Leioproctus (Protomorpha) nix Batley, 2013

Batley, Michael & Popic, Tony, 2013, Five New Species of Leioproctus (Protomorpha) Rayment (Hymenoptera: Colletidae), Records of the Australian Museum (Rec. Aust. Mus.) 65 (2), pp. 39-50 : 45-46

Leioproctus (Protomorpha) nix Batley n.sp.

Type specimens. HOLOTYPE ♂ Field River, Queensland (23.808°S 138.058°E), 19 Nov 2010, T. Popic , ex pan trap, in AM ( K362330 ).

PARATYPES (23, all deposited in AM): Queensland: ♀ Field River (23.804°S 138.055°E), 24 Jun 2010, T. Popic (K362353); ♂, 6♀♀ Ethabuka Station (23.745°S 138.470°E), 12–14 Nov 2010, T. Popic, pan trap and ex Trachymene glaucifolia (K362331–7); ♀ Field River (23.808°S 138.058°E), 17 Nov 2010, T. Popic, ex Dicrastylis costelloi (K362338); ♀ Field River (23.808°S 138.058°E), 19 Nov 2010, T. Popic, ex Brunonia australis (K362339); 13♀♀ Kunnamuka Swamp (23.361°S 138.264°E), 22–24 Nov 2010, T. Popic, ex Brunonia australis , Dicrastylis costelloi , Trachymene glaucifolia & Trianthema pilosa (K362340–52).

Diagnosis

Female with hair on clypeus and frons simple, pygidial plate striolate, fovea ca as wide as base of scape, but obscured by pubescence. Male hind femur with broad ventral projection of anterior face, inner hind tibial spur flattened and strongly recurved, outer spur short, 0.3× as long as inner ( Fig. 3), lower gena concave.

Descriptions

Male— Head width 2 mm, body length 6.9 mm. Relative measurements: HW 50, HL 48, UID 33, UFW 33, LID 24, HVO 4, WOC 19, OOD 8, IAD 8, AOD 7, SL 15, SW 4, FL 41.— Inner orbits convergent ventrally; clypeus transversely convex; interantennal area raised; labrum strongly carinate, basal part convex with medial depression, apical part concave; lower gena concave; flagellum 0.8× times as long as head width; metanotum with distinct tubercle; propodeal triangle subhorizontal basally, vertical apically with a sharp change of slope but no carina. Hind femur swollen ventrally on anterior face ( Fig. 17); hind tibia moderately broadened, maximum width 0.27× length, with 8 stiff, curved setae and two spurs, inner flattened and strongly recurved, outer only 0.3× as long as inner; hind basitarsus shallowly concave with short apical extension of anterior margin ( Fig. 16), width 0.43× length. Metasomal T2,3 with postgradular area depressed; S6 with strong medial ridge; S7,8 and genitalia as in Figs. 33–35 .— Integument black except flagellum mostly orange-brown, labrum and mandibles orange-brown, metasomal terga with posterior margins translucent brown, sterna dark brown, tarsi dull orange-brown.— Clypeus densely punctate; supraclypeal area polished and impunctate on upper half; frons densely punctate, fovea obscured by pubescence; scutum and scutellum polished, closely punctate; metanotum with fine contiguous punctures; propodeal triangle coarsely rugose basally, propodeum laterally with contiguous punctures; metasomal terga closely punctate except for wide impunctate apical margins.— Face below mid frons densely covered with adpressed, silver-white pubescence; vertex with open, long, erect, plumose, white hair; gena with open, white, plumose hair; scutum and scutellum openly covered with long, white, finely plumose hair; metasomal T1 with open, long, white hair on basal half, T2–6 basally with broad bands close white hair; S3,4 with long, even fringes; S6 with relatively weak apical tuft.

Female— Head width 2.4 mm, body length 7.3 mm. Relative measurements: HW 50, HL 47, UID 33, UFW 34, LID 27, HVO 3, WOC 18, OOD 8, IAD 8, AOD 9, SL 16, SW 3, FL 27.— Inner orbits convergent ventrally; clypeus weakly convex; labrum strongly carinate, basally convex with oval medial depression, apically concave; flagellum ca ½ as long as head width; mandible narrow, with rounded outer ridge and subapical tooth; propodeum as for male. Hind basitibial plate strongly carinate; inner hind tibial spur gently curved with 9 strong, well-spaced teeth; pygidial plate with irregular striae.— Integument black except flagellum dorsally dark brown with 4 apical flagellomeres orange-brown, ventrally orange-brown, labrum and mandibles orange-brown, metasomal T1,2 brown on apical half, all terga with posterior margins translucent brown.— Clypeus and frons densely punctate with polished interspaces; fovea impressed, about as wide as base of scape, upper end curving towards lateral ocellus; scutum and scutellum polished, closely punctate; metanotum with fine contiguous punctures; propodeal triangle rugose basally; propodeum laterally polished with close, even punctures; metasomal terga closely punctate except in apical marginal areas; sterna with punctures sparse basally becoming dense apically, pygidial plate striolate.— Face with dense white, pubescence in paraocular areas extending almost to top of eye and across lower ¼ of frons ( Fig. 10); frons and clypeus with open to sparse simple hair; scutum and scutellum closely covered with short, densely-branched, white hair becoming dense around margins; metasomal T1–4 with dense white apical hair bands, interrupted medially on T1,2; T2,3 with close, white, basal hair bands; prepygidial fimbria pale brown.

Remarks. The sexes were associated by the shape of the clypeus and coincident collection.

Etymology. The specific name is a Latin noun in apposition meaning snow, referring to the colour of the facial hair of the female.

Pollen examination

Pollen was removed from the scopae of four female specimens: two L. latifrons collected from Scaevola parvibarbata Carolin , one L. gibber collected from Scaevola depauperata R.Br. and one L. gurneyi collected from Lechenaultia divaricata F. Muell .. Bees collected from Scaevola species carried tricolporate pollen indistinguishable by light microscopy from pollen taken from the flowers. The L. gurneyi specimen was carrying pollen tetrads indistinguishable from that taken from flowers and that illustrated in the Australasian Pollen and Spore Atlas ( APSA 2013).

Figures

Figures 21–35. Male hidden sterna and genital capsule. Leioproctus crispus n.sp.: (21) S7, ventral view on left; (22) S8, ventral view on left; (23) genital capsule, ventral view. L. gibber n.sp.: (24) S7, ventral view; (25) S8, ventral view; (26) genital capsule, ventral view. L. gurneyi n.sp.: (27) S7, ventral view; (28) S8, ventral view; (29) genital capsule, ventral view. L. latifrons n.sp.: (30) S7, ventral view; (31) S8, ventral view; (32) genital capsule, ventral view. L. nix n.sp.: (33) S7, ventral view; (34) S8, ventral view; (35) genital capsule, ventral view.