Chilicola clavillo Packer

Packer, Laurence & Genaro, Julio A., 2007, Fifteen new species of Chilicola (Hymenoptera: Apoidea; Colletidae), Zootaxa 1468, pp. 1-55 : 34-37

Chilicola clavillo Packer , n. sp.

( Figs.12A–N )

Diagnosis: A member of the same group of species as C. tricarinata , C. clavillo can be differentiated from all other members of Chilicola , including numerous undescribed species of the “ Oediscelisca ” group by the form of the hind tibia of the male ( Figs. 12D and E ). The tibia is almost triangular in lateral view, with the apical depth being 0.4X the length of the tibia, and is blackish brown basally and lemon yellow for the apical 0.5 — 0.7. Also there is a semicircular transverse concavity on the ventral surface but the orientation of this is such that in lateral view only a small indentation is visible. No other Chilicola with a punctiform anterior tentorial pit has such an expanded hind tibia, and the colouration and details of its shape are unique in the genus. Chilicola (Oediscelis) vernalis Philippi and C. (Oediscelis) lonco Toro and Moldenke have yellow and black expanded hind tibiae in males, but the shape of their tibiae is very different from those of C. clavillo and both have an elongate anterior tentorial pit. The legs of the female are entirely lacking in any pale colouration. All other females in Moure’s Oediscelisca known to us have at least some yellowish markings on the apices of the tibia and generally have a large proportion of the dorsal surface of the foretibia pale.

Description. Male: 6.5mm long, forewing length 4mm, head width 1.25mm.

Colouration: Black with following parts bright yellow: labrum, mandible (except apex reddish), clypeus, apical half of anterior surface of scape and pedicel, apical mark on fore trochanter, apical two-thirds of fore femur, inner surface of fore tibia, apical half of inner surface of middle femur, spot at apex of inner surface of middle tibia, apico-ventral mark on hind coxa, base of ventral process of hind trochanter, entire expanded portion of inner surface of hind tibia and apical half of outer surface ( Figs. 12D and E ). Flagellum orange anteriorly, red-brown posteriorly. Tegula and wing veins dark brown. Apical impressed areas of metasomal terga translucent dusky brown. Metasomal sterna dark brown.

Surface Sculpture: Microsculpture not strong, body surface generally moderately shiny except where covered by very dense punctures, legs and metasomal terga particularly shiny. Labrum and clypeus irregularly punctate, i=1–3d. Lower paraocular area densely punctate, i~d. Supraclypeal area very weakly punctured; frons above antennae with punctures crowded, edges sharp. Vertex rugose. Mesoscutum with dense punctures, i~0.5d; scutellum densely punctate, i<d; mesopleuron and metanotum with irregular punctures, i=1–3d, surface dull due to dense microsculpture. Metasomal terga moderately dull with strong microsculpture; T1 with i<d, T2 and T3 with i>d; T2 and T3 with weakly transversely striate basal depressions; apical impressed areas of terga impunctate and lacking microsculpture.

Pubescence: White, pale yellow below antennae; mostly fine. Clypeus with long, procumbent hairs> 2MOD. Hairs above antennae erect, not plumose and not hiding surface, mostly short, ~1MOD but with some longer hairs. Pubescence on genal area and mesosoma slightly woolly. Hind femur with ventral surface moderately densely pubescent with hairs on medial margin longest, 1.3MOD. Metasomal terga lacking well defined apicolateral hair patches. S2 with numerous long hairs, 2MOD; S3 with long erect hairs laterally 3MOD, shorter medially; S4 and S5 with at least some hairs> 2MOD.

Structure: Head ( Figs. 12A and B ): Broader than long (86:80). Labrum 3X broader than long, apex straight. Mandible 2X as long as basal depth. Clypeus broader than long (54:40), extending below lower ocular tangent by approximately 0.125X of its length, lacking median longitudinal groove. Epistomal suture weakly sinuate; anterior tentorial pit punctiform. Supraclypeal area marked on each side by broad, shallow, elongate, shiny depression ( Fig. 12A ), subantennal sutures divergent below, length and apical breadth of supraclypeal area subequal, basal breadth of area 0.7X apical breadth. Frons lacking supra-antennal depressions. Facial fovea absent. Upper paraocular area slightly produced at apex of emargination of compound eye. Inner eye margins strongly emarginate, strongly convergent below ( Fig. 12A ), UOD:LOD 54:29. IOC and OOC subequal (16:15). OOC almost 2X LOL. Scape almost 4X as long as pedicel (23:6), swollen, 2X as long as greatest width, less than 2X as long as greatest depth, depth:length 24:40 ( Fig. 12B ); F2 more than 2X as long as wide (17:8); F8 almost 2X as long as wide (17:9); F11 noticeably shorter and narrower than F10 [11:18 on shorter side, 13:17 on longer side in the holotype (but note that this character appears somewhat variable, see comments below)]. Occiput strongly depressed before carinate margin with occiput. Malar space linear such that presence or absence of malar suture indetectable. Gena 0.5X as long as width of eye (15:30) ( Fig. 12B ).

