Scaptotrigona (Scaptotrigona) semiflava Engel, 2022

Engel, Michael S., 2022, Notes on South American stingless bees of the genus Scaptotrigona (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Part IV: Four new species of group B from the Andean region, Journal of Melittology 2022 (112), pp. 1-13 : 8-11

Scaptotrigona (Scaptotrigona) semiflava Engel , new species

ZooBank: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:62643C79-818F-4C7F-B6A6-670EBE15756C

( Figs. 7–9 )

DIAGNOSIS: This species is most similar to S. grueteri , n. sp., described below (vide infra), but differs most notably in the facial coloration ( Fig. 9 ) and the sparse pubescence of the lower face, clypeus, and supraclypeal area ( Fig. 9 ). The punctation of the clypeal disc are sparser in S. semiflava than that of S. grueteri , the former with punctures separated by a puncture width or frequently more, while the punctures of the later are separated by a puncture width or less. Scaptotrigona semiflava occurs at comparatively low elevations (317 m), while S. grueteri is a high-elevation species, occurring from 1700–2300 m. Refer to the diagnosis of S. grueteri for further details.

DESCRIPTION: As described for S. anaulax (vide supra) except as follows: ⚲: Total body length approximately 4.8–5.8 mm, forewing length (to base of humeral sclerite) 5.3–5.9 mm. Head wider than long, width 2.30–2.53 mm, length 1.83–2.00 mm; compound eye length 1.30–1.47 mm; upper interorbital distance 1.53–1.63 mm, lower interorbital distance 1.40–1.50 mm. Scape length 0.87–0.93 mm, slightly longer than torulocellar distance, torulocellar distance 0.80–0.83 mm. Clypeus length 0.63–0.67 mm, width 1.13–1.17 mm. Malar area long, length 1.6–1.8× flagellar diameter. Preoccipital carina strong, lamellate dorsally and bordered by deep medial and lateral indentations, laterally carina broadly interrupted by deep concavity, lamella not extending into concavity, lower angle of concavity projected upward as a short, acute projection (short genal tooth present).

Integument generally black to dark brown; labiomaxillary complex brown to yellow; labrum yellow to yellow brown; mandible yellow to yellow brown; clypeus largely yellow, with areas of brown to yellow brown, brown markings typically forming paramedial longitudinal stripes, and along apical margin although sometimes interrupted medially; supraclypeal area yellow to yellow brown; malar space brown to dark brown; face below tangent of antennal toruli brown below but otherwise largely yellow from clypeus and torulus to ocular margin; scape dark brown except yellow on proximal half to two thirds ventrally; pedicel and flagellum dark brown except flagellum ventrally yellow brown; remainder of face dark brown to black except thin extension of yellow from lower face upward along ocular margin to point about one torular diameter above upper torular tangent; vertex and posterior of head dark brown to black; gena dark brown; postgena dark brown except hypostomal borders yellow. Legs dark brown to black except apex of apicalmost tarsomeres yellow to yellowish brown, superior margin of prolateral surface of metabasitarsus yellow brown, and superior distal angle of metatibia often yellow brown to brown. Wing membranes hyaline and clear; veins yellow. Metasoma dark brown to black except sometimes lighter on anterior-facing surface of tergum I, sterna lighter than terga.

Integument smooth and shining amid punctures; clypeus and supraclypeal area with minute, shallow punctures separated by a puncture width or more, although punctures sparse in lateral areas of clypeus; lower face with punctures sparse as on margin of clypeus, such punctures minute on frons and separated by a puncture width or less except somewhat denser centrally and toward ocellocular area; gena with minute punctures separated by less than a puncture width; postgena impunctate and finely imbricate.

Fine pubescence generally consisting of minute to short, appressed or decumbent golden, pale yellow, or off-white setae. Pronotal lobe with dense, off-white, plumose setae; mesoscutum and mesoscutellum with scatered, minute, simple, subappressed to decumbent, golden to fuscous setae, mesoscutum with off-white plumose setae anterolaterally and laterally; mesepisternum with short to long, erect to suberect, black to golden setae, intermixed with black bristles, with short, off-white, plumose setae on upper part of hypoepimeral area; metepisternum with dense, off-white (sometimes tinged slightly yellowish), plumose setae; propodeum lateral surface with setae similar to that of metepisternum. Legs with largely black setae, except coxae, trochanters, and proximally on femora with long, yellow setae. Metasomal terga with minute, appressed to decumbent, simple, fuscous setae, except anterior-facing surface of tergum I glabrous, tergum I with patches of diffuse yellow plumose setae apicolaterally, terga III–V covered with dense, appressed to subappressed, bright yellow, plumose tomentum, such setae also on apical margin of tergum II as an apical fringe and diffuse on tergum VI. Bristles, typically black, as follows: lateral surface of propodeum with long, erect, yellow bristles arising amid off-white tomentum; legs with black bristles. Metasoma terga III–V with abundant, suberect to subdecumbent yellow to golden bristles, rarely a few bristles fuscous, yellow bristles longer and more erect on tergum VI, particularly along margin; tergum I without bristles, tergum II with some short bristles laterally.

♀: Latet.

♂: Latet.

HOLOTYPE: ⚲, Peru: Madre de Dios, Pakita Bio. Stn., Reserved Zone, Manu National Park , 317 m, 11°56’41’’S, 71°17’0’’W, 15 Oct 2000, R. Brooks, ex: on wet mud near stream ( SEMC).

PARATYPES: 1⚲, Peru: Madre de Dios, Pakita Bio. Stn., Reserved Zone, Manu National Park , 317 m, 11°56’41’’S, 71°17’0’’W, 16 Oct 2000, R. Brooks, ex: wet area near stream ( SEMC) ; 1⚲, Peru: Madre de Dios, Pakita Bio. Stn., Reserved Zone, Manu National Park , 317 m, 11°56’41’’S, 71°17’0’’W, 15 Oct 2000, R. Brooks, ex: on wet mud near stream ( SEMC) ; 2⚲⚲, Bolivia: Nueva Moka , II-1951 [February 1951], F.H. Walz ( SEMC) .

ETYMOLOGY: The specific epithet is a combination of the Latin prefix sēmi – (meaning, “half”) and the adjective flāvus (meaning, “yellow”).

Figures

Figures 7–9. Workers of Scaptotrigona (Scaptotrigona) semiflava, new species. 7. Lateral habitus. 8. Dorsal habitus. 9. Facial view.