Augochlora (Oxystoglossella) thalia Smith, 1879

Lepeco, Anderson & Gonçalves, Rodrigo Barbosa, 2023, A review of Augochlora (Oxystoglossella) bees from South America: unexpected Amazonian diversity and assessment of vulnerable species, Journal of Natural History (Oxford, England) 57 (9 - 12), pp. 608-664 : 652-654

Augochlora (Oxystoglossella) thalia Smith, 1879

( Figure 14A )

Augochlora thalia Smith, 1879 . Lectotype female (BMNH) from Brazil, Amazonas, São Paulo de Olivença, is presently designated to stabilise the taxonomy of the species. Examined through photographs.

Halictus ardens Vachal, 1911 . Holotype female (MNHP) from Peru, ′ Callanga ̍. Examined through photographs. New synonym.

Diagnosis

Females of this species have the basal elevation of labrum orbicular and both sexes the portion of mesepisternum anterior to mesepisternal groove mostly covered with coarse rugae and gena and post-gena striate ( A. morrae subgroup). Augochlora thalia have the mesoscutum disc with punctures of two diameters and is more similar to Augochlora erubescens , from which it can be separated by the anterior portion of mesoscutum rugulose and the preoccipital carina produced, and to Augochlora antonita , from which it can be separated by head and mesosoma with abundant long yellowish setae. Males and most female specimens have strong copper-red reflections on the head, on the dorsal portion of mesosoma and on metasomal terga.

Comments

The holotype of Augochlora thalia does not have strong copper red reflections on mesoscutum like other examined specimens, but the remaining diagnostic features are present. We infer that the colour of the holotype results from variation or preservation artefacts. The type locality of Halictus ardens , ′Callanga̍, refers to an ancient outpost at the foothills of the Andean mountains on the region of Cusco, as noted by previous authors ( Engel and Rasmussen 2013; Melo 2016). The locality was mistakenly interpreted as related to Lima by Moure (2012).

Description

Female. Measurements. Distance between eye notches: 1.7; head length: 1.9; clypeus width: 0.5; clypeus length: 0.4; clypeoantennal distance: 0.2; clypeus ocellar distance: 1; intertegular distance: 1.4; T1 width: 1.9; T2 width: 2.1; body length: 8.0. Head. Labrum basal surface light brown; basal elevation well defined, orbicular. Mandible mostly light brown, base and apex dark brown; distance between base and apical tooth about 3× mandibular basal width. Clypeus disc mostly copper, apical dark band as long as 1.5 OD; with shallow punctures, contiguously punctate; lateral teeth prominent. Supraclypeal area copper; upper portion densely punctate, becoming sparser (I <0.5 PD) near epistomal suture. Lower paraocular area mostly golden with copper reflection; with crowded punctures near antennal socket; sparse setae with about 2 OD, shorter decumbent setae in between. Frons copper with green and golden reflections; crowded punctures medially. Preoccipital carina as thick as 0.5 OD laterally. Gena copper with green and golden reflections. Post-gena strongly striate, becoming microreticulate near hypostomal carina; with sparse setae <3 OD. Hypostomal carina very low, <0.3 OD, anteriorly with a slight rounded prominence. Mesosoma. Dorsolateral angle of pronotum obtuse in dorsal view. Fore leg coxa, trochanter and femur black, with weak green reflections on coxa and femur, tibia and tarsus light brown. Mesoscutum disc entirely copper, edges green with golden reflections; anterior portion rugulose, becoming contiguously punctate posteriorly, with sparse larger punctures among tiny ones. Scutellum copper with golden reflection; entirely densely punctate, I <PD. Mesepisternum green with golden and copper reflections; rugose anterior to mesepisternal groove, the remainder of lateral surface with I <0.5 PD, smooth among punctures, with weakly defined punctures at mid height right after mesepisternal groove. Mid leg coxa to femur black, tibia and tarsus light brown. Metanotum copper with golden reflection. Metepisternum golden with copper reflection; contiguously punctate. Hind leg coxa green, trochanter and femur black, tibia and tarsus brown. Metapostnotum almost as long as scutellum; entirely carinate-rugose. Propodeum green with golden reflection; contiguously punctate near metepisternum; posterior surface less than 1.5× higher than wide between lateral carinae. Metasoma. T1 mostly copper-red, with golden reflections laterally, apical dark band with 0.5 OD; entirely punctate, I <2 PD; anterior surface with dense tomentose setae among long setae. T2–4 mostly copper-red with golden reflections laterally; with weak and dense punctation. T5 dark brown. S1 without median elevation. S1–6 black, becoming lighter apically; S4 and S5 with long setae (> 3 OD) on posterior half.

