Xylocopa (Schonnherria) lateralis Say, 1837

Villamizar, Germán, Fernández, Fernando & Vivallo, Felipe, 2020, Synopsis of the carpenter bee subgenus Xylocopa (Schonnherria) Lepeletier, 1841 (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in Colombia, with designation of lectotypes and the description of two new species, Zootaxa 4789 (2), pp. 301-347 : 313-317

Xylocopa (Schonnherria) lateralis Say, 1837

( Figures 27–30 , 77 )

Xylocopa lateralis Say, 1837: 413 .

Xylocopa binotata Pérez, 1901: 73 . (Synonymized by Hurd & Moure, 1963).

Diagnosis. Females can be recognized by the following combination of characters: medium to large body size (body length 18.2–19 mm); integument black with slightly bluish highlights on all tagmata and some greenish on mesoscutellum and T1; wings hyaline with weak violaceous iridescence; whitish hairs on dorsum of mesoscutum, propodeum and sides of T3–T5 and S3–S5; metasoma with dense, circular to elliptical punctures and short simple hairs. This species is similar to Xylocopa macrops (recorded for Colombia but not found in the material examined, see comments below) by the slightly bluish highlights on integument and the whitish pubescence on lateral sides of T4, T5 and S3–S5. Nevertheless, X. lateralis has denser punctures on vertex, clypeus, mesoscutellum and metasoma, dense and short hairs on terga disc and wings hyaline with weak violaceous iridescence (vertex, clypeus and metasomal terga with coarse and sparse punctures, short hairs nearly glabrous on terga and wings dark brown with green and violet iridescence in X. macrops ). It also resembles that of Xylocopa subcyanea (recorded for Colombia but not found, see comments below), but differs significantly in the punctation on upper gena and vertex (scattered punctures on upper gena and vertex with impunctate areas in X. lateralis vs densely punctate on gena and vertex in X. subcyanea )

Morphology. Female ( Figs. 27–30 ). Measurements (mm): Approximate body length: 18.7 (18.2–19); head width: 6.5 (6.2–6.5); mesosoma width: 7 (6.5–7.2); metasoma width: 7.5 (7.3–8); forewing length: 15.3 (15–15.5). Coloration: Integument black with slightly bluish highlights mainly on head, legs and metasoma and some greenish on mesoscutellum. Tegula dark brown with slightly bluish highlights. Wings brown hyaline with weak violaceous iridescence apically. Pubescence: Predominantly black except ferruginous on labrum, ventral surface of fore basitarsus and apex of T6; whitish on lateral sides of T3–T5 and S3–S5; face, gena, dorsum of mesoscutum and propodeum with whitish and black plumose hairs inter-mixed giving a grayish appearance. Head with simple and plumose hairs, denser and longer towards paraocular area and lower half of clypeus (0.4–0.7x OD), scattered and shorter on vertex and upper gena (0.3–0.5x OD); long, dense, simple and plumose hairs on lower gena (1–4x OD). Mesosoma with dense plumose hairs mostly on mesepisternum, scattered on mesoscutellum anteriorly and glabrous on mesoscutal disc. Metasoma with long, decumbent, simple hairs grouped in tufts on lateral sides, longer and denser progressively on apical segments; T1–T3 with dense and short simple hairs throughout the disc (0.2–0.4x OD); longer and denser simple hairs on T4–T6 than anterior terga (0.4–1x OD); sterna with long simple hairs mainly on posterior area. Surface sculpture: Head with coarse, dense, circular to elliptical punctures (1–3x puncture width), coarser and denser on paraocular area and lower half of clypeus, and scattered on vertex and upper gena; “T” shaped smooth surface on upper margin of clypeus. Mesoscutum with coarse and uniform punctures (2–4x puncture width), denser near tegula and smooth on mesoscutal disc; mesonotal line poorly defined with less length than half of mesoscutum, parapsidial lines inconspicuous; mesoscutellum with sparse punctures on disc, denser on posterior half (1–3x puncture width). Terga with coarse, dense, circular punctures (1–2x puncture width), sparser medially and denser on lateral sides; sterna with uniform and strong punctures, denser distally. Structures: Head broader than long (1.4–1.3: 1); compound eyes with similar inner margins; ratio of upper and lower interocular distances 0.8–0.9: 1; maximum interocular distance similar than eye length (0.8–0.9: 1); clypeus broader than long (1.8–1.7: 1) with the length almost equal to clypeocellar distance (0.9: 1); interalveolar distance similar than alveolocular distance (0.9: 1); interalveolar distance similar to alveolocellar distance (0.9–1: 1); vertex broad, lateral ocellus below supraorbital line (0.8–0.7x OD); interocellar distance almost equal to ocellocular distance (0.9: 1); frontal carina at the same level of antennal sockets with similar size than scape length (0.3–0.4x OD). Length of F1 longer than the summed length of F2 and F3 and shorter than length of F2–F4 (0.8–0.7: 0.6–0.7: 1). Upper margins of the epistomal suture poorly defined. Labrum broader than long, with three basal protuberances, all tubercles with similar length and shape. Mesoscutellum rounded to flat (lateral view). Metanotum and propodeum subvertical (lateral view).

