Trichocolletes aureotinctus (Cockerell)

Batley, Michael, 2012, Revision of the Australian Bee Genus Trichocolletes Cockerell (Hymenoptera: Colletidae: Paracolletini), Records of the Australian Museum (Rec. Aust. Mus.) 64 (1), pp. 1-50 : 9-10

Trichocolletes aureotinctus (Cockerell)

Figs 29, 46, 82

Anthoglossa aureotincta Cockerell, 1906, p. 16 (female). Trichocolletes (Trichocolletes) aureotinctus .— Michener,

1965, p. 79.

Specimens examined. The holotype ♀, Perth, W. Australia, 93-198, Anthophora aurotincta (handwritten label, presumably in error), BMNH Hym 17.a.397 and the following. Western Australia : 2♂, 12.5 km ENE Anketell , 6–7 Sep. 1981, T. F Houston, on flowers of Baeckea stowardii, WAM (13647, 19124) ; ♀, 34 km ENE Cosmo Newberry Mission , 12 Sep. 1982, B. Hanich & T. F. Houston, on flowers of Swainsona, WAM (13836) ; 4♂, 11♀, 37 km NE Laverton , 10–12 Sep. 1982, B. Hanich & T. F. Houston, on flowers of Kennedia nematoclada & Daviesia aff. grahami, WAM (13824–34, 13641–44) ; ♀, 32 km N Mingenew , 14 Sep.1987, T. F.Houston, on flowers of Dampiera, WAM (13562) ; 2♂, 30 km W Sandstone , 7 Sep. 1981, T. F Houston, on flowers of Daviesia grahami, WAM (13645–46) .

Diagnosis

Eyes not hairy; metasomal bands moderately broad, silver or pale gold, ferruginous across anterior margins; metasoma

sericeus. Male scape black; mid basitarsus broadened distally. Female with large inner ramus on tarsal claws.

Descriptions

Male (WAM 13642).— Head width 3.7 mm, body length 10.1 mm. Relative dimensions: HW 50, HL 36, UID 33, UFW 31, LID 28, DMA 26, HVO 4, WOC 13, MOD 4, OOD 9, ML 15, BMW 6.5, MSL 1, SL 13, SW 3, FL c. 50.— Eyes not hairy; inner orbits convergent ventrally; malar space short (length c. 0.15× basal mandibular width); length flagellum equal to head width; middle flagellomeres c. 1.5× as long as wide. Legs slender; hind tarsus 1.3× as long as tibia; length basitarsus 6.0× as long as wide; basitibial area with distinct posterior edge almost reaching apex. Gonoforceps with hair of moderate length (Fig. 29); S7 with broad lateral lobes fused to ligulate processes subsuming basal teeth, posterior projections absent (Fig. 46).— Mandible medially amber; labrum, tibiae, tarsi and distal ends of femora orange-brown, fore and mid tibiae with dark infuscations; flagellum ventrally mid-brown; ventral rim clypeus, flagellum dorsally dark brown. T1–5 with broad silver or pale gold bands, ferruginous across anterior margins; T7 red-brown.— Clypeus reticulate with dense, large punctures except apically impunctate and polished. Scutum dull with strong pit-reticulation and indistinct, open punctures.— Face with long, plumose, white hair, gena with white hair forming a beard; scutum with open, long, finely-branched, white hair; fore coxa, trochanter and tibia with long white hair; remainder of legs with sparse hair only.

Female (WAM 13831).— Head width 4.05 mm, body length 11.7 mm. Relative dimensions: HW 50, HL 35, UID 32, UFW 33, LID 30, DMA 28, HVO 3, WOC 15, MOD 4, OOD 8, IAD 6.5, ASD 3, AOD 9, ML 18, BMW 5.5, MSL 1, SL 15, SW 2.5, FL c. 28.— Eyes not hairy; face almost quadrate, inner orbits slightly convergent ventrally; malar space short (length c. 0.15× basal mandibular width); clypeus smoothly convex; middle flagellomeres as long as wide; inner hind tibial spur with c. 10 long, closely-spaced teeth; pygidial plate minutely emarginate, medial elevation broad.— Labrum, mandible medially, ventral margin of clypeus, anterior faces fore tibia and tarsus orange-brown; remainder of legs brown. T1–4 with broad, pale gold or silver bands, broadly ferruginous across anterior margin.— Clypeus reticulate with large, dense punctures except ventral margin impunctate and polished; supraclypeal area with large, close to dense punctures; frontal carina ending in sharp point on supraclypeal area. Sculpture of scutum as for male.— Face with long, plumose hair; dense, white on apicolateral corners of clypeus and in paraocular areas; sparse on supraclypeal area and remainder of clypeus; dense, pale orange-brown on frons and vertex. Scutum with open, long, orange-brown hair; hind tibial scopal hair white except rich brown near basitibial area. T2–5 sericeous with simple, semi-adpressed, amber hair; prepygidial fimbria golden-brown.

Remarks. The male has not previously been described. Only the holotype is recorded from as far south as Perth. Given the age of the specimen, the location may be approximate. This species is referred to as F246 and M 225 in Houston (2000).

Distribution. Western Australia east of Geraldton (GS, GVD, MUR, SWA?) ( Fig. 82 ).

Figures

Figs 80–91. Known distribution of Trichocolletes species.