Leioproctus (Leioproctus) Smith

Maynard, Glynn Vivian, 2013, Revision of Goniocolletes and seven Australian subgenera of Leioproctus (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Colletidae), and description of new taxa, Zootaxa 3715 (1), pp. 1-114 : 29-31

Leioproctus (Leioproctus) Smith

Leioproctus Smith, 1853: 8 ; Michener, 1965: 39; Michener, 1990: 641. Type species: Leioproctus imitatus Smith, 1853: 9 , by designation of Cockerell, 1905a: 348.

Dasycolletes Smith, 1853: 14 . Type species: Dasycolletes metallicus Smith, 1853 by designation of Cockerell,

1905a: 347. [synoymised under Paracolletes , along with Leioproctus , by Cockerell (1905a); removed from synonymy under Paracolletes , but still synonymised under Leioproctus by Michener, (1965)]

Diagnosis

Female facial foveae not impressed; scape reaching median ocellus; male flagellum long, male facial hair not appressed; metanotum not produced; apical hair bands absent.

Body— Length ca. 4–16 mm; integument usually black or brown non-metallic, although some species are metallic blue, red, green to cupreus, particularly the metasoma. Head— Ocelloccipital area flat; female facial foveae present, at times weak, but never absent; frons flat with a carinate frontal line; clypeus shallowly convex; malar space small. Mesosoma — Metanotum not protuberant; propodeal triangle usually without defined basal area. Legs without structural ornamentation of integument with segments straight; margin of hind basitibial plate entirely carinate; inner hind tibial spur ciliate or pectinate. Wings with 3 submarginal cells, first recurrent vein entering second submarginal cell usually basally or medially; pterostigma broad, length half the costal margin of marginal cell or more; jugal lobe of hind wing reaching cu-a or not. Metasoma— Surface weakly sculptured; female prepygidial fimbria broad, dense; male without carinate pygidium; males usually without apical sternal fringes. Male S7 with 2 apical lobes. S8 with clearly defined median process. Genitalia with gonobase 0.2–0.3 x length of genitalia; gonoforceps relatively simple; volsellae small, digitus not extended.

Note. Although Leioproctus opaculus is presently placed in Leioproctus (Leioproctus) , it is likely that it will eventually be placed elsewhere. It is very different from other Leioproctus (Leioproctus) . Some of the distinguishing characters include a very short anal lobe and a distinctive surface texture. Leioproctus semiviridus is a synonym of Leioproctus opaculus .

It has been possible to divide Leioproctus (Leioproctus) into several species groups. The six of these that include the most commonly collected Leioproctus in Australia are described here. Those groups with ciliate hind tibial spurs, as in Leioproctus (L.) imitatus , are not included (a detailed description of Leioproctus (Leioproctus) imitatus can be found in Donovan (2007)).

Key to species-groups of Australian Leioproctus (Leioproctus) revised in this study

1 Pterostigma less than half length of costal margin of marginal cell.......................... macmillani species- group

– Pterostigma more than half length of costal margin of marginal cell............................................. 2

2 Propodeal triangle with basal area defined by a carina........................................................ 3

– Propodeal triangle with basal area not defined by a carina..................................................... 4

3 Jugal lobe of hind wing reaching cu-a................................................... amabilis species-group

– Jugal lobe of hind wing not reaching cu-a............................................ platycephalus species-group

4 Basal area of propodeal triangle longer than length of metanotum; small to medium-sized, slender, sparsely haired bees....................................................................................... irroratus species-group

– Propodeal triangle vertical or basal area shorter than length of metanotum; medium-sized to large, hairy bees............. 5

5 Female pygidial plate narrow, almost convex; malar space absent; male S5 with fringe.......... nigrofulvus species-group

– Female pygidial plate broad, flat; malar space usually present; short, male S5 without fringe..........................6

6 Small to medium-sized (7–11 mm) black or dark brown bees; general body sculpture of small, dense, distinct punctures with smooth to coriaceous interspaces; vestiture of long, fine hair with many, moderately long branches. Males with spine subapically on inner margin of gonoforceps................................................... spatulatus species-group

– General body sculpture with punctures medium to large, or punctures small and moderately to widely spaced or small and dense with interspaces shiny. Males without spine subapically on inner margin of gonoforceps................................................................................................ Leioproctus (Leioproctus) unplaced

Leioproctus (Leioproctus) amabilis -species group

This group of seven species is found throughout Australia with some species having very wide distributions. They are frequently collected from Eucalyptus spp. Recognition that different colour forms in a single species are common has resulted in much synonymy. All have a metallic blue/green head and mesosoma, unlike the majority of Australian Leioproctus , in which the head and mesosoma are non-metallic black.