Floral records. See Table 2 .

Type material. Xylocopa lateralis : Syntypes male whereabouts unknown. Xylocopa binotata: Pérez (1901) did not specify the number of specimens used in the original description. He established an interval for the length of the body, which suggests that he used at least two specimens for the description of this species. We identified a female specimen belonging to the type series currently housed at MNHN bearing a holotype label (possibly added by later curators). However , here is designated as the lectotype in concordance with the recommendation 73F and art. 74.7 of the ICZN (1999) . The specimen has the following data label: Chiriqui [Pérez’s handwriting]\ [green label with illegible handwriting]\ MUSEUM PARIS COLL . J. PÉREZ 1915 [printed, parts of the hind leg attached to the label]\ binotata JP [ Pérez’s handwriting]\ MNHN , Paris EY25375 ( MNHN) .

Type localities. Xylocopa lateralis : MEXICO . Xylocopa binotata : PANAMA. Chiriquí .

Distribution in Colombia ( Fig. 77 ). Antioquia: Medellín. Cundinamarca: Gauayabal de Síquima. Valle del Cauca: El Dovio

Material examined (n = 8♀). COLOMBIA: Antioquia : 1 female: Colombia, Medellín , Aug-1947, Gallego \ 2907–1 ( MEFLG) ; 2 females: Colombia, Medellín, Universidad Nacional de Colombia , Oct-1947, Gallego \2907– 2\ 2907–3 ( MEFLG) . Cundinamarca: 1 female: Colombia, Cundinamarca, Guayabal de Síquima , Zona urbana, N4°52’43”, W74°28′59”, 1485 m, 08-Sep-2014, A. Velandia \ 4314 UNAB ( UNAB) . Valle del Cauca: 1 female: Colombia, Valle del Cauca, El Dovio , Vda Bellavista , Finca Julián , N4°30’, W76°14′, 1750 m, 22-Mar-2015, S. Currea \ CCV12 ( LABUN) . Without information : 1 female: 28838 ( MEFLG) ; 1 female: 31244 ( MEFLG) ; 1 female: 31245 ( MEFLG) .

Comments. The current condition and depository of the type series of X. lateralis is unknown. According to Mawdsley (1993), much of Say’s collection was destroyed by pests, however, it is not clear if this also happened with this type series. The only record of X. lateralis in Colombia had been made by Dusmet-Alonso (1924) from the association by similarity of a Colombian female with a male from Mexico with the aim to describe the female of this species. We examined the specimen identified by him housed in MNCN and it corresponds to a female of X. romeroi n. sp. However, the record of this species is here confirmed based on the lectotype of X. binotata (junior synonym of X. lateralis ), material from foreign countries and the specimens examined in this research.

