Caenohalictus sabanaensis, Celis, Cindy Julieth, Cure, Jose Ricardo & Aguilar-Benavides, Marlene Lucia, 2014

Celis, Cindy Julieth, Cure, Jose Ricardo & Aguilar-Benavides, Marlene Lucia, 2014, Two new species of Caenohalictus Cameron, 1903 (Hymenoptera: Halictidae) from Colombia, Zootaxa 3786 (5), pp. 574-586 : 575-583

Caenohalictus sabanaensis n. sp.

Figures 2, 3 , 6, 7, 10 , 12, 14, 15 , 18 , 20 and 21

Examined material: HOLOTYPE male— ( ICN 087500), COLOMBIA, CUNDINAMARCA, Bogotá, Cerro la Conejera, 7-V-2011, C. Celis leg. Nº 26. PARATYPES males— 7-V-2011. Nº 24 ( ICN 087494), 3-VII-2011. N° 36 ( ICN 087491), 15-VIII-2011. Nº 61 (UMNG-ins), 29-VIII-2011. Nº 93 (UMNG-ins), 15-XII-2011. Nº 108 ( ICN 087496), 19-XII-2011. Nº 111 (UMNG-ins); different locality and same collector as the holotype, with the following data: Tabio, Huaica, 7-X-2011. N° 92 ( ICN 087497), 19-XII-2011.N° 110 ( ICN 087499). PARATYPES Females— the same locality and collector as the holotype, with the following data: 7-V-2011. Nº 25 (UMNG-ins), 14-VIII-2011. Nº 56 ( ICN 087495); different locality and same collector as the holotype, with the following data: Tabio, Huaica, 3-VI-2011. Nº 28 (UMNG-ins).

Diagnosis. Female hind tibial spur pectinate with two long teeth. Male compound eyes very pubescent with short hairs (shorter than MOD); yellow areas in the inner side of the first tarsomere of the hind leg. Genital capsule ( Figs. 20–21 ): Gb with outer margin rounded, Gc slender, G small, occupying about one-third of genital capsule, apex of G with short, simple bristles, originating from well demarcated pores.

General description. Tegula completely black. Pilosity of head, mesosoma and metasoma usually with branched white hairs, mixed with some chestnut to dark-brown branched hairs in the face, frons, vertex, mesoscutum, scutellum and metanotum; gena, postgena and mesopleura, with a tuft of white-branched hairs, denser in males than in females. Compound eye with dark, usually brown branched hairs, evenly distributed, shorter than MOD, denser in males than in females. Punctuation of the clypeus coarser than in other areas of the body, separated by at least two times a puncture width; integument reticulate between punctures. Frons and face integument micro tessellate. Pre-episternal sulcus, from tegula to antero-ventral margin of the mesothorax, without a carina, pleurointersegmental sulcus well defined by a carina, scrobal sulcus absent. Malar area linear. Head wider than its length. Compound eye slightly emarginated. Supraclypeal area more convex and protuberant than clypeus. Wings hyaline with brown venation and covered by short, erect, dark and simple hairs, forewing with three submarginal cells, marginal cell twice as long as the stigma. Hind wing with five small apical hamuli.

Male. Holotype: total length, 7.3 mm (paratypes: 6.0 – 6.5 mm); forewing, 4.9 mm (paratypes: 4.6 – 4.8 mm); maximum head width, 1.6 mm; head length, 1.5 mm (paratypes: 1.4 – 1.6 mm); length of clypeus, 0.3 mm; length of compound eye, 1.1 mm (paratypes: 1 mm).