Diagnosis— Moderate-sized bees with head and mesosoma metallic blue-green, and metasoma metallic coloured; female with clearly defined facial foveae; frons with weak longitudinal ridges; propodeal triangle with clearly defined basal area; male genitalia with penis valves with ventral hooks.

Description— Length 5–15 mm, hair long, fine, much-branched with long branches. Head— Vertex not extended dorsally; frons with weak longitudinal striae with moderate sized, shallow punctures between; frontal line, if depressed, only so dorsally, carinate on lower 0.5; inner eye margins parallel except where they converge slightly at level of ocelli; width of paraocular area and interantennal distance about equal; male F1–2 with length less than width, F3–11 length greater or equal to width; scape reaching beyond median ocellus; apex of supraclypeal area sharply raised; epistomal suture distinct; clypeus weakly convex with moderately dense to dense, large punctures with smooth to granulose interspaces; malar space glabrous, length up to half width of base of mandible; maxillary and labial palpal segments subequal in length, well sclerotised; labrum with short triangular basal area, with narrow depressed apical strip. Mesosoma —General sculpture of scutum and scutellum small, dense punctures with granulose interspaces, often with posterior medial area of scutum and anterior medial area of the scutellum impunctate and sparsely haired; propodeal triangle with basal area subhorizontal, clearly defined usually by transverse carina, basal area as long as metanotum, surface strongly coriaceous. Forewings: Marginal cell with slender apex curved from costal margin for about 0.1 length of costa; membrane clear. Legs of female with hind tibial scopa dense to very dense, hair of posterior area with branches from 1 side, usually with 1 row, occasionally with two rows; female inner hind tibial spur with 5–10 long, slender, closely approximated teeth; fore tibial spur with apex about as long as velum; female claws with moderate to large, basal to medial inner ramus; male claws with large, medial inner ramus; female hind basitibial plate 0.2–0.25 length of tibia, moderately to densely covered by long, thick, simple hairs; male legs unmodified, slender with moderately dense hairs and no scopae. Metasoma— punctation dense and small, with coriaceous interspaces; apical margin opaque with sparse punctures and coriaceous interspaces; female pygidial plate coriaceous; males without pygidial plate, a couple of species with T7 denudate medially; males without sternal fringes; female sternal hair long, moderately dense, plumose. Male genitalia with gonobase about 0.2 x length of genitalia, genital foramen large; gonoforceps simple without spines or teeth; volsellae small (0.2–0.25 x length of genitalia), cusp and digitus not expanded; penis valves relatively simple with at least 1 ventral median hook; apices of penis valves reaching to, but not beyond, apices of gonostyles. S8 with simple median lobe and sparse hair dorsally. S7 with moderately large, flat to strongly arched apical lobes; attachment of apical lobes moderately broad; median area moderate (about a quarter length of apical lobes); anterior apodemes angled with broad bases.

Key to species in the Leioproctus (Leioproctus) amabilis species-group

1 Scutellar hair orange......................................... Leioproctus (Leioproctus) friesellus Michener, 1965

– Scutellar hair white, yellow or pale brown................................................................. 2

2 Metasomal terga with long, branched hair, particularly on T2 (and T1)... Leioproctus (Leioproctus) cupreus (Smith, 1853)

– Metasomal terga with short, simple hair, particularly on T2.................................................... 3

3 Female with apical margin of pygidial plate rounded or truncate; male legs all dark................................. 4

– Female with apical margin of pygidial plate emarginate; males with at least anterior surfaces of fore tibia yellow to pale brown (i.e., distinctly paler than rest of leg)...................................................................... 5

4 Metasoma olive-brown; female with posterior tibial scopa whitish; male S7 apical lobes flat, with an apical patch of fine hairs........................................................... Leioproctus (Leioproctus) clarki (Cockerell, 1929)

– Metasoma dark metallic blue; female with entire tibial scopa black; male S7 apical lobes arched with long, spines on the interior....................................................... Leioproctus (Leioproctus) carinatus (Smith, 1853)

5 Length of female about 9 mm; Length of male about 7 mm; female scutellar hair yellow, moderate length; male T7 with scattered hairs; male S7 apical lobes with ventral, apical patch of hair; metasoma red, gold, green or blue............................................................................... Leioproctus (Leioproctus) amabilis (Smith, 1879)

– Length of female about 11 mm; Length of male about 7 mm; female scutellar hair whitish to pale brown, long; male T7 with denudate median area; male S7 apical lobe bare with small dorsal, apical tubercle; metasomal entirely and exclusively dark metallic blue......................................................................................... 6

6 Malar space length more than a third width of mandible............ Leioproctus (Leioproctus) boroniae ( Cockerell, 1921)

– Malar space length less than a third width of mandible............... Leioproctus (Leioproctus) plumosus (Smith, 1853)