, Michener and Seabra (1959).

Augochlorodes turrifaciens ; citation, Michener et al. (1966); citation, Engel and Klein (1997).

Augochlorodes turrifaciens (uncertain identity); listed, phenology, Sakagami et al. (1967); listed, phenology, Barbola and Laroca (1993).

Diagnosis and comments

Despite the detailed description presented by Moure (1958), additional features not previously mentioned are valuable for the diagnosis of A. turrifaciens : head wider than long; setae along the hypostomal carina strongly recurved, forming an orthogonal angle; and erect pubescence on the mesepisternum with short branches. Specimens from Araponga, Minas Gerais, are dark metallic green suggesting a brownish coppery coloration while the remaining studied specimens, including paratypes, are bluish metallic green. The known records are from Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. Other studies refer to specimens of A. turrifaciens from São José dos Pinhais ( Sakagami et al. 1967) and Lapa ( Barbola and Laroca 1993), in Paraná. Unfortunately, we did not have access to these specimens to check on their identity.

Nests found in Floresta da Tijuca, in Rio de Janeiro, revealed that this species nests in the soil and builds a mud turret as the nest entrance. Differences among female nestmates in ovarial development and mandible wear are indicative of division of labour ( Michener and Seabra 1959).

In the DZUP collection, there are six females labelled as paratypes, but lacking locality labels. They were labelled by us according to the locality data given by Moure (1958: 55) in the original description (see ‘Examined material’ below) .

Redescription of female paratype ( DZUP 025479 )

Measurements. Mhw: 1.79; mhl: 1.64; den: 1.22; iem: 0.79; cl: 0.39; c–a: 0.32; c–o: 0.96; ml: 1.22; abl: 6.5.

Head. Basal elevation of labrum circular; clypeus densely punctured; supraclypeal area uniformly punctuated; parocular area without darkened stripe.

Mesoscutum. Longitudinal sulcus strong; anterior border acute, not covering the pronotum in dorsal view; punctures of variable diameter; microreticulation conspicuous; erect pubescence covering the entire surface.

Scutellum . Erect setae with few branches.

Mesepisternum. Covered with few plumose setae, the setae with short branches.

Metanotum. Pubescence short and with short branches.

Metaposnotum. Dorsal surface about twice as long as metanotum; longitudinal carinae extending over anterior half of its length.

Propodeum. Lateral surface with microreticulation restricted to its anterior portion; erect setae simple, decumbent setae abundant.

Metasoma. Posterior margin of S2–S3 with fine and recurved cerdae, posterior margin of S4–S5 with thick and simple setae.

Body colour. Bright metallic green with bluish reflections, light to dark brown legs.

Examined material

Paratypes. (DZUP) BRAZIL, Rio de Janeiro: one female (DZUP), ‘DZUP\025478’ ‘ PARATYPE \ Augochlorodes \turrifaciens\J. S. Moure 1957’; five females with same data except ‘DZUP\025479’; ‘DZUP\025480’; ‘DZUP\025481’; ‘DZUP\025482’; and ‘DZUP\025483’. A label containing the following information was added to each specimen: ‘Floresta da Tijuca, 500\meters, Rio de Janeiro,\D. F., Brasil, June 11,\1956 (J.S. Moure, C. A. C.\Seabra)’. Additional examined material. Minas Gerais: one female (DZUP), ‘DZUP\025484’ ‘ Brasil, Minas Gerais,\Araponga, Serra do\Brigadeiro, 22.iii.1992,\G.A.R. Melo, ninhos\em barranco’, three females with same data except (DZUP), ‘DZUP\025485’; ‘DZUP\025486’; and ‘DZUP\025487’; one female ‘DZUP\025488’ ‘Araponga - MG\ Brasil 22/03/1992 \G.A.R. Melo’. Paraná: one female (MZUSP), ‘ Brasil, Paraná, Piraquara, Mananciais da Serra, 25 ° 289S 48 ° 589W, 22.xii.2007, G.A.R. Melo & R. B. Gonçalves’. São Paulo: one female (DZUP), ‘DZUP\025489’ ‘ Brasil, São Paulo,\ 28 km a SE de\Barra do Turvo, 700m,\24 ° 569 48 ° 179W,\ 07.i.2006, Melo, Aguiar &\Faria Jr’; three females (MZUSP), ‘Est. Biol. Boracéia\Salesópolis, SP\12.11[XI].1992’ ‘ Augochlorodes \turrifaciens\ Moure, 1958 \det. W. Wilms, 1994’, ‘Est. Biol. Boracéia\Salesópolis, SP\12.8[VII].1992’ ‘ Augochlorodes \turrifaciens\ Moure, 1958 \det. W. Wilms, 1994’, and ‘Est. Biol. Boracéia\Salesópolis, SP\1.2[II].1993’ ‘ Augochlorodes \turrifaciens\ Moure, 1958 \det. W. Wilms, 1994’; one female (RPSP), ‘Campos do Jordão\SP. BRASIL, 22.XI.91\M. Sazima leg.’ ‘Cyphomandra\pinctorum’ ‘ Augochlorodes turrifaciens \ Moure, 1958 \Det. J. S. Moure 1992’.

Figures

Figure 1. Female head, frontal view. (A) Augochlorodes clementis (holotype). (B) A. incomitatus (holotype). (C) A. politus (paratype, DZUP 025497). (D) A. rostratus (holotype). (E) A. turrifaciens (DZUP 025489); (F) A. vachali (holotype). Scale bar: 0.5 mm; all figures at same scale.