Color of integument: Metallic light green to metallic olive-green in head and mesosoma, with abundant golden reflections, rarely bronze reflections. Upper part of clypeus metallic light green to metallic olive-green, with golden or bronze reflections, distally with a thin creamy-yellow marginal band, occupying 1/5 of the total clypeus length. Supraclypeal area metallic light green usually with yellow and bronze reflections, sometimes with an apical triangular black area. Proximal part of labrum creamy-yellow, distal part black. Mandible black. Inner side of antennae dark-brown, outer side light-brown to brown-yellow. Scutellum and metanotum usually clearer and brighter than mesoscutum and propodeum. Pre-episternal sulcus dark-green. Trochanter, femur and tibia metallic light green to dark green or metallic black. Tarsus brown. Inner edge of first tarsomere of hind leg with a yellow band, from the base to the middle or even the apex of the tarsomere. Metasomal terga metallic dark-green to metallic golden, darker than head and mesosoma. Metasomal sterna brown-blackish metallic. Marginal zone of T I – T VI brown. Pygidial plate brown to dark-brown.

Pubescence: More conspicuous and abundant than in the female. Face with branched white hairs, 3.0 – 3.6 times longer than MOD and mixed with dark hairs, gena and postgena with erect, branched, white hairs, as long as 2.5 – 3.6 times MOD. Compound eye very hairy, hairs shorter than MOD. Clypeus without apical row of setae. Scape with black and curved hairs, longer than MOD. Flagellum with very short hairs giving a velvety appearance. Mesopleura with erect, branched, white hairs, as long as 2.0 – 2.8 times MOD. Legs with branched, white hairs. Tarsi with simple, white-yellow bristles. Marginal zone of T I – T VI glabrous.

Sculpture: Mesoscutum, scutellum, metanotum and propodeum micro tessellate among coarse punctures, separated by six times a puncture width. Lateral margin of lunula with longitudinal, deep grooves; mid region with anastomosed marked striae not reaching the posterior margin of lunula ( Fig. 7 ). Posterior margin of lunula micro tessellate. Metasoma with reticulate integument.

Structure: Alveolocular distance 1.4 – 1.5 times shorter than interalveolar distance. Head tends to narrow towards clypeus. Frontal carina short, not extending beyond the upper margin of antennal sockets. Antenna in repose exceeding half the length of the mesosoma. Scape at least 1/5 of the total length of antenna. Clypeus slightly longer than labrum (including distal process), distal process with abundant marginal fimbria ( Fig. 14 ). Mandible without subapical tooth. Propodeum longer than scutellum. Hind tibia with two apical spurs both with serrations. Legs with femurs slightly widened. S I with a slight apical median notch, not forming a slit, with few hairs on margin. S II – S VI without notch, glabrous ( Fig. 18 ). Pygidial plate carinate, oval or slightly pointed in shape ( Fig. 15 ).

Genitalia: Outer margin of gonobase (Gb) rounded, gonocoxites (Gc) slender. Gonostylus (G) small and slightly produced, occupying about one-third of genital capsule length in ventral view, apex of gonostylus with short, simple bristles, originating from well demarcated pores in the gonostilar surface, margins of gonostylus with short setae. Penis valves (V) and volsella (Vo) as in Figs. 20 and 21 .

Female. Paratypes: total length, 6.9 – 7.4 mm; forewing, 4.7 – 5.1 mm; maximum head width, 1.7 – 1.8mm;length of head, 1.5 – 1.6 mm; length of clypeus, 0.3 mm; length of compound eye, 1.1 – 1.2 mm.

Color of integument: Metallic light green to metallic olive-green in head and mesosoma, with yellow or bronze reflections. Upper part of clypeus olive-green, distal part black, with bronze or yellow tints between both parts. Supraclypeal area metallic olive-green, with yellow and bronze reflections. Labrum and mandible black. Antennae black to dark-brown, clearer at the apical end of flagellum. Mesoscutum, scutellum and metanotum clearer and brighter than the propodeum, the scutellum usually clearer than the mesoscutum and metanotum with abundant yellow or bronze reflections. Pre-episternal sulcus dark-green or blue-green. Legs metallic black. Metasomal terga metallic blackish-green with golden reflections, darker than head and mesosoma. Metasomal sterna metallic dark-brown to metallic black. Marginal zone of T I – T IV is blackish.

