Nannotrigona schultzei ( Friese, 1901 )

Rasmussen, Claus & Gonzalez, Victor H., 2017, The neotropical stingless bee genus Nannotrigona Cockerell (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Meliponini): An illustrated key, notes on the types, and designation of lectotypes, Zootaxa 4299 (2), pp. 191-220 : 200

Nannotrigona schultzei ( Friese, 1901)

Figures 2 A, 4B, 6B, 7B, 8C,D, 11B

Trigona schultzei Friese, 1901: 266 [lectotype: ZMHB; worker, Pará, Brazil] new lectotype designation

Diagnosis. This species is morphologically very similar to N. dutrae . In addition to the features indicated in the key, it can be distinguished by the shape of mesoscutellum (compare figures 6A and 6B).

Redescription. Lectotype worker: Total body length 3.4 mm; head width 1.58 mm; maximum width of mesoscutum 1.26 mm; forewing length (including tegula) 5.4 mm. Head 1.2 times wider than long; malar area about 0.7 times width of F3; clypeus about 1.6 times broader than long; intertorular distance 1.8 times torular diameter; torulorbital distance 1.9 times torular diameter; interocellar distance 2.2 times OD, 1.4 times longer than ocellocular distance; ocelloccipital distance 1.5 long as OD; scape 5.5 times longer than wide, 0.9 times width of F3; flagellomeres broader than long, except apical flagellomere longer than broad. Mesoscutellum 1.3 times broader than long, basal fovea U-shaped, slightly longer than broad, posterior margin with median emargination shallow, semicircular, about 7.0 times broader than long, tooth lateral to emargination nearly right-angled. Measurements of other structures in Table 2.

Color black, except as follows: light brown on apical two-thirds of mandible, antennal scape; white on lateral margin of mesoscutum, axilla, lateral tooth of posterior margin of mesoscutellum, outer surfaces of pro-, meso-, metatibiae basally; brown on antennal flagellum, distitarsi, and anterior and posterior margins of metabasitarsus. Wing membrane, veins and pterostigma brown.

Pubescence white and sparse, including minutely branched, appressed setae on head. Antennal scape with simple, very short (<0.3× diameter of scape) setae along its inner margin.

Clypeus and supraclypeal area with minute, shallow punctures; vertex with scattered and larger punctures than on ocellocular area. Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum with shallow punctures.

Provenance. The type specimens of N. schultzei came from the same collector, A. Ducke, as those of N. dutrae (refer to that species for further information). Ducke (1903) mentioned that N. schultzei was less common than N. dutrae and that it could be caught from Croton chamaedryfolius (Euphorbiaceae) . This plant species is widespread in the Neotropical region , but is often found as a weed near cities and N. schultzei was probably, like N. dutrae , collected near Belém [1.46° S, 48.50° W]. The species is named in honor of Dr. Leonhard Schultze (1872–1955) from Jena, Germany.

Type material examined. 1 lectoype (here designated) worker and 2 paralectotype workers from Brazil, “ Brasil / Para / 9.1900 / Ducke ”, “ Trigona / schultzei / o 909 Friese det . Fr.”, “Typus” (organge label), “SYNTYPE / Trigona schultzei Fr. / Examined C. Rasmussen ‘07” (ZMHB). The best preserved specimen is here designated as the lectotype in order to stabilize the future use of the name. The specimen has been labeled accordingly and the two remaining syntypes in ZMHB are labeled paralectotypes.

Distribution. Bolivia (Chapare, El Beni); Brazil (Amapá, Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia); French Guiana (Kourou); Guyana (Cuyuni-Mazaruni); Peru (Cusco, Loreto, Madre de Dios), Venezuela (Amazonas).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Key couplet features of Nannotrigona species: A. N. schultzei (KU 1381942, Bolivia, El Beni), sparsely punctate mesoscutum. B. N. perilampoides (KU 1382363, Mexico, Oaxaca), mesoscutum densely and coarsely foveate. C. N. dutrae (Paralectotype), strongly carinate omaulus. D. N. perilampoides (KU 1382363, Mex, Oaxaca), setae on scape shorter than scape diameter. E. N. mellaria, setae on scape about as long as scape diameter.