Mesosoma: Almost 2X as long as greatest depth, 125:65. Pronotum short, collar 0.7LOL. Episternal groove complete; scrobal groove present posterior to scrobe, absent anteriorly. Propodeal area almost as long as scutellum, much longer than metanotum, scutellum:metanotum:propodeum 40:19:35; propodeal sulcus narrower than that of C. tricarinata , pits quadrate. Hind leg with trochanter with posteromedial process long (1MOD) and narrow, parallel sided in both ventral and lateral views with apex curved ventrad, and with shorter posteroventrally oriented conical process arising laterad to base of posteromedial process ( Fig. 12D ). Hind femur swollen, length to depth 100:73, ventral surface strongly concave ( Fig. 12D ). Hind tibia broadly expanded apically length to apical depth 10:6, extending beyond insertion of basitarsus, ventral margin biconvex with basal convexity carinate, basal angulation weak with weak but clearly defined ridge dorsally on inner surface of apical half ( Figs. 12D and E ). Hind basitarsus less than 4X as long as greatest depth, which is past midlength, ventral margin concave, strongly narrowed for apical 0.125X ( Fig. 12D ). Basal vein moderately strongly curved, most strongly so in basal half; distal stigmal perpendicular crosses second submarginal cell at middle; stigma 0.7X as long as anterior length of marginal cell; stigmal margin in marginal cell convex, most strongly so towards apex; first recurrent and first submarginal cross veins interstitial on Rs+M.

Metasoma: Subpetiolate, T1 1.3X as long as apical width (61:45). Sterna unmodified, gradulus on S2 with long posteriorly directed lateral portions, that on S3 broadly interrupted medially, reduced to tiny lateral marks on S4–S5, absent on S6;

Terminalia : S7 with one pair of long membranous lobes similar to those of C. tricarinata but longer anteriorly, less concave laterally and more broadly rounded apically ( Fig. 12F ). S8 with very long membranous apical process, only weakly expanded towards apex, apical margin acutely emarginate ( Fig. 12G ). Genitalia as in Figs. 12H and I . Gonostylus not clearly demarcated from gonocoxite. Volsella elongate with outer surface broadly concave. Penis valve with pair of closely apprised lobes, appearing as one, short with long attachment to valve.

Female. Body length 4.7mm, forewing length 3.3mm, head width 1.2mm.

Colouration: Blackish-brown, completely lacking pale markings except for anterior surface of F3–F10 dusky orange. Wing veins dark brown.

Surface Sculpture: Punctures on frons very dense, i<<d; punctures of T1 dense, i=1–2d. Metanotum with shallow punctures on dull background. Mesopleural punctures sparse, i=2–3d; dorsal surface of propodeum with weak, irregular, longitudinal striae not reaching apex, surface flat.

Pubescence: As in C. tricarinata .

Stucture: As in C. tricarinata except as follows, head ( Fig. 12C ) wider than long (77:74). IOC only somewhat larger than OOC, 16:13. Eyes more convergent below ( Fig. 12C ), UOD:LOD 48:31. Facial fovea large and dull, ovate with upper and lower extremities somewhat pointed and approximating inner margin of eye. Propodeum almost as long as scutellum (19:21), propodeal sulcus indistinct. Apical lunule of S5 subtriangular, 0.75X as long as apical breadth.

Sting apparatus: Hemitergite 7 ( Fig. 12J ) not as elongate as in C. tricarinata , approximately 2X as long as greatest breadth excluding lateral lamella, apodemal region short, medial portion of marginal ridge concave, spiracle equidistant from lateral and medial margins, lateral process short and broad and lacking angulations, lateral lamella 0.75X as long as greatest breadth of hemitergite, posterior margin of lamina spiracularis angularly concave. Hemitergite 8 with apodeme broad, anterior ridge straight, body of plate somewhat narrowing mesad, posterior margin weakly sinuate ( Fig. 12K ). First valvifer with ventral process long, dorsal one almost right angular ( Fig. 12L ). Second valvifer with apodemal ridge straight; apical process truncate; spinous process short; gonostyli gradually narrowed posteriorly, hairs on dorsal surface longer than ventral ones. Sting shaft very slightly concave ventrally ( Fig. 12L ). Furcula with ventral arms narrower than in C. tricarinata ; dorsal and ventral arms subequal in length; narrow in lateral view ( Figs. 12M and N ).

Material examined. Holotype male and allotype female: ARGENTINA: Catamarca: Cuesta del Clavillo , 20.x.1972, J.L. Neff, collected from a white-flowered shrub of the family Asteraceae ( CTMI); paratypes: Salta, El Maray, 2200m, i.1996, M. Fritz, five males; same locality and collector, ii.1994, one male; Salta. El Alisal, i.1994, M. Fritz, one male; same data except ii. 1997, one male; Tucuman: Tafi del Valle, 2100m, 2– 3.xii. 1979, C & M Vardy, one male; BOLIVIA, Cochabamba, Peña Colorada, 1800 m, 21.ii.1976. L.E. Peña. The holotype and allotype are at CTMI, Fritz and Peña’s specimens are at the AMNH — except one paratype at MACN, Vardy’s specimen is at the BMNH.

Etymology. The species is named after the locality for the holo- and allotype specimens.

Comments. As suggested by the extensive list of characters italicized in the description above, this is a distinctive species readily separated from others in Moure’s Oediscelisca group by the form of the hind trochanter and tibia in the males and the completely dark legs of the female. The apical flagellomere is variable in length, being somewhat longer (though still shorter and slightly narrower than the preceding flagellomeres) in the males from Salta Province in Argentina and the sole specimen from Bolivia.

Figures

FIGURES 12 A – N. Chilicola clavillo Packer, n. sp. Head of male: A. frontal view, B. lateral view. C. frontal view of female head. Male: D. hind leg outer view, E. hind tibia inner view. F – I. Male terminalia. F. S 7. G. S 8. H. genital capsule, dorsal views are at the left, I genital capsule lateral view. J – M. Sting apparatus of female: J. hemitergite 7, K. hemitergite 8, L. First and second valvifer with gonostylus and sting shaft. M and N, furcula, dorsal and lateral views. Stippling in A, B, D and E indicates pale colouration, elsewhere it indicates membranous regions; the outlined area in A denotes margin of depressed areas.