Euryglossula variepicta Exley 1969

Batley, Michael, 2016, New species of Euryglossula Michener (Apoidea: Colletidae), Records of the Australian Museum 68 (6), pp. 245-261 : 254-255

Euryglossula variepicta Exley 1969

Figs 18 , 32 , 35

Diagnosis. Females are quite distinctive with an orange scutum and pale yellow metanotal tubercles plus other features described previously ( Exley, 1969). The male is the only known Euryglossula species with modified hind legs and no fringe on S5. In both sexes the clypeus is significantly flattened and openly covered with long white, finely branched hair.

Description. Male.—Head width 0.85 mm, body length 2.5 mm. Relative measurements: HW 50, HL 41, UID 32, LID 23, FVL 8, CW 21, CL 9, FL 27. Head. Face yellow to top of fovea with a line adjacent to inner orbit as far as the top of the eye; most of gena, mandibles and antennae yellow. Mesosoma black with the following yellow: pronotum laterally (including tubercle), anterolateral corners of scutum, tegula and alar sclerites. Small patches on mesepisternum and all legs yellow to orange-yellow (tibiae with brown suffusions medially). Hind femur incrassate and hind tibia broadened with inner face concave. Hind tibia with small projection at distal end in the form of a linear ridge topped by short bristles. Hind tibial spurs broadened and flattened ( Fig. 18 ). Metasoma dark brown dorsally with posterolateral corners of terga pale yellow; S1–5 dark brown with apical margins translucent preceded by narrow pale yellow line, S6 mostly pale yellow.Apical margin S5 without a fringe of hair.

Remarks. The sexes were associated by morphological similarity, especially the clypeus, and coincident collection. The female was indistinguishable from a paratype specimen in the AM collection except that the facial colour of the female was more orange than that of the paratype.

Material examined. Queensland: 1♀ paratype, Blackall 28 Oct 1968, E.M. Exley on Bauhinia carronii . Western Australia: 1♀, 1♂ ca 13 km E of Streely Creek Bridge , 20.31°S 119.33°E, 24 Aug 2005, G. Cassis, S. Lassau, S. & G. Carter ex Bauhinia cunninghamii (all in AM) .

Figures

Figure 18. Habitus images of Euryglossula variepicta male.Top row: anterior, dorsal and lateral views; bottom row: hind tibial spurs and apical projection of tibia, metasoma ventral view showing absence of sternal fringe, hind legs showing incrassate femora.

Figures 19–32 (see caption on facing page, page 261). Euryglossula male terminalia … Figures 19–32 (caption for facing page, page 260). Euryglossula male terminalia ventral view: left to right, genital capsule, S8 and S7. (19) E. aeneoceps; (20) E. chalcosoma (Cockerell); (21) E. elizabethae; (22) E. eremophilae; (23) E. flava Exley; (24) E. incisa; (25) E. kubinensis; (26) E. laticeps; (27) E. pallida; (28) E.pinnulata; (29) E. purpurea; (30) E. scalaris; (31) E.storeyi; (32) E.variepicta (showing right half only of S7). Figures 21 and 28 are composites of two images with the joins indicated by arrows.

Figures 33–36. Known distributions of: Euryglossula aeneoceps; E. chalcosoma; E. fultoni; E. purpurea; E. flava; E. kubinensis; E. laticeps; E. microdonta; E. pinnatula; E. carnarvonensis; E. deserti; E. scalaris; E. variepicta; E. elizabethae; E. eremophilae; E. incisa; E. pallida; and E. storeyi.