Nannotrigona tristella ( Cockerell, 1922 )

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 : 208-209

Nannotrigona tristella ( Cockerell, 1922)

Figures 5 D, 6F, 7F, 9G,H, 11F

Nannotrigona testaceicornis tristella Cockerell, 1922: 10 [holotype: USNM 24878 ; worker, Lagunita de Aroa , Venezuela]

Diagnosis. This species is morphologically very similar to N. mellaria . It can be distinguished from that species by the features indicated in the key.

Redescription. Holotype worker: Total body length 4.80 mm; head width 2.01 mm; maximum width of mesoscutum 1.50 mm; forewing length (including tegula) 5.1 mm. Head 1.1 times wider than long; malar area about 0.5 times width of F3; clypeus about 1.8 times broader than long; intertorular distance 1.1 times torular diameter; torulorbital distance 1.3 times torular diameter; interocellar distance 2.5 times OD, 1.2 times longer than ocellocular distance; ocelloccipital distance 2.1 long as OD; scape 4.6 times longer than wide, 1.4 times width of F3; flagellomeres as broad as long, except apical flagellomere longer than broad. Mesoscutellum 1.4 times broader than long, basal fovea V-shaped, about as long as broad, posterior margin with median emargination deep, semicircular, about 2.2 times broader than long, tooth lateral to emargination acute. Measurements of other structures in Table 3.

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

Pubescence white, except basitarsus golden brown. Antennal scape with simple, long (1.8× diameter of scape) setae along its inner margin.

Clypeus and supraclypeal area with minute, shallow punctures; frons with contigous, coarse punctures as on ocellocular area. Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum densely and coarsely foveate.

Provenance. Melbourne Armstrong Carriker (1879–1965) collected the four type specimens, including the holotype, in December 1910 from Lagunita de Aroa , Yaracuy, Venezuela [ca. 10.26° S, 68.54° W, 370m]. Type material examined. 1 holotype worker from Venezuela, “ Altitude / 2000 ft ”, “ Lagunita / de Aroa / Venez ”, “MACarriker / collector”, “ TypeNo. / 24878 / U.S.N.M.” (red label), “ Nannotrigona / testaceicornis / tristella Ckll / TYPE ”, “ USNM ENT / 00534529” (yellow barcode label) ( USNM).

Distribution. Venezuela (Falcón, Zulia).

Figures

FIGURE 5. Dorsal view of Nannotrigona species: A. N. chapadana (paratype, Brazil), B. N. melanocera (holotype, Bolivia). C. N. mellaria (lectotype, Panama). D. N. tristella (holotype, Venezuela). E. N. perilampoides (lectotype, Mexico). F. N. punctata (lectotype, Brazil). G. N. testaceicornis (lectotype, Brazil). H. N. camargoi n. sp. (holotype, Ecuador). Not to scale.