Trichocolletes capillosus, Batley, 2012

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 : 13-14

Trichocolletes capillosus n.sp.

Figs 3–4 , 51, 87

Type. Holotype ♂, Coomberdale , Western Australia, 9 Jul. 1976, R. P. McMillan, in WAM 13792.

Specimens examined. The holotype and the following. Western Australia: 2♂, same data as holotype, WAM (13793–94); 3♂, Bolgart, 12 Nov. 1950, ANIC; ♀, 30 km E Cramphorne (31.7939°S 118.8731°E), 20 Oct.2009, M. Batley, AM (K.344667); ♂, 14 km NW Narrogin (32.8761°S 117.0425°E), 9 Oct. 2009, M. Batley, ex Gastrolobium crassifolium, AM (K.278550); ♂, Nabawa, 9 Jul. 1998, S. R. Patterson, WAM (21393); ♂, 11 mi N of New Norcia, 18 Aug. 1971, T. F. Houston, on Daviesia & Pultenaea, SAM (32- 024670); ♂, Stathams, WAM (13713); ♂, Wamenusking, WAM (13700); ♀, 15 km N Westonia (31.1981°S 118.7586°E), 19 Sep. 2004, M. Batley, ex Gastrolobium sp. AM (K.344666).

Diagnosis

Eyes hairy; metasomal bands narrow, silver. Male mid and hind femora with very long, dense hair ( Fig. 4 ). Female upper margin of clypeus narrow.

Descriptions

Male ( AM K.278550).— Head width 3.75 mm, body length 11.5 mm. Relative dimensions: HW 50, HL 39, UID 30, UFW 31, LID 31, WOC 14, MOD 4, OOD 9, IAD 9, ASD 4, AOD 7, ML 20, BMW 7, MSL 3.0, SL 13, SW 3, FL c. 53.— Eyes hairy; face approximately quadrate, inner orbits parallel; length malar space c. 0.45× basal mandibular width; flagellum longer than head width, middle flagellomeres c. 1.4× as long as wide. Legs slender; fore basitarsus noticeably short, abruptly thicker at distal end, which bears a tuft of setae on inner margin ( Fig. 3 ); hind tarsus as long as hind tibia; hind basitarsus 4.7× as long as wide; posterior carina of basitibial area reaches apex. Genital capsule similar to that for T. orientalis n.sp. (Fig. 37); S7 relatively glabrescent, triangular lateral lobes fused with short ligulate process, subsuming basal teeth, posterior projections virtually obsolete (Fig. 51).— Labrum, mandible medially, scape, tarsi, tibiae, distal ends femora orange-brown, except fore basitarsus cream or pale orange-brown; flagellomeres F2–8 yellow-brown ventrally; remainder of flagellum dark brown. T 1–5 with narrow silver bands; T 7 dark orange-brown. Wings noticeably darkened.— Scutum with dull sheen, moderate pit-reticulation and close, small punctures.— Face with dense, long, finely-branched, orange hair. Scutum with close, long, plumose, orange hair; fore basitarsus with plume of long orange hair on proximal half ( Fig. 3 ); mid and hind femora with unusually long, dense, orange hair ( Fig. 4 ).

Female ( AM K.344667).— Head width 4.05 mm, body length 11.7 mm. Relative dimensions: HW 50, HL 39, UID 29, UFW 32, LID 32, WOC 13, MOD 3, OOD 8, IAD 8, ASD 4, AOD 9, ML 21, BMW 7, MSL 2.0, SL 16, SW 3, FL c. 31.— Eyes hairy; face slightly wider than longer, inner orbits parallel; malar space moderately long (length c. 0.4× basal mandibular width); clypeus convex, sagittally flattened, basal suture V-shaped; basal width clypeus <2× length subantennal suture; middle flagellomeres c. 1.1.× as long as wide; hind tibial spur with c. 7 long teeth; tarsal claws simple; pygidial plate emarginate with low medial elevation.— Labrum, mandible, tarsi, hind tibiae, apices femora orange-brown, with dark brown medially on fore and mid tibiae; flagellomers F2–10 yellow-brown ventrally; remainder of flagellum dark brown. T 1–4 with narrow silver bands. Wings darkened.— Clypeus weakly reticulate basally with dense medium punctures medially, sparse laterally, apico-lateral corners with dense, fine punctures. Scutal sculpture as for male.— Face with long, plumose, pale hair, dark-tipped near ocelli, dense in paraocular areas and on frons, sparse on clypeus and supraclypeal area. Scutum with close, plumose, dark-tipped pale brown hair; scopal hair orange-brown laterally, darker medially; pre-pygidial fimbria dark brown.

Remarks. Sexes associated by morphological similarity and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I DNA sequence (results not shown). This species is referred to as M 242 in Houston (2000). Females resemble those of T. leucogenys n.sp. and T. dundasensis n.sp. from which they may be distinguished by the relatively narrow upper margin of clypeus.

Etymology. The specific name is from the Latin adjective meaning very hairy referring to the femora of the male.

Distribution. Avon wheatbelt area of Western Australia (AW, GS, JF) ( Fig. 87 ).

Figures

Figs 3–4. Trichocolletes capillosus n.sp., male: (3) left fore tarsus (arrow indicates setose projection) (4) ventral view of mid and hind legs showing long hair on femora (arrowed).

Figs 80–91. Known distribution of Trichocolletes species.