Ceratalictus argentinus, Coelho, Beatriz W. T. & Gonçalves, Rodrigo B., 2010

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 : 6-7

Ceratalictus argentinus n. sp.

( Figs. 3, 4 , 8 , 18 , 26 , 33 , 39 )

Diagnosis. In both sexes: lateral angle of pronotum acute, not projected; metapostnotum with median carinae almost straight, not reaching the posterior surface of propodeum; body color with bluish reflections. Female: mesoscutal disc with coarse punctures separated by 1–2 puncture diameters, surface between punctures smooth ( Fig. 18 ); mesoscutellum not micro-reticulate; metasomal terga with bright appearance. Male: metapostnotum posterior margin semicircular; T1–T3 with metallic reflections, posterior marginal area with apical black stripe; S4 homogeneously hairy.

Description. Female. Head. Rounded, wider than long. Labrum. Basal elevation very short and restricted to apical part. Clypeus. Punctures coarse, separated by 1–2 puncture diameters in central area, becoming denser laterally; one-third distal with punctures not elongate; surface without micro-reticulation, bright. Supraclypeal area. Punctures of variable size, micro-reticulation almost absent in central portion; surface bright. Lower parocular area. Punctures coarse, not oblique and almost contiguous, surface micro-reticulate. Upper parocular area and frons. Contiguous punctures. Preoccipital ridge carinate, not lamellate. Mesosoma.

Pronotum. Lateral angle acute. Mesoscutum. Punctures separated by 1–2 puncture diameters in central area, becoming contiguous toward the parapsidal lines, disc surface weakly micro-reticulate. Mesoscutellum. Contiguous punctures, finer than those of mesoscutum, and coarser punctures scattered on middle portion, becoming contiguous on posterior portion, surface weakly rugulose, not micro-reticulated. Metapostnotum. About 1.5x length of metanotum, weakly concave with apex not acuminate, posterior margin rounded with lateral margins straight, median carinae weakly sinuous, separated by 1 carina width and reaching edge posteriorly. Lateral surface of propodeum. Contiguous punctures, surface weakly rugulose on posterior part, without scattered large punctures, micro-reticulation not evident. Posterior surface of propodeum. Surface rugulose on lower part, without large punctures, surface not bright. Metasoma. T1. Punctures distributed over the whole disc, separated by more than 2 puncture diameters, becoming sparser in middle part; surface weakly lineolate on central area but bright appearance. T2. Punctures separated by 1 puncture diameter, becoming sparser in apical margin (3 puncture diameters); surface lineolate. Body color. Apical one-third of clypeus black; head and mesosoma green; legs dark brown, coxae, fore trochanters and femora with green highlights; metasoma green with few cupreous reflections, one-third of posterior marginal areas of terga black; body setae white, except for some yellow setae on mesosoma and light brown setae on T4–T5. Measurements: Abl: 5–6; mwl: 4.2–4.7; mhw: 1.8–1.7; mhl: 1.6–1.4; mmw: 1.3–1.1.

Male. Same as the female except for the following features. Head. Clypeus. Punctures with uniform size and distribution, separated by at least 1 puncture diameter, surface weakly micro-reticulate and bright. Lower parocular area. Punctures separated by less than 1 puncture diameter, surface smooth and bright, with some long plumose setae. Frons and upper parocular area. Punctures contiguous; punctures coarse between the antennal alveolus with long plumose setae. Antennae. Flagellomeres almost straight. Mesosoma. Mesoscutum. Disc punctures almost contiguous, surface bright, anterior part of median line weakly depressed. Mesoscutellum. Punctures separated by less than 1 puncture diameter, surface smooth and bright. Hind tibia. Ventral surface with row of setae about as long as width of tibia. Metapostnotum. Slightly concave with apex not acuminate and posterior margin rounded, metapostnotal median carinae sinuous, incomplete and separated by 1 carina width. Lateral surface of propodeum. Contiguous punctures, finer than those of mesepisternum, surface finely rugulose in posterior corner, surface without micro-reticulations. Posterior surface of propodeum. Punctures of variable size, upper punctures similar to lateral, surface with rugulose appearance on lower part, erect setae branched. Metasoma. T1. Disc punctures separated by 2 puncture diameters, becoming more sparsely punctured in apical part; surface lineolate. T2. Disc punctures separated by 1–2 puncture diameters, punctures becoming more fine and sparse on posterior part; surface lineolate. S4. Homogeneously hairy. S5. Homogeneously hairy, without transverse thickening in central area. S7. Apical margin rounded. S8. Apical margin without projection. Genitalia. Inner lobe of ventral process of gonostylus elongate and apically directed, with abundant long setae on inner surface; dorsal lobe long, not strongly expanded; parapenial lobe present, without setae; gonapophysis not strongly expanded laterally. Body color. Clypeus without black stripe; coxae, trochanters and femora with metallic green highlights, tibiae and tarsi yellow; disc of T2–T5 dull green with few cupreous reflections; posterior marginal areas of metasomal terga nearly entirely black; body setae white with some yellow reflection, some darkened setae on terminal metasomal terga. Measurements: Abl: 6; mwl: 4.6–4.0; mhw: 1.7–1.6; mhl: 1.5–1.3; mmw: 1.2–1.0.

Type material. Holotype male ( DZUP), " San Pedro de Colalao\ Trancas – Tucuman\ Arg XII-1949 \ J Foester". Paratypes. One female ( DZUP), seven females and 18 males ( SEMC) with same data.

Additonal examined material. ARGENTINA, Catamarca: two females ( IMLA), "RA. Catamarca\ Rodeo\ 1500m. 8.28. I.59 \ Coll: R. Golbach"; one male ( IMLA), "RA. Catamarca\ El Rodeo\ 20-28.I. 959\ Coll: R. Golbach"; one female ( IMLA), " ARGENTINA \ CATAMARCA\ El Rodeo\ 16.IV.1972 \ C. Forter". La Rioja: one female ( IMLA), "R.A. LA RIOJA \ Queb. La Sébila\ 9-II-68 \ Coll. A. Willink". Salta: two females ( DZUP), " SALTA \ Argentina 7.I.1994 \ leg. C. Schlindwein". Tucuman: one female and two males ( SEMC), " San Pedro de Colalao\ Trancas – Tucuman\ Arg II-1958 \ J Foester"; one female and two males ( SEMC), "S.P. Colalao ARG\ Prov. Tucuman\ I-1958 FHWals"; five females and five males ( SEMC), " San Pedro \ de Colalao\ Dto. Trancas – Tucuman\ Arg II-1951 "; nine females and one male ( SEMC), " ARGENTINA \ Tucumán\ (M. Arnau)"; one female ( DZUP), "TUCUMAN\ II-1948 \ Argentina J. Foester"; one female and two males ( MACN), " ARGENTINA \ TRANCAS\ TUCUMAN"; one female ( MACN), "S. Pedro Colalao\ II.58 Pe. Arnau"" ARGENTINA \ TUCUMAN"; one male ( IMLA), " ARGENTINA \ TUCUMAN – Dpto\ Trancas – Tacanas\ 16.XII.1976 \ Col. L. Stange".

Figures

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.

FIGURES 7 – 12. Faces of Ceratalictus species (females): (7) C. allostictus Moure; (8) C. argentinus sp. n.; (9) C. camargoi sp. n.; (10) C. clonius (Brèthes); (11) C. culminis sp. n.; (12) C. ischnotes (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.