Amegilla (Notomegilla) aeruginosa (Smith)

Leijs, Remko, Batley, Michael & Hogendoorn, Katja, 2017, The genus Amegilla (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Anthophorini) in Australia: A revision of the subgenera Notomegilla and Zonamegilla, ZooKeys 653, pp. 79-140 : 96-98

Amegilla (Notomegilla) aeruginosa (Smith) Figs 4, 24, 38

Anthophora aeruginosa Smith, 1854, p. 336.

Amegilla aeruginosa (Smith) Michener, 1965, p. 216.

Amegilla (Notomegilla) aeruginosa (Smith) Brooks, 1988, p. 512.

Anthophora kershawi Rayment, 1944, p. 21, n. syn.

Anthophora sybilae Rayment, 1944, p. 22, n. syn.

Amegilla sybilae (Rayment) Michener, 1965, p. 217.

Amegilla (Notomegilla) sybilae (Rayment) Brooks, 1988, p. 512.

Material examined.

364 females and 286 males.

Types.

Lectotype of aeruginosa : male, BMNH 17B.659. The original description was from one or more male and female syntypes, reportedly collected from Hunter River, Australia. The only specimen found that was considered to be one of the syntypes was a single male bearing no collection information, but two handwritten labels: " aeruginosa Type Sm." and " Anthophora aeruginosa Type Sm.". Accordingly this specimen is here designated as the lectotype.

Holotype (by monotypy) of kershawi : male, Claudie River, Queensland, ANIC 32-033849.

Syntypes of sybilae : male, Macintosh Holding, Queensland, 14 Mar.1940, ”cotype”, ANIC 32-034555; female, Magnetic Island, Queensland, 20 Dec. 1939, “cotype”, ANIC 32-034554; female, Edungalba, Queensland, 4 Nov.1939, ANIC 32-033280; female, Litchfield, Daly R., NT, T.G. Campbell, 5/4/1929, ANIC 32-033879.

Decision for synonymy.

Based on examination of the holotype and of Rayment’s syntypes, combined with results of DNA analyses of specimens from across its geographical range we conclude that there is evidence for only one species. Uncorrected sequence divergence was found to be 0-2.0%, which is within the limits expected for conspecific individuals ( Hebert et al. 2010).

Diagnosis.

Both sexes are easily distinguished from other Australian Amegilla by the green/bronze metallic pubescence which covers most of the dorsal surface.

Redescription.

Female: Pine Creek, NT, 10 Jul. 1997, Leg. R. Leijs SAMA 32-002560.

Length 10 mm; forewing length 9 mm.

Structure. Head: clypeus protuberant, in profile 0.4 × width of eye; galea in repose reaching more than half-way between coxa of fore and mid legs; length f1 3 × length f2; IOD 1.4 × OOD; OS 0.6 × OOD. Coloration. Yellow marks on labrum, mandibles, supraclypeal areas and inverted T-shape on clypeus; paraocular areas and scape black. Pubescence. Head: labrum and clypeus white, a light yellow hair patch in centre of paraocular area, some black hairs between antennae, near ocelli and vertex, white hair with blue-green metallic iridescence in remaining areas; gena white with metallic blue-green hair. Thorax: scutum with mixed dark and yellowish hair with a metallic blue-green iridescence; pleura pale yellow below wing base, white with metallic blue-green iridescence in other areas; thoracic sterna white with metallic blue-green iridescence; propodeum laterally, dark intermixed longer whitish hair. Legs: fore outer femur and tibia posteriorly with white hair; outer tibia and basitarsus with white hair with metallic blue-green iridescence, rest of tarsus dark; mid legs predominantly dark, white on apex of femur, white with metallic blue-green iridescence on outer surface of tibia and as a basal patch on basitarsus; hind legs predominantly dark, except white on apex of femur and white with metallic blue-green iridescence on outer surface of tibia plus a small basal patch on basitarsus; basitibial streak 0.5 × length of femur. Metasoma: T2-T5: green or bronze with a metallic iridescence; T5 laterally with white hair (Fig. 24); fimbria black. Punctation. Head: clypeus dull, with close small, shallow punctures, 0.2-1.0 puncture widths apart; labrum with medium, shallow punctures, 0.2-1.0 puncture widths apart, interspaces smooth. Thorax: scutum weakly shining with dense punctures 0.2-1.0 puncture widths apart. Metasoma: T1-T5 shining with open to close, small, shallow punctures 0.5-2.0 puncture widths apart, interspaces transverse pit-reticulate.

Male: Pine Creek, NT, 10 July 1997, Leg. R. Leijs SAMA 32-002559.

Length 10 mm; forewing length 8 mm.

Structure. Head: shortest distance between eyes 0.8 × length of eye; clypeus protuberant, in profile 0.6 × width of eye; galea in repose reaching more than halfway between fore and mid coxae; length f1 1.4 × length f2, 0.7 × length scape (excluding basal bulb) and 0.7 × length f10; length f3-10 1.4 × width; IOD 1.8 × OOD; OS 0.9 × OOD. Wings: length of marginal cell 0.8 × distance from apex of marginal cell to wing tip; length of vein M of hind wing 2.5 × length second abscissa of M+Cu; length of jugal lobe about 0.6 × length of vannal lobe. Metasoma: apicomedial emargination of S5 weak; S7 windows absent, median hair brush very wide at apex and narrowing towards anterior end (Fig. 38). Pubescence. Head: white on labrum, becoming light yellow towards top of head with some black hairs between antennae, near ocelli and on vertex; ocellocular areas and frons white with blue-green metallic iridescence; gena white with metallic blue-green dense hair. Thorax: scutum black intermixed with white hair with metallic blue-green iridescence; pleura white with metallic blue-green iridescence; thoracic sterna white with metallic blue-green iridescence; propodeum laterally white with metallic blue-green iridescence. Legs: fore outer femur and tibia posteriorly with long white hair; outer tibia and basitarsus with metallic blue-green hair, rest of tarsus dark; mid legs dark, except long white hair posteriorly on femur and tibia, and white hair with metallic blue-green iridescence on apex of femur, outer surface of tibia and posterior edge of basitarsus; hind legs dark, except white with metallic blue-green iridescence on apex of femur and outer surface of tibia. Metasoma: apical hair bands on T1-T6 orange with metallic green iridescence, parts not covered by hair bands bronze with a metallic green iridescence on basal two thirds; T6,T7 brownish-black; S2-S5 dark except apical margins laterally with white hair bands with metallic blue-green iridescence. Punctation. Head: clypeus punctures 1.0-2.0 puncture widths apart; labrum: punctures 1.0-2.0 puncture widths apart. Thorax: Thorax: scutum somewhat shiny, with close punctures, 0.3-2.0 puncture widths apart. Metasoma: T1-T5 with small, shallow punctures, 0.5-1.5 puncture widths apart.

Variation.

The colour of the metasomal hair is predominantly green for approximately half the specimens and bronze for the remaining half, although intermediate coloration is found in a few individuals.

Phenology.

Amegilla aeruginosa was observed throughout the year in the Northern parts of Australia. There were an increase in numbers at the start of the wet season, and a decrease in January and February. This may be due to a slowing down or lack of reproduction in the wettest part of the year. The strong male bias in the first two months of the year (Fig. 22) may be a consequence of protandry.

Distribution.

Widely distributed in the tropics and subtropics, with little overlap with the distribution of Amegilla (Notomegilla) chlorocyanea (Fig. 4).