Ceratalictus stigon ( Vachal, 1911 )

Coelho, Beatriz W. T. & Gonçalves, Rodrigo B., 2010, A taxonomic revision of the augochlorine bee genus Ceratalictus Moure (Hymenoptera, Apoidea), Zootaxa 2675, pp. 1-25 : 19-24

Ceratalictus stigon ( Vachal, 1911)

( Figs. 16 , 24 , 31 , 38 , 41 )

Diagnosis. In both sexes: very wide head with coarse punctures; preoccipital ridge lamellate ( Fig. 24 ); pronotal angle acute and projected; lateral areas of mesoscutum with punctures almost contiguous, becoming gradually sparsely punctured centrally, and surface between punctures micro-reticulate ( Fig. 24 ). Male: S4 with a central patch of hair as C. psoraspis ( Fig. 5 ).

Description. Female. Head. Rounded, wider than longer. Labrum. Basal elevation very short and restricted to apical portion. Clypeus. Punctures with irregular size and distribution, smaller and closer at margins of clypeus than centrally; one-third distal with punctures slightly elongate, surface between punctures smooth and bright. Supraclypeal area. Punctures of variable size, separated by 1–2 puncture diameters, surface weakly micro-reticulate with bright appearance. Lower parocular area. Closely punctate, area between punctures smooth. Upper parocular area and frons. Contiguous punctures, finer on frons than those of parocular, surface roughened near antennal alveolus. Mesoscutum. Irregularly punctate in central area, leaving small impunctate areas, closely punctuate laterally, surface of disc weakly micro-reticulate. Metapostnotum. Almost triangular in outline, longer than metanotum, weakly concave with apex not acuminate; carinae radiating and extending to lateral surface of propodeum, straight laterally with some sinuous medially. Lateral surface of propodeum. Punctures coarse and contiguous on anterior part, becoming finely punctured with scattered larger punctures intermixed on posterior part; striae fine and short, horizontal on anterior part with some vertical on posterior part; micro-reticulation not evident. Posterior surface of propodeum. Striae strong and horizontal on upper part, punctures almost obscured by the rugosity of integument on lower part. Metasoma. T1. Disc punctures fine and sparsely distributed, surface between punctures smooth and bright. T2. Disc punctures fine, separated by 2-3 puncture diameters, surface bright. Body color. Apical one-third of clypeus black; body metallic green; legs usually dark, sometimes light brown with dark spot on outer margin of basitarsus and tarsi usually light brown; coxae and fore trochanter and femur sometimes with metallic highlights; disc of T1–T2 usually with small darkened spot, posterior marginal areas of terga with black stripe occupying one-half apical; body setae white, except for face and mesosoma setae yellow on dorsal part; tibia and tarsi setae yellow; T5 setae light brown. (16) Measurements. Abl: 5–6; mwl: 3.9–4.4; mhw: 1.7–1.9; mhl: 1.4–1.5; mmw: 1.1–1.2.

Male. Same as the female except for the following features. Head. Lower parocular area. Punctures separated by 1or less puncture diameter, surface covered by plumose setae. Upper parocular area and frons. Surface slightly rugulose on frons; densely pubescence near to antennal alveolus, setae short, erect and plumose. Antennae. Flagellomeres almost straight. Mesosoma. Mesoscutum. Disc punctures separated by about 1 puncture diameter, becoming closely punctured laterally, surface of mesoscutal disc bright; anterior part of median line weakly depressed. Mesoscutellum. Punctures of variable size, separated by 1-3 puncture diameters, leaving small impunctate areas, surface smooth and bright. Hind tibia. Ventral surface with row of setae approximately as long as width of tibia. Metapostnotum. Slightly concave with apex not acuminate, posterior margin rounded, metapostnotal median carinae slightly sinuous, incomplete. Lateral surface of propodeum. Densely punctate, punctures finer than those of mesepisternum, surface weakly roughened with some vertical striae on posterior part, without micro-reticulation. Posterior surface of propodeum. Similar to lateral surface, several erect setae branched centrally. Metasoma. T1. Punctures separated by 2-3 puncture diameters in central part, becoming very sparsely punctured in apical part; surface not lineolate, but not bright. T2. Punctures separated by 2 puncture diameters in central part, becoming more finely and sparsely punctured in apical part, surface slightly lineolate. S4. Patches of setae in median and apical regions. S5. Not entirely setose with transverse thickening centrally. S7. Apical margin rounded. S8. Apical margin with projection. Genitalia. Inner lobe of ventral process of gonostylus globe-shaped, with some long setae on inner surface and short setae basally; dorsal lobe absent; parapenial lobe long, without setae; gonapophysis not strongly expanded laterally. Body color. Clypeus without black stripe; fore coxa and hind coxa, trochanter and femur with metallic green highlights, remaining leg light brown; disc of T1–T2 light brown with metallic highlights, posterior marginal areas of terga light brown; body setae white with some yellow reflection, tarsi light yellow, with some darkened setae on terminal. Measurements. Abl: 5; mwl: 4.1; mhw: 1.6; mhl: 1.4; mmw: 1.1.

