Austrostelis bonaventura ( Friese, 1925 )

Parizotto, Daniele R., Urban, Danúncia & Melo, Gabriel A. R., 2017, Revision of the cleptoparasitic bee genus Austrostelis Michener and Griswold (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Megachilinae), Journal of Natural History (J. Nat. Hist.) 52 (1 - 2), pp. 53-71 : 63-64

Austrostelis bonaventura ( Friese, 1925)

( Figures 2 (b), 3(d))

Stelis bonaventura Friese, 1925: 39 . Holotype male, Argentina: Buenos Aires (ZMB, examined).

Comments and diagnosis

Austrostelis bonaventura is known only from the male holotype, deposited in ZMB which was examined and photographed . The specimen is double mounted and well preserved, except for some dirt on its surface. This species is easily recognized by exhibiting ferruginous markings restricted to head, a large and complete yellow band on T1 ; a large discal yellow band on T3 – T4 ; terga densely punctate, disc of T2 with punctures separated by one puncture diameter .

Redescription

Colour. Head with the following ferruginous areas: clypeus; paraocular bands extending to postocellar area; supraclypeal area with elongated macula reaching the median ocellus, wider between the juxtantennal carina; a large band from postocellar region to lower gena and mandible. Antenna with scape and pedicel ferruginous, two basal flagellomeres yellowish amber, remaining flagellomeres brownish. Mesoscutum with an inverted J-shaped opaque yellow macula on each side; axillae and apical half of scutellum yellow. Tegula yellowish ferruginous; wing membrane brown, darker at base and at costal margin. Legs with coxae, trochanters and base of femora darkish brown and remainder ferruginous. Terga black; T1 with large pale yellow band; T2 with lateroventral pale yellow band; T3–T4 with dorsal pale yellow band, smaller in T4. Sterna blackish.

Pilosity. White and sparse.

Punctures. Head densely punctate, sparser and more shallow on clypeus and supraclypeal area. Mesoscutum and mesepisternum with punctures larger and deeper than on head, integument smooth between punctures. Scutellum with punctures gradually larger towards the apex. Tegula with shallow and sparse punctures. Terga with punctures sparser and shallow than on mesoscutum; T2 with smaller, sparser and shallower punctures on disc; distance between punctures about one-puncture diameter; T3 with shallower and denser punctures than T2.

Distribution. Known only from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Type material examined

Holotype male of Stelis bonaventura , ‘ Argentina /Buen.Aires/15.12.05/Frank’ ‘Type’ ‘ Stelis (?)/bonaventura/1904 Friese det. ♂ ’ ‘ Holotype / Stelis /bonaventura/ ♂ / Friese 1925 ’.

Figures

Figure 2. Head (male), frontal view: (a) Austrostelis amapaensis; (b) A. bonaventura; (c) A. catamarcensis; (d) A. flava; (e) A. iheringi; (f) A. appendiculata; (g) A saltensis sp. nov.; (h) A. silveirai; (i) A. zebrata.