Euglossa (Euglossa) sovietica Nemésio, 2007

Nemésio, André, 2007, Three new species of Euglossa Latreille (Hymenoptera: Apidae) from Brazil, Zootaxa 1547, pp. 21-31 : 27-30

Euglossa (Euglossa) sovietica Nemésio sp. n.

Diagnosis (male characters). This species can be readily distinguished from other Euglossa species by the following character combination: clypeus and top of head blue, mesosoma green, metasoma deep red, metatibia deep red with short and broad glandular scar, anterior tufts of the mesotibia with two distinct lobes, approximately of same size, lower lobe with longer and paler hairs. It is very similar to E. igniventris and E. pleosticta in morphology. It can be easily distinguished from these latter species by the overall shape of metatibia and, especially, by the shorter and broader glandular scar of the metatibia. Moreover, metasoma of Euglossa sovietica sp. n. is red ( Figure 3A ), whereas in E. pleosticta it is entirely green ( Figure 3 B). Euglossa igniventris only occurs in Central America and northern South America, whereas E. sovietica sp. n. is recorded from Amazon and E. pleosticta is known from Amazon to southern Brazil. Both species present blue clypeus, but in E. sovietica sp. n. the top of the head is also dark blue ( Figure 3 C), whereas in E. pleosticta it is green ( Figure 3 D). Moreover, the ivory paraocular markings of the males are more developed (longer and broader, almost touching the malar area) in E. pleosticta than in Euglossa sovietica sp. n.

Male

Color and vestiture. Clypeus and top of head dark blue, rest of head green ( Figure 1 C); mesosoma green; first tenth of T1 green, the other 9/10 of T1 golden, coppery-red, T2-T4 dark red ( Figure 1A ), T5-T7 copperyred, metatibia golden, coppery-red ( Figure 1 G). Wings pale brown. Pubescence very sparse, black and fulvous hairs evenly distributed on mesosoma, on metasoma, antennal sockets, and scape. Ivory paraocular markings well developed, almost reaching malar area; forward side of antennal scape with white stripe occupying three quarters of its length.

Head. Width 4.8 mm; interorbital distance at level of antennal sockets 2.6 mm; maximum interorbital distance 2.9 mm; scape 0.8 mm; eye length 3.0 mm.

Body. Body length ca. 11.5 mm; anterior wing ca. 8.8 mm; tongue in repose reaching hindcoxa; scutellum 2.8 mm wide and 1.2 mm long; abdominal width 4.4 mm.

Legs. Foretibia and forebasitarsus fringed with medium-sized, dense, fulvous and black hairs; velvet area occupying all the ventral side of mesotibia, posterior mid-tibial tuft small, oblong; anterior mid-tibial tuft with two lobes, upper lobe slightly larger and wider, lower lobe paler than upper lobe ( Figure 1 E); metatibia oblong-rhomboid, inflated, post-glandular area fringed with medium-sized to long hairs (0.49 mm) ( Figure 1 G).

Metasoma. Punctation on discal base of T1 sparse, with large circular punctures; on distal part of T1 and T2-T4 dense, comprised of small circular punctures; on T5-T7 dense, with large circular punctures. T5 with non-punctate longitudinal stripe. S2 with small, widely separated tufts.

Female. Unknown.

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, known as Soviet Union, due to the strong red coloration of the metasoma, which reminds the color of the soviet flag.

Type locality. Holotype collected at 7°28’38”S, 73°41’54”W, Parque Nacional da Serra do Divisor, state of Acre, northern Brazil. Holotype collected at a vanillin bait.

Type material. HOLOTYPE: male, with the following data: “Parque Nacional da Serra do Divisor, Brasil – AC, 13/XI/1996, Sítio N. 3 – Norte, 7°28’38”S – 73°41’54”W, E. F. Morato leg.” and “12323-36325” ( UFMG). PARATYPES: three males, with the following data: “ RPSP 993696” and “Camanaus, rio Negro, AM, Brasil, 28-29.VI.1999, 66° 56’ W, 00° 08’ S, Camargo, Pedro, Mazucato” and “Eugenol” (FFCLRP); “ RPSP 995479” and “Plano, rio Negro, AM, Brasil, 07-09.VII.1999, 65° 59’ W, 00° 18’ S, Camargo, Pedro, Mazucato” and “Vanilina” ( UFMG); “ RPSP 995481” and “idem” and “idem” (FFCLRP).

Remarks. The shape of the mid-tibial tufts and of the metatibia, shape and position of the sternal tufts and the length of the tongue clearly defines Euglossa sovietica sp. n. as a member of Euglossa purpurea Friese species group (subgenus Euglossa ), as defined by Dressler (1978, 1982b). Its mid-tibial tufts are similar to those of E. townsendi Cockerell , E. heterostica Moure , E. truncata Rebêlo & Moure , and E. anodorhynchi Nemésio , and almost identical to those of E. igniventris and E. pleosticta . There were two specimens belonging to this new species among 541 orchid bees collected by E. F. Morato at Parque Nacional da Serra do Divisor, situated at the limits between Brazil (state of Acre) and Peru. I studied both of them but one specimen was lost during material transportation. The three paratypes come from a different area, northeast of the type locality. The red coloration is stronger in the holotype. I have studied E. pleostica specimens from most of Brazil.

There are specimens from the states of Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo (southeastern Brazil), Bahia and Maranhão (northeastern Brazil) and eastern part of the state of Acre (northwestern Brazil) currently deposited at UFMG. All of them are identical in characters such as shape of mid-tibial tufts, size and shape of paraocular markings, color of the metasoma, color of the clypeus and of the scape. I only found variation on the intensity of the reddish-golden color of the metatibia, which varies from golden green to a strong reddish-golden (this latter extreme illustrated in Figure 3 H), but even in these specimens the metatibiae are not so red as those of E. sovietica sp. n. Euglossa pleosticta specimens are more robust than E. sovietica sp. n. Euglossa pleosticta is more similar to E. igniventris than to E. sovietica sp. n. In fact, except by the coloration of the metasoma, these two latter species are morphologically identical, whereas E. sovietica sp. n. can be distinguished from both by the length and width of the glandular scar of the metatibia.

Figures

FIGURE 3 — A: dorsal view of Euglossa sovietica sp. n.; B: dorsal view of Euglossa pleosticta; C: face of Euglossa sovietica sp. n.; D: face of Euglossa pleosticta; E: mesotibia of Euglossa sovietica sp. n.; F: mesotibia of Euglossa pleosticta; G: metatibia of Euglossa sovietica sp. n.; H: metatibia of Euglossa pleosticta.

FIGURE 1 — A: dorsal view of Euglossa jacquelynae sp. n.; B: metatibia of Euglossa jacquelynae sp. n.; C: face of Euglossa jacquelynae sp. n.; D: mesotibia of Euglossa jacquelynae sp. n.; E: face of Euglossa cyanura; F: mesotibia of E. cyanura; G: face of holotype Euglossa viridis; H: mesotibia of holotype E. viridis.