Chlerogella agaylei Engel, 2010

Engel, Michael, 2010, Revision of the Bee Genus Chlerogella (Hymenoptera, Halictidae), Part II: South American Species and Generic Diagnosis, ZooKeys 47 (47), pp. 1-100 : 36-39

Chlerogella agaylei Engel , sp. n.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A2EB807F-FB58-4A15-86F6-9834F329E715

Figs 48–54, 68–69, Map 3

Holotype. ♁, ECUADOR: Napo, 1200 m, km 7.3 Sarayacu-Loreto rd. , 20 July 1994, F. Génier, ex: feces trap ( SEMC).

Paratype. ECUADOR: 1♀, same data as holotype ( SEMC).

Diagnosis. Females of C. agaylei superficially resemble those of C. dolichorhina from which the former can be recognized by the smooth and shining integument of the mesepisternum and the brilliant integumental coloration of the head and mesosoma. Females of C. agaylei are also very similar to those of C. azurea in which the former tends to be slightly more dark blue and the antenna uniformly dark brown. The male can be distinguished from that of C. materdonnae by the strong azurite coloration and the structure of SIV (Fig. 54) and the terminalia (Figs 68–69) and from C. azurea by the structure SIV.

Description. Female: Total body length 8.45 mm; forewing length 5.47 mm. Head length 2.45 mm, width 1.54 mm. Clypeus beginning just below lower tangent of compound eyes. Malar space 44.8% compound eye length (malar length 0.60 mm; compound eye length 1.34 mm) (Figs 49–50). Upper interorbital distance 0.73 mm; lower interorbital distance 0.52 mm. Upper portion of pronotum medially depressed, not elongate, medially less than 0.25 times ocellar diameter in length; ventral portion of preëpisternal sulcus not broad, similar to scrobal sulcus and upper portion of preëpisternal sulcus; intertegular distance 1.25 mm; mesoscutellum weakly convex, not bigibbous. Basal vein

Figures 48–50. Paratype female of Chlerogella agaylei sp. n. 48 Lateral habitus 49 Facial aspect 50 Lateral aspect of head.

distad cu-a by two times vein width; 1rs-m distad 1m-cu by two times vein width; 2rs-m distad 2m-cu by eight times vein width, 2rs-m weakly arched; first submarginal cell long- er than combined lengths of second and third submarginal cells; second submarginal cell slightly narrowed anteriorly, anterior border of second submarginal cell along Rs about as along as that of third submarginal cell; posterior border of third submarginal cell slightly more than two times longer than anterior border. Distal hamuli arranged 2-1-2. Inner metatibial spur with five branches (not including apical portion of rachis).

Clypeus and supraclypeal area imbricate with weak punctures separated by 0.5–1.5 times a puncture width; face with small, contiguous punctures, more widely spaced in malar space; punctures of face blending to imbricate integument in ocellocular area

Figures 5Ι–54. Holotype male of Chlerogella agaylei sp. n. 5Ι Lateral habitus 52 Facial aspect 53 Lateral aspect of head 54 Apical sterna of metasoma.

and vertex, with punctures separated by 0.5–2 times a puncture width; gena finely imbricate with small punctures separated by 0.5–2 times a puncture width; postgena imbricate and impunctate. Pronotum imbricate with minute punctures separated by 1–3 times a puncture width; mesoscutum imbricate with punctures separated by a puncture width or less on lateral thirds and posteriorly, anteromedially punctures becoming exceedingly faint to absent; mesoscutellum finely imbricate with small punctures separated by a puncture width or less; metanotum imbricate with minute punctures separated by a puncture width or less. Preëpisternum finely imbricate with small punctures separated by 1–3 times a puncture width; mesepisternum faintly imbricate and shining with weak punctures separated by 2–5 times a puncture width; metepisternum faintly imbricate. Propodeum strongly imbricate. Metasoma finely imbricate.

Mandible dark brown except reddish at apex; labrum dark brown; clypeal apex dark brown, remainder of clypeus and head azurite blue with strong purple highlights (Fig. 49). Antenna dark brown. Mesosoma azurite blue, with purple highlights but weaker than those of head (Fig. 48); tegula dark brown. Wing membranes lightly infumate; veins dark brown. Legs dark brown. Metasoma dark brown.

Pubescence white except intermingled with dark fuscous setae on metatibia and with dark fuscous setae predominant on tarsi, apicalmost metasomal segments, and pro- and mesotibiae.

Male: As described for the female except as follows: Total body length 8.88 mm; forewing length 5.47 mm. Head length 2.55 mm, width 1.54 mm. Clypeus beginning just below lower tangent of compound eyes. Malar space 46.7% compound eye length (malar length 0.63 mm; compound eye length 1.35 mm) (Figs 52–53). Upper interorbital distance 0.76 mm; lower interorbital distance 0.39 mm. First flagellomere about as long as pedicel, about as long as wide; second flagellomere two times length of first flagellomere; ventral surfaces of second through eleventh flagellomeres densely covered in placoid sensilla, placoid fields not disrupted. Intertegular distance 1.28 mm; mesoscutellum not bigibbous. Inner metatibial spur serrate. Apical margin of SIII entire; apical margin of SIV with short, narrow median projection that is deeply emarginate medially (to form two very narrow paramedial projections) (Fig. 54); apical margin of SV entire; apical margin of SVI emarginate; terminalia as depicted in figures 68 and 69.

Mandible, labrum, and very narrow longitudinal mark at clypeal apex pale yellow.

Typical gender pilosity except postgena with numerous elongate, sinuate setae, such setae with short apical branches; inner surfaces of trochanters, mesofemur, and metacoxa with elongate, apically-plumose setae, similar setae on inner surfaces of metatrochanter, metafemur, and metatibia except largely simple and somewhat sinuate, those of metatibia particularly elongate, longer than metatibial width. Apical margin of SIII with diffuse fringe of moderate-length white setae; SIV with dense, short patches of fuscous setae on medioapical projections; SV with diffuse apicolateral areas of long white setae.

Etymology. The specific epithet is a patronym honoring my father, Rev. A. Gayle Engel.