Xylocopa (Neoxylocopa) mendozana Enderlein, 1913

Lucia, Mariano & Gonzalez, Victor H., 2017, New species and designation of primary types in Neotropical carpenter bees of the genus Xylocopa Latreille (Hymenoptera, Apidae), Journal of Hymenoptera Research 61, pp. 31-48 : 36

Xylocopa (Neoxylocopa) mendozana Enderlein, 1913 Fig. 6

Xylocopa (Neoxylocopa) mendozana Enderlein, 1913: 160 (Lectotype: USNM; ♀, Argentina, Mendoza) (new lectotype designation).

Diagnosis.

This species can be recognized by the combination of the following features: large body size (body length ~27 mm); pubescence black; integument dark brown to black throughout, with legs and apical margins of terga light brown; tegula black; wings dark brown with green highlights; labrum basally with three longitudinally elongated tubercles; gena and supraocular areas densely punctate, punctures separated by ~1-1.5 times a puncture width; mesoscutellum with basal, smooth and shiny surface gently continuing onto distal, punctate surface; T2 densely punctate on disc, punctures small, separated by a puncture width, punctures denser laterally; T3 with sparse punctures on disc, punctures small, separated by 1-2 times a puncture width; T4-T6 with large punctures on discs, punctures separated by a puncture width; T1 with very short, plumose and simple setae intermixed; discs of T2 and basally on T3 with very short (0.2-0.4 × OD) simple setae, increasing in length laterally and on apical terga; T3 apically and T4-T6 with long (1-4 × OD), simple setae. The male can be easily recognized by the distinctive punctation and pubescence of T2 and T3, which are finely and densely punctate, with very short setae, each seta barely exiting the puncture. Thus, these terga appear largely bare at low magnifications when compared with remaining terga, which are densely covered by very long setae.

Comments.

Specimens of X. mendozana were erroneously identified as X. ordinaria Smith by Hurd (1978: 67), a species that does not occur in Argentina ( Lucia et. al 2014). Xylocopa mendozana is most similar to X. atamisquensis Lucia & Abrahamovich from Argentina but it can be easily separated by the large body size (25-29 mm), wings with strong green highlights, and T2 and T3 with short, simple setae contrasting with the long setae on the remaining terga. Xylocopa atamisquensis is smaller (21-23 mm), have wings with strong violet-green highlights, and T2-T6 with setae uniformly long. The male of X. mendozana can be distinguished from the male of other species occurring in Argentina by the features listed in the diagnosis.

Xylocopa mendozana was described from eight specimens (four females, three males and one gynandromorph) and no holotype was designated. In 1959, these syntypes were loaned to the late J.S. Moure and have never returned to the MIZ (T. Hufleit, pers. comm.). We were able to locate two females, two males, and the gynandromorph specimen in the general bee collection of the USNM. The remaining two females and one male could not be located at the Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil (G. Melo, pers. comm.). To stabilize the name, we chose one of the females as the lectotype. The label data for this specimen are as follows: Argentinien, Mendoza, Jensen-Haarup S. 1.1.07 [green label] / Type [red label] / Xylocopa mendozana Enderl. ♀ Type Dr. Enderlein det.1913 [handwritten] / Mus. Zool. Polonicum. Warszowa. 12/45/ Lectotype Xylocopa mendozana Enderlein P. D.Hurd '60 / Lectotype Xylocopa mendozana Enderlein des. M. Lucia & V.H. Gonzalez. This specimen as well as the others are currently in USNM.

Distribution.

Argentina: Catamarca, Córdoba, La Pampa, La Rioja, Mendoza, Rio Negro, Salta, San Juan, San Luis, Santiago del Estero, and Santa Fe ( Lucia et al. 2014).

Figures

Figure 6. Dorsal habitus of the female lectotype of Xylocopa (Neoxylocopa) mendozana Enderlein.