Comments. The leg coloration is variable in Ceratalictus stigon ; from entirely black, or dark or light brown, to almost amber. In lighter specimens, a dark spot is evident on the outer surface of the basitarsus. Also, the green highlights on legs are variable, not evident when the specimen is particularly dark.

Type material. Lectotype female ( MHNP): “Museum Paris/ EY 0000001778” “ Type ” “ Bolivia / Mapiri” “ stigon / [f] Vach” “Museum Paris/ Coll. J. Vachal 1911 ” “ Halictus / stigon / Vach.”. Specimen in very good condition except by lack the tarsi of rigth hind leg and for some dirtiness.

Additional examined material. BOLIVIA, La Paz: one female ( DZUP), “DPTo ZOOL \ UF – Paraná” “COROICO – YUNGAS DE \ LA PAZ – BOLIVIA - \ XII/55 – Luiz E. Peña”. BRAZIL, Acre: one female ( RPSP), “ Brasil – Acre\ RBr – UFAC /PZ\ Data 24/01/1995 ”. Goiás: one female ( MZSP), “Faz. Cachoeirinha\ Jataí, Goiás, Brasil \ X.1962 \ Exp. Dep. Zool”. Mato Grosso: one male ( AMNH), “ BRAZIL, Mato Grosso:\ 12°31`N; 55°37`W \ Sinop, Oct. 1975 \ M. Alvarenga". Minas Gerais: one female ( DZUP), "239583""Paraopeba, MG, Brasil \ Data 03/03/1986 \ F. A. Silveira"; one female ( DZUP), " Brasil, Minas Gerais,\ 18km W de Capitólio,\ Rio Turvo, 800m,\ 20°38`S \ 46°13`W,\ 15.v.1999, GAR Melo"; one female ( RPSP), "Conceição das Alagoas\ MG. SE. 22, 48 -20c"" BRASIL 30-III-1973 \ Camargo leg."; one female ( DZMG), "Abelhas – Cerrado\ Mannesmann\ Fazenda Sta. Cruz\ 2723-8086""Felixlândia MG\ BRASIL 08/ 12/1998 \ A. A. Azevedo". Rondonia: four females ( RPSP), " Brasil – RO\ Guajará Mirim\ Pacaás Novos""Data 20/V/1995 \ M. L. Oliveira". São Paulo: one female ( DZUP), " Brasil, São Paulo,\ Ribeirão Preto,\ Campus da USP,\ 26.III.1999, Melo"; one female ( RPSP), "RIBEIRÃO PRETO \ SP, SF-23, 48- 21d"" BRASIL III.1972 \ P. S. Morais leg."; one female ( RPSP), "Cerrado – Est. Ecol. Jataí – SP.\ BR 03XI1992, no. 2391\ h: 10-12, Mateus, S. Leg."; one female ( RPSP), "Cerrado – Est. Ecol. Jataí – SP.\ BR 25VII 993, no. 3694\ h: 12-14, Mateus, S. Leg.:"; one female ( DZUP), "Cerrado – Est. Ecol. Jataí – SP.\ BR 22XI1992, no. 2601\ h: 10-12, Mateus, S. Leg."; one female ( RPSP), "Jataí, SP".

Figures

FIGURES 13 – 16. Faces of Ceratalictus species (females): (13) C. nitidus sp. n.; (14) C. orthocarinatus sp. n.; (15) C. psoraspis (Vachal); (16) C. stigon (Vachal). Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 17 – 24. Mesoscutum of Ceratalictus species (females): (17) C. allostictus Moure; (18) C. argentinus sp. n. (arrow indicates the acute pronotal angle); (19) C. clonius (Brèthes) (arrow indicates the obtuse pronotal angle); (20) C. ischnotes (Vachal) (arrow indicates the acute pronotal angle, project to the head); (21) C. nitidus sp. n.; (22) C. orthocarinatus sp. n.; (23) C. psoraspis (Vachal); (24) C. stigon (Vachal). Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 25 – 31. Faces of Ceratalictus species (males): (25) C allostictus Moure; (26) 2 C. argentinus sp. n.; (27) C. camargoi sp. n.; (28) C. clonius (Brèthes); (29) C. culminis sp. n., 30) C. psoraspis (Vachal), 31) C. sti; gon (Vachal). Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURES 32 – 38. Male genitalia of Ceratalictus species, ventral view: (32) C. allostictus Moure, inner lobe of ventral process of gonostylus omitted; (33) C. argentinus sp. n.; (34) C. culminis sp. n., inner lobe of ventral process of gonostylus omitted; (35) C. camargoi sp. n.; (36) C. clonius (Brèthes); (37) C. psoraspis (Vachal); (38) C. stigon (Vachal). Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 39 – 41. Distribution of the species of Ceratalictus with points representing individual localities.

FIGURES 3 – 6. Male metasomal sterna 4 and 5: (3) C. argentinus n. sp.: S 4; (4) C. argentinus n. sp.: S 5; (5) C. psoraspis (Vachal): S 4; (6) C. psoraspis: S 5. Scale bar = 0.5 mm. Legend: cp—central patch of setae; tt = transverse thickening.