Pubescence: Face with branched white hairs, 1.7 – 2.5 times longer than MOD and mixed with dark hairs; gena and postgena with erect, branched, white hairs, as long as 2.5 – 2.7 times MOD. Compound eyes hairy, hairs as long as MOD or shorter. Clypeus with apical rows of setae, as long as 1.8 – 2.3 times MOD, evenly distributed. Scape with black and white hairs, basally with hairs longer than MOD, apically with shorter hairs. Flagellum with very short hairs giving a velvety appearance. Mesopleura with erect, branched, white hairs, as long as 2.3 – 3.0 times MOD. Legs with branched, white hairs; scopa of coxa, trochanter, femur and tibia of hind legs with long, branched, white hairs. Tarsus of the legs with abundant, translucent, unbranched bristles, denser on the hind legs. Scopa of the S I – S IV with branched, suberect white hairs, shorter on distal sterna, marginal zone of terga glabrous.

Sculpture: Mesoscutum, scutellum, metanotum and propodeum micro tessellate. Lateral margin of lunula with longitudinal, deep grooves; mid region with anastomosed, strong striae not reaching the posterior margin of the lunula ( Fig. 6 ), posterior margin micro tessellate. Metasoma with reticulate integument.

Structure: Alveolocular distance two times interalveolar distance. Frontal carina long, extending beyond the upper margin of antennal sockets. Antenna in repose does not exceed half the length of the mesosoma. Scape nearly half of total length of antenna. Length of labrum including distal process close to 0.3 mm, with abundant marginal fimbria ( Fig. 12 ). Mandible with subapical tooth, basal portion with long hairs in dorsal and ventral margins. Inner spur of hind tibia pectinate, with two basal teeth longer than wide, rounded at the tip and a third subapical tooth poorly defined ( Fig. 10 ). Outer spur serrate. Pseudopygidial area with an oval shape appearance due to pubescence along the midline.

Comments. This species was collected on flowers of the family Asteraceae : Taraxacum officinale and Senecio sp.

Etymology. The name of this species is in reference to the Savanna of Bogota, the area in the Andes where the species has been commonly collected.

Figures

FIGURES 2 – 5. 2 – 3: C. sabanaensis n. sp., 2, female, 3, male; 4 – 5: C. alexandrei n. sp., 4, female, 5, male. Scale 1 mm.

FIGURES 6 – 11. Lunula in dorsal view. 6 – 7: C. sabanaensis n. sp., 6, female, 7, male; 8 – 9: C. alexandrei n. sp., 8, female, 9, male. 10 – 11: Inner hind tibial spur of females, 10, C. sabanaensis n. sp., 11, C. alexandrei n. sp. 6 – 9: Scale 200 µm, 10 – 11: Scale 50 µm.

FIGURES 12 – 17. 12 – 14: Distal process of the labrum in frontal view, 12 – 13: females, 12, C. sabanaensis n. sp., 13, C. alexandrei n. sp.; 14, male, C. sabanaensis n. sp. 15 – 17: Pygidial plate, males, 15, C. sabanaensis n. sp.; 16 or 17, C. alexandrei n. sp. 12 – 14: Scale 100 µm; 15 – 17: Scale 300 µm.

FIGURES 18 – 19. Metasoma in ventral view, male: 18, C. sabanaensis n. sp.; 19, C. alexandrei n. sp. Scale 200 µm.

FIGURES 20 – 23. Genital capsule males. 20 – 21: C. sabanaensis n. sp., 20, dorsal view, 21, ventral view; 22 – 23: C. alexandrei n. sp., 22, dorsal view, 23, ventral view. Scale 200 µm. G— gonostylus, igp— Inner gonostylar plate, igpp— Inner gonostylar plate projections, opg— outer gonostilar plate, V— penis valves, P— penis, Dl— Dorsal lamina of the valve, Vo— volsella, Gc— gonocoxito, Ms— median sulcus and Gb— gonobase.