The females of Xylocopa lateralis like X. macrops and X. subcyanea share similar body length, labrum with three tubercles, integument with slightly highlights and whitish pubescence on lateral sides of distal terga. The differences between them are not superficially remarkable and this has probably caused misidentifications, generating invalid records and extending erroneously their distribution ranges (see Table 1) as can be found in Moure (2012). This situation was previously denoted by Cockerell (1912) for a female of X. lateralis from Guatemala where the author enounced that seems not to differ from the Brazilian X. crotalariae Schrottky (junior synonym of X. macrops ) despite the long distance of both locations. Similarly, Lucia et al. (2015) observed in the Argentine specimens of X. ( Schonnherria ) that the individuals known as X. subcyanea from Misiones were mistakenly identified and subsequently determined as X. macrops .

To differentiate these species, a provisional key is here presented based on the following type specimens: Holotype female of X. crotalariae (junior synonym of X. macrops , deposited in MZUSP)), syntype female of X. subcyanea deposited in MNHN), syntype female of X. burmeisteri (junior synonym of X. subcyanea deposited in ZMB) and lectotype female of X. binotata .

1. Gena with scattered punctures (2–4x puncture width) ( Fig. 31 ); vertex with impunctate areas near ocellus and towards upper gena; medium to large body size (18–21 mm); clypeus depressed basally; lower margin of clypeus with long simple hairs... ................................................................................................... 2

- Gena and vertex densely punctate (0.5x puncture width) ( Fig. 32 ); vertex without impunctate areas; small to medium body size (~16.0 mm); clypeus flat; medium simple hairs on clypeal disc (1–3x OD). ( Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay ( Moure, 2012; Mawdsley, 2018))...................................................... Xylocopa subcyanea Pérez, 1901

2(1). Metasomal terga with scattered punctures (2–4x puncture width) and large impunctate areas towards distal margins; discs of T1–T4 almost glabrous (0–0.2x OD), short hairs on apical terga (0.2–0.4x OD) ( Fig. 34 ); clypeal disc largely impunctate ( Fig. 33 ); wings dark brown with greenish and violaceous iridescence. ( Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Peru ( Moure, 2012; Lucia et al., 2015; Mawdsley, 2018).......................................... Xylocopa macrops Lepeletier, 1841

- Metasomal terga with dense punctation (1–2x puncture width); discs of terga with short and simple pubescence (0.2–0.4x OD), progressively increasing in density and length on the apical segments (0.4–0.8x OD) ( Fig. 28 ); clypeal disc uniformly punctuate ( Fig. 27 ); wings brown hyaline with violet iridescence.................................. Xylocopa lateralis Say, 1837

In addition, we review specimens of X. macrops and X. subcyanea from foreign collections and the features provided in the above key do not show relevant variation. The presence of these both species in the country is probable because we studied material from the Brazilian Amazon, biogeographic region also found in Colombia (G. Villamizar, unpubl. data). The Colombian specimens of X. lateralis were collected in Cauca and Magdalena provinces (sensu Morrrone, 2014) and this may suggest a wide expansion into Southwestern strip of this Central American lineage ( Simpson, 1971). Due to differences in the coloration and disposition of pubescence evidenced in Colombian specimens respect to those from other countries, X. lateralis probably belongs to a complex of species, so studying more specimens is needed to determine their real identity.

Figures

FIGURE 77. Distribution records for Xylocopa auriventris n. sp., X. dimidiata, X. ecuadorica and X. lateralis in Colombia.

FIGURES 27–30. Female of Xylocopa (Schonnherria) lateralis Say, 1837. Fig. 27. Frontal view. Fig. 28. Detail of metasomal terga. Fig. 29. Dorsal habitus. Fig. 30. Lateral habitus. Scale bar 4 mm.

FIGURES 31–34. Structural characters useful for the differentiation of Xylocopa lateralis from other similar species. Fig. 31. Upper gena of X. lateralis. Fig 32. Upper gena of the syntype of X. subcyanea, photograph taken by Agnièle Touret-Alby © MNHN. Fig 33. Clypeus of the holotype of X. crotalariae (junior synonym of X. macrops). Fig 34. Metasoma of the holotype of X. crotalariae.