Lasioglossum (Sphecodogastra) dioscoridis Pauly & Straka, 2017

Straka, Jakub, Batelka, Jan & Pauly, Alain, 2017, Bees of the Socotra Archipelago (Hymenoptera: Anthophila), their biogeography and association with parasites, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (Acta. Ent. Mus. Natl. Pragae) 57, pp. 183-219 : 200-202

Lasioglossum (Sphecodogastra) dioscoridis Pauly & Straka sp. nov.

( Figs 60–68 ) Material examined. HOLOTYPE: ♀, ‘ SOCOTRA Is. (YE) wadi Ayhaft / 12°36.5’N, 53°58.9’E, 200 m / Jan Batelka leg. 7-8.xi.2010 ’ (NMPC). PARATYPES: Socotra: Firmihin, 400–500 m, 12°28′27.1″N 54°00′54.0″E, 2 ♀♀, 6–7. ii.2010, yellow pan traps, L. Purchart & J. Vybíral lgt. (NMPC).

Description. Female. Species of medium size: total body length 7.0– 7.5 mm, forewing length 5.5 mm, intertegular distance 1.5 mm. Black body, apical margin of terga slightly discolored, basolateral part of terga II–IV with white patch of tomentum, but reduced on tergum IV ( Figs 60, 61 ).

Head wider than long (length / width = 0.90) ( Fig. 62 ). Measurements (mm): length of clypeus 0.40; clypeus apical width 0.53; lower interocular distance 1.20; upper interocular distance 1.28; clypeo-antennal distance 0.40; length of eye 1.38; interantennal distance 0.15; interocellar distance 0.40; ocellocular distance 0.33; antennocellar distance 0.68; antennocular distance 0.43. Mandibles dark brown, apically brown reddish. Labrum black. Clypeus narrow and fairly prominent, shiny, smooth with spaced punctation, punctures ill-defined, one and half to half diameter apart basolaterally and more than three diameters apart in other areas. Supraclypeal area shiny smooth, distinctly convex, punctures variable in size, rather ill-defined, but deep, one and half to half diameter apart. Frons slightly convex, densely punctate, punctures well defined, some interspaces distinct, dull, median ridge developed in ventral half and continues as slightly shiny line up to median ocellus. Paraocular area superficially imbricately punctate, punctures ill-defined. Ocelli of medium size. Vertex narrow ( Fig. 63 ). Gena finely longitudinally ridged, sparsely microsculptured among ridges and ventrally. Scape black, flagellum black dorsally, pale ochraceous ventrally.

Mesosoma . Pronotum short, with tomentum along its dorsal area and pronotal tubercles. Scutum with dense punctation, punctures well defined, less than half diameter apart laterally, but about one diameter apart in central area, interspaces between punctures shiny ( Fig. 64 ). Scutellum slightly convex, flattened medially, punctated similarly to scutum, but with two sparsely punctated areas in centre, punctures up to two diameters apart. Metanotum with dense white tomentum. Pleura and hypoepimeral area dull, coriaceous. Propodeum carinate on all its posterior face but not on lateral parts. Dorsal propodeal area finely irregularly rugose to plicate, interspaces between ridges slightly shiny ( Fig. 65 ).

Legs dark to light brown, apical third of metatarsus darker than base. Scopa of hind legs light yellowish. Inner metatibial spur with short lobed teeth ( Fig. 66 ).

Wings. Short, not exceeding apex of metasoma. Membranes hyaline. Veins, stigma and tegulae testaceous.

Metasoma. Tergum I smooth in middle and sloping base, punctation rich, punctures very fine, one to four diameters apart, interspaces shiny, apical margin slightly depressed, finely punctate as main part of tergum and very finely striate, lateral swelling nearly impunctate, isolated punctures larger than any other puncture on tergum I ( Fig. 67 ). Terga II and III similarly sculptured to tergum I, but punctures are ill-defined and interspaces among punctures are finely microsculptured, terga appears slightly shiny to dull, sparsely punctate lateral swellings are also developed, apical margins slightly impressed. Terga IV and V are sparsely punctate, punctures ill-defined and larger than on preceding terga, interspaces microsculptured, dull. Apical margin of terga I–IV narrowly discoloured. Terga II–IV with basolateral patch of tomentum, patch on tergum IV is reduced ( Fig. 68 ). Terga V–VI with dense light yellowish setae. Sterna entirely light brown, with white setae.

Male unknown.

Differential diagnosis. This species belongs to the Holarctic subgenus Sphecodogastra Ashmead, 1899 based on the weakened distal wing venation, the second submarginal crossvein narrower than the first, the posterior surface of propodeum margined at side by vertical carina that extends upwards, and the discolored apical margin of the terga. It resembles Lasioglossum mediterraneum (Blüthgen, 1926) , but differs in narrower and more prominent clypeus ( Fig. 62 ). It also resembles L. epipygiale (Blüthgen, 1924) but differs in the fine punctuation on tergum I ( Fig. 67 ).

Etymology. The species is named after the ‘Dioscoridis Insula’, the name of the island of Socotra in the ‘Periplus of the Erythrean Sea’, a first-century AD Greek navigation aid; noun in apposition

Remarks. The species resembles the Palaearctic species more than the Afrotropical ones, thus we suspect its Palaearctic origin.

Distribution. Endemic to Socotra.

Figures

Figs 60–68.Lasioglossum dioscoridis Pauly & Straka sp.nov., female. 60 – dorsal view; 61 – lateral view; 62 – head, frontal view; 63 – vertex; 64 – scutum and scutellum; 65 – propodeum; 66 – inner metatibial spur; 67 – tergum I; 68 – metasoma, dorsal view.