Description

Male. Measurements. Distance between eye notches: 1.4; head length: 1.7; clypeus width: 0.4; clypeus length: 0.4; clypeoantennal distance: 0.3; clypeus ocellar distance: 1; intertegular distance: 1.1; T1 width: 1.5; T2 width: 1.6; body length: 8. Head. Labrum basal surface yellowish. Mandible yellow, apex brownish. Clypeus disc mostly copper with golden reflection, apex creamy-white; about as long as wide; with shallow punctures (I <0.5 PD). Supraclypeal area copper; densely punctate, I <0.5 PD. Lower paraocular area copper with golden reflection; contiguously punctate near antennal socket; sparse setae with about 2.0 OD, shorter decumbent setae in between. Frons green with golden reflection; frontal line becoming faintly indicated near eye notch level. Flagellum not crenullate; F1 subequal to F 2 in length. Preoccipital carina as thick as OD laterally. Gena green with golden reflection. Post-gena mostly contiguously punctate, with weak striations, becoming microreticulate near hypostomal carina; with relatively dense setae <3 OD. Hypostomal carina very low, <0.3 OD. Mesosoma. Dorsolateral angle of pronotum obtuse in dorsal view. Fore leg coxa green, trochanter black, femur light brown with strong green reflection, tibia light brown, tarsus yellow. Mesoscutum copper with green and golden reflections; anterior portion contiguously punctate to rugulose, becoming sparser (I <0.5 PD) posterior to median line, disc smooth among punctures. Scutellum copper with green and golden reflections; sublateral surfaces with I <PD, smooth among punctures. Mesepisternum green with golden reflection; rugose anterior to mesepisternal groove, the remainder of lateral surface with I <0.5 PD, smooth among punctures, with crowded punctures at mid height right after mesepisternal groove. Mid leg coxa and trochanter black, femur and tibia light brown, tarsus yellow. Metanotum copper with golden and green reflections. Metepisternum golden with copper reflection; contiguously punctate. Hind leg coxa and trochanter green, femur and tibia light brown, tarsus yellowish, basitarsus about 6.5× longer than wide, not narrowed apically. Metapostnotum golden with copper reflection; as long as scutellum; entirely carinate-rugose. Propodeum green with golden reflection; lateral surfaces imbricate among punctures; posterior surface less than 1.5× higher than wide between lateral carinae. Metasoma. T1 mostly green with golden and copper-red reflections, apical dark band with 0.5 OD; densely punctate on disc, I <PD, sparser on lateral surfaces; apex not inflexed. T2–6 mostly green with golden and copper-red reflections; with weak and dense punctation. T7 light brown. S1 dark brown with green reflection. S2–6 black, becoming lighter apically. S4 without distinct tuft of thick setae on medioapical margin. S5 median surface not depressed; without glabrous patch medially.

Distribution

Brazil (Amazonas), Peru (Huánuco, Loreto, Ucayali).

Examined material

Supplemental material.

Figures

Figure 14. Map of distribution records for Oxystoglossella of the A. morrae and A. iphigenia species groups: (A) A. antonita, A. morrae, A. obidensis sp. nov. and A. thalia; (B) A. brevipilosa sp. nov., A. cymatoides, A. erubescens and A. laevinota sp. nov.; (C) A. iphigenia, A. matucanensis and A. phoenicis.