Ceratalictus Moure, 1943

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 : 2-3

Ceratalictus Moure, 1943

Ceratalictus Moure, 1943: 463 . Type species: Oxystoglossa theia Schrottky, 1910 (= Augochlora clonia Brèthes, 1909 ) by original designation.

Ceratalictus ; generic diagnosis, Eickwort (1969). Ceratalictus ; generic diagnosis, Engel (2000).

Ceratalictus was described by Moure (1943) in an identification key, in order to accommodate the male of Oxystoglossa theia. The following features were listed by Moure to separate this species from Pereirapis and Oxystoglossidia species (currently a junior synonym of Augochlorella ): clypeal apex without yellow band, rounded gena, and F2 equal to or shorter than F3. Subsequent descriptions detailing important morphological traits were provided by Eickwort (1969) and Engel (2000). Here, we follow the diagnosis for Ceratalictus (relative to other genera of the Augochlora group) and description provided by Engel (2000), except for some additions (in italics). According to previous phylogenetic analyses ( Eickwort 1969; Danforth & Eickwort 1997; Engel 2000), the genus is part of the Augochlora genus-group, for which females can be diagnosed by the combination of inner hind tibial spur serrate and preoccipital ridge carinate, males of this group are difficult to diagnose by external morphology.

Diagnosis. Ceratalictus can be distinguished from Augochlora , Augochlorella , and Pereirapis (the genera belonging to the Augochlora group) by the male and female epistomal sulcus forming an obtuse angle and body punctation relatively strong and coarse (as in Figs. 8 , 18, 24 ), in combination with the following female characters: inner hind tibial spur tooth widely separated, and without basal expansion (see Eickwort 1969: 464, fig. 215); basitibial plate in female with anterior border poorly defined; and the following male characters: pale apical band on clypeus absent; ventral surface of male hind tibia with long erect setae, its length varying from 2/3 to equal the tibial width; and conspicuous parapenial lobe ( Fig. 1 ).

Description. Total body length 5–9 mm. General color of body usually bright metallic green, sometimes with some bluish or reddish highlights. Body punctation strong and coarse. Female. Labral distal process narrowly triangular; basal elevation usually restricted to apical part. Preoccipital ridge carinate or lamellate. Lateral angle of pronotum obtuse or acute to strongly acute and projected. Inner hind tibial spur serrate, teeth widely separated, basal part not raised. Male. Apical margin of clypeus without pale apical band. Ven tr a l surface of hind tibia with a row of long erect setae, its length varying from two-thirds to equal to tibial width. Apical margin of S8 with or without median process. Point of fusion between S7 and S8 before apodeme apex. Parapenial lobe present, relatively long; ventral process of gonostylus formed by two lobes; inner lobe of ventral process not divided.

Comments. Some characters deserve attention for being distinctively variant in some species of Ceratalictus in comparison to others: labrum with basal elevation transverse and occupying the whole sclerite occurs only in Ceratalictus clonius ; the preoccipital ridge is strongly lamellate in C. stigon ; the lateral angle of pronotum is obtuse in C. camargoi , C. clonius and C. psoraspis ; only the male of Ceratalictus allostictus has setae on the ventral surface of the hind tibia longer than the diameter of tibia; and Ceratalictus argentinus , C. camargoi , and C. clonius have S8 without median process on the apical margin. Finally, the obsolete anterior border of the basitibial plate cited by Eickwort (1969) and Engel (2000) can be found in some species of Augochlorella and is not considered here as a characteristic of Ceratalictus .

Ten species of Ceratalictus are herein recognized; they can be identified using the key below. A phylogeny for the species of Ceratalictus will await for a more thorough elucidation of the relationships among genera of the Augochlora group. A phylogenetic study including several species of the group is currently being carried out by one of the authors (RBG), and the species recognized here form a monophyletic lineage.

Figures

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 1 – 2. Scanning electron micrograph of the male genitalia of Ceratalictus clonius (Brèthes): (1) ventral and (2) dorsal surfaces. Legend: bas – basal lobe of gonostylus (here a very small hair bearing structure), dpg—dorsal process of gonostylus, ivpg—inner lobe of ventral process of gonostylus, ovpg—outer lobe of ventral process of gonostylus, parparapenial lobe of gonostylus. Both at same scale.