Xylocopa pulchra Smith, 1854

Lucia, Mariano, Gonzalez, Victor H. & Abrahamovich, Alberto H., 2015, Systematics and biology of XylocopasubgenusSchonnherria (Hymenoptera, Apidae) in Argentina, ZooKeys 543, pp. 129-167 : 142-144

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Apidae

Xylocopa pulchra Smith, 1854 Figures 3, 15, 58

Xylocopa pulchra Smith, 1854: 361 (holotype: BMNH 17B.188; ♀, Rio, Brazil) (examined)

Xylocopa (Schonnherria) pulchra : Hurd and Moure 1963: 123.

Diagnosis.

This species is known only from the female. It can be easily recognized by the following combination of characters: small body size (body length 15-17 mm); upper gena and vertex densely punctate, punctures separated by at most a puncture width; wings subhyaline, yellowish; metasoma dark brown to black with weak blue-green metallic highlights; and discs of T2-T5, each with a broad, medially interrupted apical band of dense yellowish setae (Fig. 15).

Female.

Body length 16 (15.3-16.7); head length 4.1 (4.0-4.2); head width 5.1 (5.0-5.2); mesosoma width 5.7 (5.6-5.8); metasoma width 6.1 (6.0-6.2); forewing length 11.3 (10.7-12.0); forewing width 3.2. Coloration. Integument dark brown to black including tegula, with weak blue-green higlights on metasoma. Wings subhyaline with weak golden highlights, veins yellowish-brown. Pubescence. Dark brown to black, except: anterior surface of metatibia distally, outer surface of metabasitarsus, and sides of S2-S4 with whitish setae; metabasitarsus externally with pale hairs; discs of T2-T5 each with a broad, medially interrupted apical band of dense yellowish setae (Fig. 15). Mesosoma with abundant plumose setae except on discs of mesoscutum and mesoscutellum. Sculpturing. Weakly imbricate to smooth and shiny. Vertex and upper gena densely punctate, punctures separated by at most a puncture width. Mesoscutum with punctures separated by 1-2 times a puncture width, smooth and shiny on disc; mesoscutellum with punctures smaller and sparser than those on mesoscutum, except smooth and shiny on disc. Metasomal terga with circular to ovoid punctures separated by 1-2 times a puncture width, punctures denser laterally and on apical terga; sterna impunctate mediolongitudinally with punctures sparser than on terga. Structure. Head broader than long (1.2-1.3:1); proportion of upper to lower interocular 1:1; middle interocular distance 3.2-3.6; vertex broad, distance between median ocellus and posterior margin of vertex 4.0-4.5 OD; orbitoccipital distance short, 0.5-0.7; lateral ocelli on supraorbital line; interocellar distance to ocelocular distance 0.9-1:1, interocellar to ocelloccipital 0.8:1; ocellocular to alveolocellar 0.7:1; orbitoccipital to ocellocular 0.7-0.9:1; alveolocular to interalveolar 1.1-1.2:1; clypeocellar distance to distance between median ocellus and posterior margin of vertex 1.2:1; frontal carina low; clypeus broader than long (2.2-2.3:1); proportion of length of scape, pedicel and F1-F3: 3.9:0.4:1: 0.5:0.5:0.6, respectively; labrum broader than long, with three basal protuberances, median tubercle distinct, longitudinally elongate, sublateral tubercles small, obscured by pubescence. Mesoscutellum gently convex; metanotum and propodeum subvertically inclined.

Male.

Unknown

Distribution.

Hurd (1978: 23) listed this species from Brazil, Paraguay, possibly Colombia, and the provinces of Misiones and Salta in Argentina (Fig. 58). It occurs in the Paranaense biogeographic province (see comments below).

Comments.

Xylocopa pulchra is known only from the female, and the male of Xylocopa chrysopoda may be conspecific with this species, as suggested by Schrottky (1902). As for Xylocopa bambusae and Xylocopa chrysopoda , this species is rare in collections, and it has not been captured in the last 65 years. In addition to the type, we were only able to examine a historical specimen from Misiones deposited at MLP and specimen from Pocitos, Salta, deposited at USNM. The presence of this species in Colombia needs to be confirmed ( Gonzalez et al. 2009).